The Impromptu of Versailles

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The Impromptu of Versailles ( French L'Impromptu de Versailles ) is a one-act comedy by the French poet Molière . The play was premiered in October 1663 in the Palace of Versailles in front of King Louis XIV , the public first performance took place on November 4, 1663 in the Palais Royal in Paris .

action

Molière impatiently summons the members of his acting troupe. The king ordered an entertaining piece at short notice that has not yet been completed and now has to be rehearsed in a hurry. Molière, who, like the other actors, appears under his own name and takes on a role at the same time, gives his fellow actors as theater director and director precise instructions on how to understand their roles , on speaking technique and posture . At the request of an actress, he recites a few verses from Corneille's tragedies, imitating the boastful, "unnatural" style of the competing troupe in the Hôtel de Bourgogne . A curious courtier puts the troop's patience to the test with annoying questions and remarks. Now we come to the criticism of the “School of Women” and then to Boursault , who criticized Molière's School of Women . Molière explains that his opponents envy him above all for his success. He refuses to continue her personal accusations in the same style and advocates keeping the criticism within the limits of decency. Some courtiers ( nécessaires ) bring the troupe to despair with repeated unsolicited instructions, but the play ends with a courtier announcing that the king has postponed the performance of the intended play indefinitely.

Web links

Wikisource: Impromptu of Versailles  - Sources and full texts (French)

Individual evidence

  1. Tout Molière