The prayer sister

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Engraving after SH Grimm (1772)

The Prayer Sister is a comedy in three acts by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert , published in 1745.

In the character of Frau Richardinn, in the sense of a type comedy, an apparently pious person is exposed as a hypocritical bigot because of her avarice and her scheming manner . The plot evolves around Simon's courtship for Mrs. Richardinn's daughter, Christianchen, who was brought up so unworldly that Simon cannot decide at first between the uneducated, somewhat boring Christiane and a friend of hers, the somewhat more mature Eleanor.

The text first appeared in the second part of the second volume of the New Contributions to the Pleasure of the Mind and Joke, and in the same year as a separate publication. Later it was published together with The Loos in the Lottery , The Tender Sisters and The Sick Woman with the assignment "Lustspiele". Gellert weakened the sharp tone of the satirical comedy somewhat in later revisions and removed biblical quotations and partial quotations from the play.

people

  • Mrs. Maria Christiane Richardinn, mother of Christianchen, as a prayer sister, the actual title heroine of the play
  • Christiane Richardinn, called Christianchen, daughter of Richardinn and Simon's fiancée
  • Eleonore, called Lorchen, "extensive", older friend of Christianchen, has lived with the Richardinn for a year
  • Simon, Christianchen's well-heeled fiance from Berlin
  • Ferdinand, Simon's suitor, also from Berlin

Table of contents

I. act

I.1. Lorchen and Ferdinand - Ferdinand asks Lorchen to register him with Ms. Richardinn, as he and Simon have been waiting for three days to agree on the details of Christianchen and Simon's marriage with her. Lorchen tries to explain to him that Mrs. Richardinn has to pray until 4 a.m.

I.2. Woman Richardinn and Ferdinand - woman Richardinn receives Ferdinand but earlier and complained to him a beggar did frevlerischerweise in prayer disturbed. Ferdinand tries to justify the beggar's behavior , but Ms. Richardinn insists that the beggar has no right to disturb her just because he has no left hand: "Can't he work with the right?"

I.3. Mrs. Richardinn, Lorchen and Ferdinand - Mrs. Richardinn leaves the scene after Lorchen tells her that her neighbor wants to speak to her.

I.4. Lorchen und Ferdinand - Lorchen tells Ferdinand that Ms. Richardinn demands cut-throat interest from her neighbor and that she is busy keeping records of her possessions while she is supposed to be praying.

I.5. Mrs. Richardinn, Lorchen and Ferdinand - Mrs. Richardinn returns, briefly explains the necessity of her brief absence and asks Lorchen to prepare a coffee for Ferdinand .

I.6. Mrs. Richardinn and Ferdinand - Mrs. Richardinn tells Ferdinand that the soup bowl of her blessed husband had smashed on the floor in the kitchen by itself. She reads a bad omen from it, but Ferdinand finally wants to discuss the details of the marriage. With tears she tries to push the dowry as low as possible. When that doesn't work, she tries to involve him in a religious dispute.

I.7. Ms. Richardinn, Ferdinand and Simon - Simon joins them and Ms. Richardinn greets him very coolly. She leaves the scene to get her daughter.

I.8. Ferdinand and Simon - Simon complains to Ferdinand that Christianchen is very pretty and rich, but not very smart. Ferdinand advises him to call off the marriage if he is not sure of his cause.

I.9. Lorchen, Ferdinand and Simon - Lorchen announces to the gentlemen that Ms. Richardinn has made up her mind to pay at least half of the requested dowry (5,000 guilders). Simon repeats his concerns about Lorchen. She offers to take care of Christianchen's upbringing if the marriage is postponed for a year. Simon gratefully agrees and is financially generous to Lorchen, but Lorchen refuses with thanks.

II. Act

II.1. Ms. Richardinn and Simon - Ms. Richardin wants to swear Simon that he will not use the dowry for Christianchen's clothes. She also comments on how generous she is and how little her generosity is valued. She complains about different trends in fashion and tells how she snatched Pamela (novel) from her daughter Richardson's letter novel . Simon defends Christianchen's behavior towards Mrs. Richardinn.

II.2. Ms. Richardinn, Christianchen, Lorchen and Simon - Lorchen reports that coffee is ready, and Ms. Richardinn and Simon go to discuss the final details of the marriage with Ferdinand.

II.3. Christianchen and Lorchen - Lorchen tries to find out whether Christianchen is actually in love. But this makes it clear that she likes Simon, but does not think she has found love.

II.4. Lorchen, Ferdinand and Simon - Simon and Ferdinand return from drinking coffee and report that they had a deep falling out with Mrs. Richardinn because Simon uttered a curse when he accidentally broke a cup. Simon changes his plans at short notice and offers Lorchen his love. Lorchen declines with thanks.

II.5. Christianchen, Lorchen, Ferdinand and Simon - Christianchen returns from her mother to end her engagement to Simon. She asks him to direct his love to Lorchen. Lorchen is now ready to accept Simon's request, provided she can take Christianchen with her.

III. act

III.1. Ms. Richardinn and Christianchen - Ms. Richardinn ranted Simon and accused him of deliberately breaking the cup. She berates Christianchen for having given him too much.

III.2. Ms. Richardinn and Lorchen - Not knowing that Simon is now engaged to Lorchen, Ms. Richardinn continues to scold Simon and also attacks Lorchen, who tries to stand up for Simon. The situation changes suddenly when Ms. Richardinn learns that Simon is giving her a whole tea set to replace the broken cup. Ms. Richardinn is entranced by the gift and ponders for a long time whether she should tip the servant who brought the set . Not entirely surprising, she finally lets it go.

III.3. Mrs. Richardinn, Christianchen and Lorchen - Mrs. Richardinn wants to discuss the details of her daughter's marriage to Simon immediately, but Christianchen informs her that their engagement has been dissolved. Little Christian reminds Ms. Richardinn that it was she who had forbidden her from the relationship, but Ms. Richardinn denies it.

III.4. Christianchen and Lorchen - Lorchen confirms her intention to take Christianchen with her to Berlin. Lorchen tries to swear Christianchen that she will marry Simon if something should happen to Lorchen.

III.5. Christianchen, Lorchen and Ferdinand - Ferdinand comes up and reports that Frau Richardinn has called him here; He doesn't know the reason, they actually wanted to leave.

III.6. Lorchen and Ferdinand - Lorchen asks Ferdinand whether he had noticed how Christianchen had become “quite bright and well-mannered in a short time”. Ferdinand emphasizes that he never doubted this development.

III.7. Mrs. Richardinn, Lorchen and Ferdinand - Mrs. Richardinn receives Ferdinand and announces that she has apologized for Simon's wrongdoing and that nothing stands in the way of his marriage to Christianchen.

III.8. Ms. Richardinn and Ferdinand - Ferdinand reminds Ms. Richardinn that this engagement has been dissolved, whereupon Ms. Richardinn accuses Simon of having had unfair plans with Christianchen. Ferdinand reminds her that she is to blame for the situation, but she insists that this marriage take place.

III.9. Ferdinand and Simon - Simon confirms that Lorchen will be his bride.

III.10. Christianchen, Lorchen, Ferdinand and Simon - Christianchen for her part affirms that Lorchen and Simon should belong together. She goes to the table where Mrs. Richardinn is waiting for the group.

III.11. Lorchen, Ferdinand and Simon - Lorchen announces her engagement to Simon with the condition that Simons and Christianchen's marriage is postponed for a year so that Lorchen can prepare them for the marriage. Simon agrees, and Ferdinand is so enthusiastic about Lorchen that he wants to take her into his household. Finally, the three of them go to table to discuss the details of the marriage with Ms. Richardinn and Christianchen (who doesn't know anything about her happiness yet).

--THE END--

expenditure

  • Gellert, Christian Fürchtegott. The prayer sister. Comedy in three acts. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co, 1962. (= Komedia: German comedies from the baroque to the present 2)