Scapin the Schemer

Scapin the Schemer (French: Les Fourberies de Scapin) is a three-act comedy of intrigue by the French playwright Molière.^[1] The title character Scapin is similar to the archetypical Scapino character. The play was first staged on 24 May 1671 in the theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris.^[2]

Scapin the Schemer
Front page of Les Fourberies de Scapin
Written by	Molière
Characters	Scapin Léandre Octave Géronte Argante Hyacinthe Zerbinette Silvestre Carle Nérine Two porters
Date premiered	May 24, 1671 (1671-05-24)
Place premiered	Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris
Original language	French
Genre	Comedy of intrigue
Setting	Naples, Italy

The original play is in French but, like many of Molière's plays, it has been translated into many different languages. Adaptations in English include the 1676 The Cheats of Scapin by Thomas Otway^[3] and Scapino by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale in 1974,^[4] which has also been further adapted by Noyce Burleson.^[5] Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell also adapted the play, as Scapin, in 1995.^[6]

In the play, Octave has secretly married without his father's permission. Léandre has also chosen his own prospective wife. When their respective fathers reveal their plans for arranged marriages for their boys, the sons want to keep their current spouses. The trickster Scapin intervenes on their behalf, convinced that nothing is impossible to achieve.

Characters

Scapin

Léandre's valet and "fourbe" (a rough translation of "fourbe" is "a deceitful person")

Léandre

Son of Géronte and lover of Zerbinette

Octave

Son of Argante and lover of Hyacinthe

Géronte

Father of Léandre and of Hyacinthe

Argante

Father of Octave and of Zerbinette

Hyacinthe

Daughter of Géronte and lover of Octave

Zerbinette

Daughter of Argante and lover of Léandre, believed to be a gypsy girl

Silvestre

Octave's valet

Carle

"Fourbe"

Nérine

Hyacinthe's wet nurse

Two porters

Plot

Scapin constantly lies and tricks people to get ahead. He is an arrogant, pompous man who acts as if nothing were impossible for him. However, he is also a diplomatic genius. He manages to play the other characters off of each other very easily, and yet manages to keep his overall goal — to help the young couples — in sight.

In their fathers' absence, Octave has secretly married Hyacinthe, while Léandre has secretly fallen in love with Zerbinette. But the fathers return from a trip with marriage plans for their respective sons. Scapin, after hearing many pleas for help, comes to their rescue. Thanks to many tricks and lies, Scapin manages to come up with enough money from the parents to make sure that the young couples get to stay married. But, no one knows who Hyacinthe and Zerbinette really are. It ends in the classic happy ending, and Scapin is even brought to the head of the table at the ending feast (even though he has to fake a fatal wound to make it happen ).

Quotations

"À vous dire la vérité, il y a peu de choses qui me soient impossibles, quand je veux m'y mêler."

"To tell you the truth, there are few things that I find impossible, when I want to do them."

— Scapin, in Act 1, Scene 2

"Il vaut mieux encore d'être marié que mort."

"It's still better to be married than to be dead."

— Scapin, in Act 1, Scene 4

See also

• Scapino