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Daily Archives: December 11, 2020

L’Impromptu de Versailles, Sc. iv

11 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Molière

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Molière, Sc. iv

Moliere (French playwright and actor) statue in Paris, France (Getty Images)

In L’Impromptu de Versailles, 3, I included a quotation that prefigures Le Misanthrope. Alceste, the Misanthrope, depicts the court. A courtier swears he will do everything for another courtier, but it is mere politeness. Minutes later, he will be backbiting.

I suggested skipping this quotation because of its length. However, I decided to shorten the quotation and include it in full in a separate post. In this quotation, Molière, the director, le metteur en scène, is giving directions to the actor who will play Molière in the comedy the King commissioned, but he denigrates court as Alceste would. The fictitious Molière speaks as will Alceste two years later. The material of this post is the full quotation and its translation by Henri van Laun. Molière’s words as director are coloured.

Molière (Bing)

Attendez, il faut marquer davantage tout cet endroit, écoutez-le-moi dire un peu. « Et qu’il ne trouvera plus de matière pour… — Plus de matière! Hé, mon pauvre Marquis, nous lui en fournirons toujours assez, et nous ne prenons guère le chemin de nous rendre sages pour tout ce qu’il fait et tout ce qu’il dit. Crois-tu qu’il ait épuisé dans ses comédies tout le ridicule des hommes? Et sans sortir de la cour, n’a-t-il pas encore vingt caractères de gens où il n’a point touché? N’a-t-il pas, par exemple, ceux qui se font les plus grandes amitiés du monde, et qui le dos tourné font galanterie de se déchirer l’un l’autre? N’a-t-il pas ces adulateurs à outrance, ces flatteurs insipides qui n’assaisonnent d’aucun sel les louanges qu’ils donnent, et dont toutes les flatteries ont une douceur fade qui fait mal au cœur à ceux qui les écoutent? N’a-t-il pas ces lâches courtisans de la faveur, ces perfides adorateurs de la fortune, qui vous encensent dans la prospérité, et vous accablent dans la disgrâce? N’a-t-il pas ceux qui sont toujours mécontents de la cour, ces suivants inutiles, ces incommodes assidus, ces gens, dis-je, qui pour services ne peuvent compter que des importunités, et qui veulent que l’on les récompense d’avoir obsédé le prince dix ans durant? N’a-t-il pas ceux qui caressent également tout le monde, qui promènent leurs civilités à droite et à gauche, et courent à tous ceux qu’ils voient avec les mêmes embrassades, et les mêmes protestations d’amitié? “Monsieur votre très humble serviteur. — Monsieur je suis tout à votre service. — Tenez-moi des vôtres, mon cher. — Faites état de moi, Monsieur, comme du plus chaud de vos amis. — Monsieur, je suis ravi de vous embrasser. — Ah! Monsieur, je ne vous voyais pas. Faites-moi la grâce de m’employer, soyez persuadé que je suis entièrement à vous. Vous êtes l’homme du monde que je révère le plus; il n’y a personne que j’honore à l’égal de vous. Je vous conjure de le croire; je vous supplie de n’en point douter. — Serviteur. — Très humble valet”. Va, va, Marquis, Molière aura toujours plus de sujets qu’il n’en voudra, et tout ce qu’il a touché jusqu’ici n’est rien que bagatelle, au prix de ce qui reste. » Voilà à peu près comme cela doit être joué.
Molière (Sc. iv)
[You must be more emphatic with this passage. Just listen to me for a moment. “And that he will find no more subjects for . . . No more subjects? Ah, dear Marquis, we shall always go on providing him with plenty, and we are scarcely taking the course to grow wise, for all that he can do or say. Do you imagine that he has exhausted in his comedies all the follies of men; and without leaving the Court, are there not a score of characters which he has not yet touched upon? For instance, has he, not those who profess the greatest friendship possible, and who, when they turn their backs, think it a piece of gallantry to tear each other to pieces? Has he not those unmitigated sycophants, those vapid flatterers, who never give a pinch of salt with their praises, and whose flatteries have a sickly sweetness which nauseate those who hear them? Has he not the craven courtiers of favourites, the treacherous worshippers of fortune, who praise you in prosperity, and run you down in adversity? Has he not those who are always discontented with the Court, those useless hangers on, those troublesome, officious creatures, those people who can count up no services except importunities, and who expect to be rewarded for having laid a ten years’ siege to the King? Has he not doubt Molière had much ado to keep himself out of an endless series of those who fawn on all the world alike, who hand their civilities from left to right, who run after all whom they see, with the same salutations, and the same professions of friendship? ‘Sir, your most obedient. Sir, I am entirely at your service. Consider me wholly yours, dear sir. Reckon me, sir, as the warmest of your friends. Sir, I am enchanted to embrace you. Ah! sir, I did not see you. Oblige me by making use of me; be assured I am wholly yours. You are the one man in the world whom I most esteem. There is no one whom I honour like you. I entreat you to believe it. I beg of you not to doubt it. Your servant. Your humble slave.’ Oh, Marquis, Marquis, Moliere will always have more subjects than he needs; and all that he has aimed at as yet is but a trifle to the treasure which is within his reach.”]
Molière (Sc. 3, pp. 204-205)

back to: L’Impromptu de Versailles, 3

Ballet de la Merlaison par Louis XIII
Molière (Bing)

© Micheline Walker
11 December 2020
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