The Cheats of Scapin - Molière

Summary

"Les Fourberies de Scapin" (Scapin's Deceits) is a three-act farce by Molière. The play is set in Naples and centers on two young men, Octave and Léandre, who have fallen in love and married/committed to women of lower social standing while their fathers, Argante and Géronte, were away on a trip. Upon the fathers' return, they are furious and plan arranged marriages for their sons with each other's daughters, unaware of their sons' existing loves. The resourceful and cunning valet, Scapin, steps in to help the young lovers. Through a series of elaborate deceptions, lies, disguises, and schemes – most notably tricking the fathers out of money and subjecting them to physical abuse in the famous "sack scene" – Scapin manipulates the fathers into accepting their sons' choices. The plot culminates in the discovery that the young women are, in fact, the fathers' long-lost children, leading to a happy resolution and the forgiveness of Scapin's trickery.

Book Sections

Section 1

The play opens in Naples with Octave confiding in his valet, Silvestre, about a dire situation. While his father, Argante, was away, Octave secretly married Hyacinte, a young woman of unknown origin, because he fell deeply in love with her. Now, Argante has returned and plans to marry Octave to the daughter of his friend Géronte. Octave fears his father's wrath and the forced annulment of his marriage. Soon after, Léandre, the son of Géronte, arrives and confides in Scapin, his valet, that he too is in love with a young gypsy girl named Zerbinette and needs money to buy her freedom from the gypsies. Scapin, known for his cunning, agrees to help both young men.

Argante confronts Octave, furious about his secret marriage. Géronte joins him, discussing their plans for their children's marriages – Octave to Géronte's daughter and Léandre to Argante's daughter. Neither father knows that Géronte's daughter is Hyacinte, and Argante's daughter is Zerbinette (both having been lost in childhood). Scapin, ever the trickster, proposes a plan to extract money from the fathers to resolve their sons' predicaments.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Scapin	Valet to Léandre. Cunning, resourceful, manipulative, mischievous, and enjoys orchestrating elaborate schemes.	To help the young lovers achieve their desires, primarily out of loyalty and a love for mischief and challenge.
Silvestre	Valet to Octave. Timid, easily scared, but often reluctantly goes along with Scapin's plans.	To help his master Octave, but often driven by fear of his master's father and Scapin's intimidation.
Octave	Son of Argante. Young, lovesick, somewhat cowardly, and easily overwhelmed by his father's authority.	To stay married to Hyacinte, driven by passionate love.
Léandre	Son of Géronte. Young, proud, somewhat impetuous, and deeply in love.	To marry Zerbinette and buy her freedom, driven by passionate love.
Hyacinte	Young woman, secretly married to Octave. Gentle, virtuous, and deeply in love.	To remain with Octave, driven by love and commitment.
Zerbinette	Young gypsy girl, in love with Léandre. Spirited, witty, and resilient.	To be with Léandre and secure her freedom, driven by love and a desire for a better life.
Argante	Father of Octave and Hyacinte. Stubborn, miserly, domineering, and concerned with social standing.	To enforce his will on his son, to maintain family honor and wealth, and to see Octave marry Géronte's daughter.
Géronte	Father of Léandre. Equally stubborn, miserly, and somewhat dim-witted, often a target for Scapin's tricks.	To enforce his will on his son, to maintain family honor and wealth, and to see Léandre marry Argante's daughter.
Nérine	Hyacinte's nurse.	To support Hyacinte and help resolve her situation.
Carle	A lackey.	A minor character, performing small errands or delivering messages.

Section 2

Scapin begins his elaborate plan. He approaches Argante, fabricating a story that Octave has fallen into the hands of dangerous "bravos" (thugs) who demand a ransom for his life. Scapin exaggerates the danger and cleverly plays on Argante's fears, eventually convincing him to grudgingly hand over money for Octave's "ransom." Scapin claims the money is given to the "bravos" through a third party, pocketing a significant portion.

Next, Scapin targets Géronte, creating an even more dramatic tale. He tells Géronte that Léandre has been abducted by pirates and taken aboard a Turkish galley, and a large sum of money is needed to ransom him. Géronte, known for his avarice, repeatedly utters the famous line, "Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?" (What the devil was he doing in that galley?), lamenting his son's recklessness rather than the ransom itself. Scapin uses intimidation and a fabricated sense of urgency to extract money from Géronte, again claiming it's for the ransom.

Léandre, initially unaware of Scapin's full plan, becomes upset when he learns that Scapin has been telling lies and stealing from his father, Géronte. Léandre confronts Scapin, who then reveals his true intentions: to secure the necessary funds from the stingy fathers so that both Octave and Léandre can marry their loves. Léandre eventually understands and agrees to let Scapin continue his schemes.

Scapin then orchestrates the infamous "sack scene." He convinces Géronte to hide in a sack, telling him it's to escape from vengeful relatives of one of the "bravos" he supposedly cheated. While Géronte is in the sack, Scapin, using different voices and disguises, pretends to be various attackers, beating Géronte with a stick, all while feigning to "defend" him. He repeats a similar trick with Argante, subjecting him to the same humiliation and beatings, claiming it's a punishment from a supposed "brother" of a man Argante wronged. The fathers are thoroughly duped and bruised.

Section 3

Zerbinette, still a gypsy girl, encounters Argante and Géronte. Unaware of who they truly are, she playfully recounts how Scapin tricked both of them into giving money to help her and Léandre. She openly mocks their gullibility, much to the fathers' horror, as they realize they have been completely swindled and beaten by Scapin. They vow revenge.

Just as the fathers are at their wits' end, a crucial discovery is made. It is revealed that Zerbinette is, in fact, Argante's long-lost daughter, who was separated from him in childhood by a gypsy raid. Simultaneously, it is discovered that Hyacinte is Géronte's long-lost daughter, who was also lost in similar circumstances. These revelations change everything. Octave, who married Hyacinte, is now married to Géronte's daughter, precisely as Géronte had originally intended for Léandre. Léandre, who loves Zerbinette, is now free to marry Argante's daughter, as Argante had originally intended for Octave. The initial marital conflicts completely dissolve.

With all the young lovers now properly matched according to their fathers' original (albeit misdirected) wishes and social standing, the fathers' anger softens. However, they are still furious with Scapin. Scapin, realizing his tricks could land him in serious trouble, fakes a terrible accident, pretending to be mortally wounded by a falling beam. He begs for forgiveness from Argante and Géronte on his deathbed. Seeing him seemingly on the verge of death and feeling immense relief from the happy resolutions of their children's marriages, the fathers reluctantly grant him their forgiveness. Scapin, upon receiving their pardon, miraculously recovers and joyfully joins the celebration. The play concludes with everyone, including the trickster valet, embracing the happy outcome.

Literary Genre

• Genre: Farce, Comedy of Intrigue (Comédie d'intrigue). It is a theatrical genre characterized by slapstick humor, exaggerated situations, rapid plot development, and often features a cunning servant character who manipulates events.

Author Facts

• Molière (born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622–1673) was a French playwright, actor, and director.
• He is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.
• His plays often satirized the hypocrisy, affectations, and vices of 17th-century French society, particularly the bourgeoisie and aristocracy.
• He also founded and led the "Illustre Théâtre" company.
• Molière himself often performed the lead roles in his own plays.
• Other famous works include Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, The Bourgeois Gentleman, and The Imaginary Invalid.

Morale and Curiosities

Morale:
The play subtly suggests that love can triumph over the most rigid social conventions and parental authoritarianism, often with the help of cleverness and deception. It also highlights the folly of excessive avarice and stubbornness, as the fathers' vices make them easy targets for Scapin's manipulations. Ultimately, while Scapin's methods are questionable, the beneficial outcome for everyone (especially the young lovers) leads to his forgiveness, implying that sometimes the ends can justify the means, especially in a comedic context.

Curiosities:

• Commedia dell'arte Influence: Les Fourberies de Scapin is heavily influenced by the Italian commedia dell'arte tradition, featuring stock characters like the cunning servant (Scapin, similar to Arlecchino or Brighella), the avaricious old fathers (Argante and Géronte, similar to Pantalone), and the young lovers (Octave, Léandre, Hyacinte, Zerbinette).
• The "Sack Scene": The scene where Scapin beats Géronte (and later Argante) while they are hidden in a sack is one of the most famous and enduring examples of physical comedy in theatre. It is a direct descendant of similar lazzi (physical gags) from commedia dell'arte.
• "Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?": Géronte's repeated lament, "What the devil was he doing in that galley?", became an extremely popular French idiom, used to question someone's ill-advised actions that lead them into trouble.
• Molière's Performance: Molière himself played the role of Scapin in the play's original production, showcasing his talent not only as a writer but also as an actor adept at physical comedy.
• Critical Reception vs. Popularity: While some contemporary critics considered the play a mere farce, lacking the depth of Molière's more "serious" comedies, Les Fourberies de Scapin was an instant popular success and has remained one of Molière's most frequently performed and beloved works due to its vibrant humor and energetic plot.