Customer Reviews

School For Husbands and Sganarelle, or The Imaginary Cuckold, by Moliere

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The School for Husbands" is a lovely example of the commedia dell'arte influenced comedy that Moliere perfected in the mid 1600s. Richard Wilbur's translation of the original French into rhyming English couplets is almost as great an achievement. He is the premier interpreter of Moliere into English, and when you read, or see, Moliere his translations give the plays the most life and lift.
If you are familiar with Moliere you know that many of his plays have similar motifs and themes. There is the foolish middle aged man, the smart young female romantic lead, the man she loves but can't have, and a couple of saucy females, usually of the sibling or domestic servant variety. Those familiar plot points are also present in this text. And like most of Moliere, they work here.
In short, the play is about a man named Sganarelle who is clueless and petty in every way possible, and who is convinced that his cruelty toward a young ward has resulted in her loving him. Like I said, he is clueless. The play is really nothing more than the machinations of the young ward (a woman named Isabelle) trying to get out from under Sganarelle and into the arms of the man she really loves. The real pleasure of this piece is in watching Isabelle and others use Sganarelle's very character traits against him, and thus achieving their ends with his assistance. The plot barrels along at a very rapid pace, even for Moliere, and it is a quick and delightful reading experience. In the hands of some good actors and a talented classical director, a production would be a very enjoyable evening.
Moliere does not yield as many riches as Shakespeare, but he yields more than enough to make reading him worthwhile. Enjoy!

i greatly enjoyed this book. it was amusing and terribly funny. i could barely put it down. the characters were life-like and i found myself wrapped up in their twisted plot. i would recommend this book for anyone that wants a liesurely read.

this book is pretty cool it definitly inspired the creation of another cuckold resource.I recommend this book[..].