La Dispute (Comedy)
La Dispute ( German : The dispute) is a comedy by the French early enlightenment writer Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux from 1744 .
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The piece begins with a dispute between “the prince” and an equally aristocratic lady, called Hermiane, who discuss which sex brought misfortune into the world. The prince then informs her that there had been a similar dispute 20 years earlier at his father's court, who then had some children grow up independently. During this time, the children only had contact with the two black servants Mesrou and Carise. Now it is to be shown by a play who brought the misfortune into the world. The prince and Hermiane enter the audience and Carise and Egle, one of the children, appear. Egle is fascinated by the world and, after looking at herself in the brook, is left alone by Carise. Shortly thereafter, Azor appears, who is impressed by Egle's beauty and immediately falls in love with her. After a while, Carise comes back and advises the two lovers to separate so that their being together does not become a habit. Even if the two initially refuse, they consent after a while.
Shortly thereafter, Adine (another woman) comes. She sees Egle and is not enthusiastic about her beauty, which enrages Egle. The two ladies argue who is more beautiful and hold out their love affairs to each other. Adine says that she has come to love a "person" whose name is Mesrin (a male child).
In the following scene, Azor (Egle's friend) and Mesrin (Adine's friend) meet and try to "love each other" first. After a while, they realize that they were not made to love (both are men) and they just decide to be friends.
Egle and Mesrin as well as Adine and Azor then meet. Both of them fall in love again. So there was a partner swap.
Then all four main characters meet with the supervisors and uncover the swap, which makes Egle and Adine angry. Shortly before the situation escalates, Hermiane interrupts the performance and expresses her contempt for the women.
Now, however, a change occurs, because the children Meslis and Dina, also raised by the blacks, appear. Both have no interest in the other person and affirm their love for one another. The play ends with the prince's order that the remaining children be taken away, while Meslis and Dina impress Hermiane and the prince.
In some interpretations of the play, the four main characters are not taken away, but drowned.
