The Bungler

My excitement at seeing a newly published Richard Wilbur translation of a Moliere play I hadn't heard of was tempered slightly by the worry it was just a different title for a play I had already read. (This recently happened to me with Bulgakov's A Dead Man's Memoir, and years ago I was excited to read Camus' The Outsider -- only to figure out pretty quickly it was just a different translation of The Stranger.)

According to the introductory notes, this was Moliere's first major play and the first play in verse. It is a Commedia Dell Arte that tells a stock farce plot of a bungling young man, Lelie, and his resourceful valet as they attempt to get a woman, currently held as a slave and also pursued by another young man. Every time the show more valet has a new scheme it gets thwarted by Lelie's bungling. It is a testament to the play that I found myself laughing just as hard the twelfth or so time the formula of valet devises a seemingly fool-proof plan to get the girl, and the fool ruins it.

Nowhere near Moliere's later plays in depth, complexity, psychological insight and development, plot etc. But Wilbur's verse translation is as witty and enjoyable as the best of Moliere -- as I suspect the original French is as well. show less

My excitement at seeing a newly published Richard Wilbur translation of a Moliere play I hadn't heard of was tempered slightly by the worry it was just a different title for a play I had already read. (This recently happened to me with Bulgakov's A Dead Man's Memoir, and years ago I was excited to read Camus' The Outsider -- only to figure out pretty quickly it was just a different translation of The Stranger.)

According to the introductory notes, this was Moliere's first major play and the first play in verse. It is a Commedia Dell Arte that tells a stock farce plot of a bungling young man, Lelie, and his resourceful valet as they attempt to get a woman, currently held as a slave and also pursued by another young man. Every time the show more valet has a new scheme it gets thwarted by Lelie's bungling. It is a testament to the play that I found myself laughing just as hard the twelfth or so time the formula of valet devises a seemingly fool-proof plan to get the girl, and the fool ruins it.

Nowhere near Moliere's later plays in depth, complexity, psychological insight and development, plot etc. But Wilbur's verse translation is as witty and enjoyable as the best of Moliere -- as I suspect the original French is as well. show less

Listened to as part of The Molière Collection, a digital audiobook by L.A. Theater Works of performances of 6 plays using Richard Wilbur's translations.

This first play in the collection was one unfamiliar to me - not as hilarious as Moliére's best but still quite funny. The plot is reminiscent of some of Shakespeare's comedies (The Comedy of Errors for example).

5

L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps ou L'estourdy ou les contre-temps, est une comédie en cinq actes et en vers de Molière, représentée pour la première fois à Lyon en 1653. Elle a été représentée la première fois à Paris au Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon le 3 novembre 1658 par la troupe de Monsieur, frère unique du Roi.
Résumé : Par son étourderie ou sa maladresse, Lélie fait échouer onze machinations successives que son serviteur Mascarille, « fourbum imperator », a imaginées pour lui assurer la possession de Célie, une jeune esclave que le vieux Trufaldin garde chez lui sans savoir que c'est sa propre fille.