In the play The Cit Turned Gentleman the definition of a gentleman is presumed to be so many things that it is apparent there is no one description for the word. The physical demand is that one be clothed properly, in the latest fashions. There is also the expectation that one be well-trained in music, dancing, fencing and various other skills. In addition to this, a man must have connections with those of a higher status. Without these attributes, depending whose opinion you seek, one may not be termed a gentleman. It is therefore ambiguous whether the cit Mr. Jordon can ever be considered a gentleman.
Mr. Jordon puts a large emphasis on the clothing he wears throughout the play, constantly comparing his clothes to what “the people of quality” (225) wear. In the second scene of the play, Mr. Jordon remarks on his outfit, informing the music-master and the dancing-master his gown is the type that elevated people wear in the morning. His preoccupation with the attire of higher social classes proves Mr. Jordon’s thought on the connection between being a gentleman and being clothed properly. His belief is that if one dresses as one of a higher class, one will be seen as being in a higher class. This notion is further seen in Mr. Jordon’s approval of the upside-down pattern of flowers on his new garments after the tailor explains “All the people of quality wear em’ in that way” (233). With Mr. Jordon’s thoughts being considered, we can assume physical judgment of a man determines whether he can be termed a gentleman.
In addition to having certain physical attributes, the various masters in The Cit Turned Gentleman believe a man must possess knowledge of music and dance, among other skills. According to the dancing-master, “All of the disasters of mankind… come from want of skill in dancing” (226) and therefore dancing is a skill one must learn. The music-master also argues “…if all men learnt music, would that not be a means of keeping them [men] better in tune, and of seeing universal peace in the world?” (226) Mastering these two skills is not sufficient, however, as it is also necessary, according to the fencing master “… the science of defense is the finest and most necessary of all sciences” (230). Not to be outdone, the philosophy-master quotes to Mr. Jordon “… that without learning, life is as it were an image of death” (230). Taking all of these words to heart, Mr. Jordon attempts these skills, trying his utmost to become a gentleman.
Even with his endeavors at a number of skills and stylish outfits, Mr. Jordan still feels he lacks the high social connections aspect of being a gentleman. He tries to remedy this through lending his professed friend Dorantes a large amount of money. Mr. Jordan hopes to indebt Dorantes to himself in order to gain a friend in the highly ranked count. Jordan also believes his earned friend will give him an introduction to Doriméne, a marchioness he holds in high esteem. Jordan goes great lengths to pursue this great lady, purchasing a diamond ring as a present for which he does not take credit. Jordan’s fixation with increasing his social status through making advantageous connections proves his belief that knowing certain people paves the way to being considered a gentleman.
If one was to accept the aspects of being a gentleman from the play The Cit Turned Gentleman, a man would have to encompass several different traits. It is apparent that the characters in this performance have varying views on what a gentleman is. To Mr. Jordan, physical appearance, in the way one is dressed, is necessary for one to be termed a gentleman. To the masters, various skills are essential in the life in a man. Additionally, Jordan feels connections to those of a higher social status are crucial to climb the ladder to being a gentleman. With such extensive criteria, it is difficult to define what a gentleman truly is.
“We have found a man here, just such one as we both of us want. This same Mr. Jordan is a sweet income, with his visions of nobility and gallantry, which he has got into his noodle” (224). The words of the Music-Master, in The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Baptiste Poquelin, gives the audience the first indication of the character of Mr. Jordan, the Cit, and how naïve he is in regards to the manipulation of others. The character of Mr. Jordan is a simple man who is easily manipulated for the benefits of others throughout the entirety of the work. Persuasion is used upon Mr. Jordan especially in relation with the marriage of Lucillia, his daughter.
Mr. Jordan is an extremely simple minded individual searching for knowledge through his education in the sciences. Jordan takes lessons from professionals in dance, music, fencing and philosophy in order to expand his wealth of knowledge in order to feel more like a gentleman. However, the Cit is far too simple minded and obsessed with the concept of social status for many of the concepts that are shown to him. During the lessons with the Philosophy-Master, Jordan requests that “this logic idea does not suit [him] by any means. Let’s learn something else that’s prettier” (231). Mr. Jordan claims to want to learn about philosophy; however, he finds it difficult to comprehend one of the core concepts of that concentration and requests something much simpler. In turn, Jordan is fascinated learning the correct jaw movements in pronouncing the vowel letters of the alphabet. The Cit’s captivation by a concept so simple shows that audience that his capacity is limited and that he is a candidate for effortless manipulation.
Slyly, Coviel, the servant of Lucilla’s love Cleontes, convinces Mr. Jordan of his gentleman lineage. This servant manipulates his words in order to make Mr. Jordan’s father into a gentleman. Mr. Jordan is fixated on social status to the point that is clouds his limited judgment. This obsession allows the easy manipulation of Mr. Jordan’s opinions for the manipulator’s benefit. According to Coviel, Mr. Jordan’s father was not “…a tradesman? ‘tis mere scandal, he never was one. …he used to pick [stuff] up everywhere, have ‘em carried to his house, and gave ‘em to his friends for money” (251). These few words allow Coviel, a man of much lower social status, direct access to the emotions of Mr. Jordan. The servant then uses this simple statement as a way of assisting his master in his quest in securing a marriage to Mr. Jordan’s daughter.
Therefore, Mr. Jordan’s simple mind is the main reason he is manipulated so throughout the work. The Cit is far too concerned with nobility and gentry to realize the coercions of the others. Jordan’s mind is far too limited to understand the fundamental concepts in philosophy let alone the manipulation of others. The Cit is only interested in being socially classified as a dignified gentleman. The intense desired of the gentleman status, allows the crafty Coviel the perfect opportunity to sway Jordan into choosing Cleontes as husband for Lucilla. “…What a dupe!” (253), as revealed by Cloviel.
The Cit Turned Gentleman focuses on how people put too much emphasis on dividing society into social classes. People of higher social classes tend to look down on people of lower social status, even in today’s world. This book teaches a wonderful moral lesson. It talks of a man, Mr. Jordan, who emphasizes class to an extreme, and it does not get him anywhere. The book teaches that social class does not determine every aspect of an individual.
Mr. Jordan continues to climb the social ladder throughout his life. He does everything that he can to look of high social class. He wants people to know that he can afford expensive things. He tells the Journeyman-Tailor, “ See what it is to dress like people of quality. You man go clothed like a cit all your days, and they’ll never call you, my dear gentleman” (234). The book mocks his pride by showing that even though he has all of these nice things, others see him as a fool. He looks down at those who he considers to be citizens. He tells his wife that hanging around with higher-class individuals “is much better than herding with your cits” (237). In actuality, people really look at him as dumb because he agrees to things with little explanation. Those who he looks down upon actually look down upon him, even though he comes from a higher class than them.
People continuously take advantage of Mr. Jordan. His blindness to this comes from his ignorance. He feels that he knows everything, because he thinks of himself as more intelligent than those around him. He continuously lets people borrow money from him, because he thinks that it makes him look good to lend it to them. He continuously agrees to partake in various activities, to be taught things that he feels those of higher class should know. He hires a Music-Master, a Dance-Master, a Philosophy-Master, a Fencing-Master, and a Master-Tailor. When deciding whether to learn music he asks the Music-Master, “What, do people of quality learn music too” (226)? He justifies spending outrageous amounts of money on these activities, because it helps him to show people his high-society status. This high-society status blinds him when it comes to determining peoples’ character, because he determines character based on class and status in society.
Mr. Jordan’s belief that his high-class status makes him above those around him, gets mocked when his gets fooled by a lower-class man. Mr. Jordan wants his daughter, Lucilia, to fall in love with someone that he imagines as perfect for her, even though she develops feelings for someone else. He dislikes the man, named Cleontes, whom she falls in love with, because he feels that the man does not deserve her. Mr. Jordan states to Cleontes, “I desire you tell me whether you are a gentleman” (244). This book shows that love does not have boundaries. Class does not determine who a person will fall in love with.
In conclusion, people should never judge one another. People get placed into social classes by society, which can create immense problems. The problems arise when people look at social class as a determinant for character and ability. This book demonstrates this perfectly. Mr. Jordan continuously gets outsmarted by those around him that he looks down upon. The book also shows this when those around him see him as the ignorant one. Mr. Jordan does have more materialistic things than these people, but these people have stronger character. This book emphasizes the fact that class does not create character; people create character.
As a prolific satirist, Moliere lives up to his reputation in the publication of his play, The Cit Turned Gentleman. Here, he develops the individual story of a man’s quest for elite societal status using Horation devices. Moliere conveys that nobility and aristocracy lies in more than just apparent actions. By ridiculing his main protagonist, Mr. Jordan, he, in truth, ridicules French society of the era. He finds those who buy into the idea of “purchasing” class as incredibly ignorant and badly informed. Moliere continues to complicate the plot by implicating class division and superiority. “You are no gentleman, you shan’t have my daughter.” (245) Mr. Jordan prohibits his daughter from marrying the one she truly loves, which leads to Cleontes’s deception. Here, Moliere clearly points out Mr. Jordan’s simple thought process. The playwright proceeds to ridicule his protagonist by drawing into question whether he even understands how a true “gentleman” acts. Mr. Jordan’s outrageous requests of his staff further his stupidity,” O! What a strange thing it is to have to do with brutes! You pout out your lips, and bring your underjaw to your upper, U, d’ye see?” (236)
His wife, Mrs. Jordan, takes on the role of the only truly sane character, similar to the chorus’s role in traditional Greek drama. She sets the ethical framework for the play and represents the audience’s rational point of view. Mrs. Jordan sees characters such as Dorantes for whom they really are. Moliere develops her character by creating humorous and witty asides such as “This man makes a mere milch cow of you.” (239), meaning “He’s milking you for all the money you own.” Additionally, Moliere develops dramatic irony, in which the audience knows the truth behind certain characters’ motives. In this case, the audience views Dorantes as a despicable character whose purpose lies in loosening Mr. Jordan’s purse strings for his own benefit. Dorantes continues to dupe Mr. Jordan into the belief that he must wear particularly ridiculous fashions and continuously speak in “prose” for others to find him as a person of “quality”. “Do people of quality wear the flowers downwards? ...’tis very well then.” (233) Yet, despite his continued use of satire in his plot, Moliere borrows from Commedia Dell Arte. He incorporates slapstick humor and characters such as Nicola, the irritating lackey who persistently butts into conversation. “Hold your prate, Mrs. Impertinence. You are always thrusting yourself into conversation.” (245)
Moliere won me over with his piece, The Cit Turned Gentleman. I won’t lie the play was a little bland in the beginning and I rolled my eyes , while muttering to myself, “ Thanks a lot Ms. Letostak. Another comedy, huh? If this is a repetition of The Clouds , I will shove a Twinkie up my nose! This play came through and kept me entertained. Yet, I’m confident in my belief that nothing can compete in the arena of absolute dryness as Aristophanes’ lovely read.
In various works throughout history, the audience will always notice one character, who never fails to provide an absurd amount of comic relief with his/her melodramatic ways. Mrs. Jordan clearly represents said individual. While she desperately tries to play the voice of reason, I couldn’t help but smirk when reading this verbose monologue:
“I will never consent to it. Marriages between people who are not of the same rank are always subject to the most serious inconveniences. I do not wish to have a son-in-law who would have it in his power to reproach my daughter with her parentage; nor that she should have children who would be ashamed to call me their grandmother. If she came to see me with the equipage of a grand lady, and failed through inadvertency to salute some of the neighbors, people would not fail to say a thousand ill-natured things. "Just see," they would say, "our lady the marchioness, who is so puffed up now, she is Mr. Jordan's daughter; she was only too pleased, when a child, to play at my lady with us. She has not always been so exalted as now, and her two grandfathers sold cloth near St. Innocents' Gate. They have laid a great deal of money by for their children, for which, may be, they are now paying dearly in the other world, for one does not generally become so rich by honest means." I do not wish to give occasion for such gossip, and I desire to meet with a man who, to cut it short, will be grateful to me for my daughter, and to whom I can say, "Sit down there, son-in-law, and dine with me"” (Clark, 246).
The dialogue exchanged between Mr. and Mrs. Jordan just mere lines before had me chuckling as well! However, Dorantes, lover of Dorimene, takes the cake. His response to Mrs. Jordan impressed the he** out of me! I have never read so much sarcasm and witnessed such a condescending tone! I loved it! “…I agree with him that the dinner is not worthy of you. As it was I who ordered it, and as I have not for this kind of thing the knowledge of some of our friends, you will not find here a well studied repast, but will meet with many incongruities of good eating and some barbarisms of good taste. If our good friend Damis had ordered it, all would be according to rule; there would be elegance and erudition everywhere; and he would not fail to exaggerate to you the excellence of every dish, and to make you acknowledge his high capacity in the science of good eating. He would speak to you of a loaf with golden sides, crusty all over, and yielding tenderly under the teeth; of wine full-bodied and of not too perceptible an acidity; of a saddle of mutton stewed with parsley; of a loin of Normandy veal, long, white, tender, and which is, as it were, an almond paste between the teeth; of partridges wonderful in flavor; and as his masterpiece, a pearl broth reinforced with a large turkey flanked with young pigeons, and crowned with white onions blended with endive. For my part I confess my ignorance; and as Mr. Jordan has very well said, I wish the repast were more worthy of your acceptance” (Clark, 248).
Irony, deceit, and humor run rampantly through this piece. In the end, Coviel has permission to marry Nicola and young Lucilia is not forced to marry the Grand Turk! Mr. Jordan even gets to crack one last joke at his wife, as the play closes. Has this play been made into a movie? I think we should all rent it and enjoy it as a class!
The theme of deception prevails in Moliére’s French comedy, The Cit Turned Gentleman. Mr. Jordan, the protagonist in the play, obsesses over impressing other people by making them believe that he comes from a higher social class than he really does. He even takes lessons from masters of the sciences so he can be perceived as knowledgeable and cultured in all areas. In addition to this, he puts his familial relationships at risk by lying to his wife and ignoring his daughter’s feelings for his own self-benefit. His whole mission in life diverts to being regarded and treated as a gentleman by others, since everyone considers gentlemen to be of high class and social status. Regardless of all the time and money Mr. Jordan spends on trying to be someone he clearly cannot be, he still winds up being viewed as just another foolish citizen (or cit).
At the beginning of The Cit Turned Gentleman, Mr. Jordan splurges on private lessons from masters of several different sciences, such as music, dancing, fencing, and philosophy. To himself it seems like a good idea to be educated in the areas that “people of quality” are, but lessons in these sciences do not always prove to be so beneficial (226). Similar to the situation in Aristophanes’s The Clouds, the ideas of the “higher-level” educators are not always better or more logical than the ideas and beliefs of the lower-class common people. The Music-Master defends his noble art by asking, “And if all men learnt music, would not that be a means of keeping them better in tune, and of seeing universal peace in the world?” (226). Although I agree with his point that music has the power to open our eyes to the truth and make us see and love all people equally, the results definitely depend on the type of music and the intelligence of the people listening to it. Mr. Jordan is without a doubt not one of those wise persons, so even if he did listen to the right type of music, he still would not get the message from the song that other more perceptive people would. In response to the Music-Master’s question, the Dancing-Master refers to history’s past mistakes by questioning, “And can making a false step proceed from anything but not knowing how to dance?” (226). I understand that in dance, one must be precise with movements and actions, but I really do not agree that Teddy Roosevelt knowing how to dance may have avoided World War II. In an attempt to belittle both the Music-Master and the Dancing-Master, the Fencing-Master goes on about “…how highly the science of arms excels all the other useless sciences, such as dancing, music, and---” (229). Again, I find this argument rather absurd because to be intelligent, a person needs to use her or his mind to solve problems, not their arms. The Philosophy-Master is somewhat less ridiculous than the Dancing and Fencing Masters, but his words end up useless not because of their meaning, but due to Mr. Jordan’s inability to comprehend them. The first thing that the Philosophy-Master teaches Mr. Jordan is a Latin phrase which means, “without learning, life is as it were an image of death” (230). After seeing that Mr. Jordan becomes excited to learn more, the Philosophy-Master suggests to go over the operations of the mind, morality, and physics, but these lack appeal to Mr. Jordan because of their complexness and “ugliness.” So to keep the easily-amused Mr. Jordan engaged, the Philosophy-Master decides to teach him how vowels are produced in the mouth instead of real philosophical ideology. Mr. Jordan attempts to get more educated in sciences (such as dancing and fencing) that would not really help him in everyday situations, but does not have the brains or drive to fully grasp concepts in the areas that actually could increase his overall knowledge, like music and philosophy.
Throughout The Cit Turned Gentleman, Moliére uses comical and absurd situations to prove serious points and real lessons. Mr. Jordan tries to hire teachers in hopes of becoming educated on the level of upper-class people, but this schooling does not benefit him in the end. He obviously does not understand the Music-Master’s lesson on how music leads to universal peace, because at the end of the play he still strives to fit in with those of a higher status which shows that he does not see all people as equals. The Dancing-Master’s lesson also prove to be useless to Mr. Jordan, since he makes several wrong moves which his training in dance do not help him avoid. For example, he manipulates his wife by trying to initiate a relationship with another lady of an upper-class (Dorimene), which could in turn potentially elevate his status. He also aims to climb up the social ladder by trying to marry off his daughter Lucilia to Turkish royalty who promise to give him more social power by making him a “Mamamouchi,” or Paladin. All of this Turkish marriage business is of course a joke on Mr. Jordan, since the “Turkish Highness” turns out to be Cleontes, the man Lucilia wanted to marry anyway. As for the Fencing-Master’s lesson, Mr. Jordan does use his arms in attempts to raise his social status when he continuously loans Dorantes, of upper-class status, money which he never receives back. On top of this, the money that the “noble” Dorantes borrows gets spent on his lover Dorimene, which of course Mr. Jordan never realizes. The only lesson that Mr. Jordan may have fully understood is that of vowel production from the Philosophy-Master, which maybe helps him at the end of the play when he recites ridiculous Turkish phrases as part of his hilarious initiation ceremony to become a Mamamouchi. Instead of Mr. Jordan deceiving other people to alter their perceptions of himself, he in turn gets deceived by his family and upper-class citizens to get what they want from him. The servant Coviel makes clear what everyone really thinks of Mr. Jordan at the end of the play when he states, “If it’s possible to find a greater fool than this, I’ll go and publish it at Rome” (259).
Moliere‘s The Cit Turned Gentleman is a prime example of how social views and hypocrisy can influence a theatrical comedy to the point where it reflects an Age in time rather intimately.
16th through 17th century French society was indeed patriarchal; that is, men dominated in every subject ranging from art to politics. Hence, it is no wonder why Moliere depicts women as the subservient sex in his theatric prose. “Hold your prate, I tell you you are ignorant creatures, both of you, and don’t know the advantage of all this.” (Moliere 236). In this scene, Mr. Jordan has just been questioned as to why he takes up hobbies that do not apply to his age or tenure. He, enraged solely by opposition, chooses to scold both women in a vulgar manner. Men of Moliere’s age were thus highly inconsiderate of women, not to mention disrespectful. Analyzing the scene further, Mr. Jordan never offers the women opportunity to explain. He merely casts their opinion’s away, declaring them ignorant and incapable of understanding his oh so valuable intentions. These were thus roles women played in theatrics of the Renaissance.
Deception is Moliere’s key to unlocking a world of paradox and humor that inevitably reflects society as a whole. “ ‘Tis a downright cit, ridiculous enough, as you see, in his whole behavior…” (248). How many individuals wished to express complete dissent to the protagonist of the play? How many individuals chose to dismiss the truth to gain the master’s fondness? Hypocrisy, thus, is apparent in every detail of the play, just as it is apparent in every life of every individual considered human. Hence, Moliere presents the theme of his comedy: mankind will do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means degradation or deceit. “Well gentlemen? What have you there? Will you let me see your little drollery…how do you call that thing? Your prologue, or dialogue of songs and dancing…” (224). The musician and the dancer readily accept condescending remarks regarding their arts so that they may reap Mr. Jordan‘s benefits. “But which of these ways , which is the best?/ That which you said: Beautiful marchioness, your fair eyes make me die for love.” (233). The philosopher, well aware of his master’s diminution of elegant prose, consents to the words so as to please Mr. Jordan. From these scenes and examples alone it is evident that Moliere stresses not only the vulnerability of man to higher power, but also man’s undisputed willingness to submit to anything that could potentially harm their material lives. There is no doubt that the men in the play (musician, dancer, philosopher, fencer) held their occupations close to their hearts (they fought to defend their beliefs); however, when Mr. Jordan condescends them all, pride dissolves into submission. Thus, Moliere effectively proved this point: in situations where belief and life clash, humanity tends to favor life. After all, moral discomfort is only temporary.
Fraught with arguments against an imperfect society, satire has always prevailed as a popular device for criticizing the environment one lives in by ridiculing a certain aspect or figure within it. Though the satire may not always offer a perfect alternative, it certainly contributes to the grand spark from which change shall erupt. The Cit Turned Gentleman, a comedic satire produced by Molière, serves as a brilliant example of a societal satire that offers criticisms of its time by symbolizing a whole class of people through one man. Offering a way to derive solutions to his society’s flaws, Molière continually focuses on one character’s flaws in order to exploit the weaknesses of an entire class. By playing on Mr. Jordan’s flaws and countering them with Mrs. Jordan’s ideas, Molière presents us with a satire filled with specific events which all come to contribute to the complex nature of this work.
From the title of the work, we can immediately understand that we will follow one man’s process of change in order to derive the criticism of society that Molière attempts to convey. Upon reading the work, we derive that Mr. Jordan represents the man who thinks moving up in society entails only a clever impersonation of the higher tier and simply doing as they do. Upon reflection, this idea as well as situation truly transcends the confines of time. Typical of even today’s society, many think that moving up in society and class can be bought superficially by acting a part. However, though this may seem true, to truly move higher in society, one must exude certain qualities in order to move into the true upper class, not the superficial one. In the beginning of the work, we come upon Mr. Jordan in conversation with the Music-Master and the Dancing-Master. Upon hearing the Musician reading the lines “But tell me, Iris, what dire fate attends your enemies, if thus you treat your friends?”, we see Mr. Jordan react in a way which suggests that Molière wants us to see that Mr. Jordan doesn’t mind stepping on close friends in order to heighten his position in society (Molière 225). In reply, Mr. Jordan specifically states that “This song seems to me a little upon the dismal; it inclines one to sleep; I should be glad you could enliven it a little here and there” (225). From this specific quotation, we see that Mr. Jordan possesses some superficiality in his actions. Representing the ideas of the type of people who wish to heighten their rank in society at the cost of honor and honesty, Mr. Jordan’s lines possess traces of imposture which come to signify the wrong. Through this specific instance, along with all of Mr. Jordan’s other antics, Molière questions whether or not worth lies in deception and fakeness in order to move up in society. More than that, does he not question whether this higher class truly represents what we should strive for as human beings?
However, interestingly enough, though Molière gives us an example of the flaws of a certain class of people, he also provides the counterargument which represents the solution. Also in the embodiment of a character, the counterargument comes to us in the form of Mrs. Jordan. Here, though a typical idea in our present society, the atypical idea of a woman having the better ideas then the man presents itself to us. In response to all of Mr. Jordan’s boastings about how one needs certain educational aspects of character rather than practical ones, such as distinguishing verse from prose, Mrs. Jordan says “You are a fool, husband, with all these whims, and this is come to you since you have taken upon you to keep company with quality” (237). Immediately, we side with Mrs. Jordan. Does not the significance of one’s life rely on selflessness? Even in the case of her daughter’s marriage, which serves to make the plot more complex, Mrs. Jordan tells Mr. Jordan that he should be focusing on marrying his daughter rather than, in his case, foolish academic pursuits. Therefore, through the words of Mrs. Jordan, we can conclude that one should selflessly live out one’s life, and focus on practical matters where importance truly lies, as exemplified in this specific example. Therefore, Molière’s work proves that sacrificing true worth for superficial gain represents the wrong ideals of life, as we can derive from the various asides in the work. Coviel’s remark about Mr. Jordan’s character at the end of the piece wraps up the idea beautifully: “If it’s possible to find a greater fool than this, I’ll go and publish it at Rome” (259).
Sacrificing true worth for superficial gain does not represent the true goals in life. Through the comic relief provided by Mr. Jordan’s actions and the practical solutions given in Mrs. Jordan’s ideas, The Cit Turned Gentleman comes to beautifully and comically depict a problem within society that transcends time itself. In terms of worth, selfish and superficial gains do not compare to honesty and honor in the truly important matters of life.
It seems as if those who are in the liberal arts will only sound the bell of true liberation of strife when the arts are truly integrated into society. It seems that The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Babtiste Poquelin, also known as Molière, touts this belief. It is of the belief of certain characters that societies that are in union with the arts are truly in harmony are at peace with the world, and otherwise, there is discord amongst humans. This is most definitely a valid point that begs examining at this point in our world, which constantly brews turmoil and conflict, but upon further examination of these characters’s viewpoints, one can most definitely see a conflict amongst the schools of dance and music. It can be said that one must also question the motives of those who are pushing for the arts’s integration into society, to make sure that it is done for the correct reasons, rather than just for fashion.
It is most definitely true that our world needs the arts to survive. This intrinsic truth has most definitely demonstrated itself to the entire human race countless times throughout history. We, at this time, live in a society that does not hold the arts in high regard. As a result, it can be said that our morale as a nation and as a society scrapes at the ceiling of the basement of the mansion the esprit du corps. The playwright expresses this in his characters’s zest for music, stating that music and dancing “open the human mind to see the beauty of things” (Molière, 226). In history, one can see that the ages of clearest enlightenment and of true fellowship have also been ages where the arts have prevailed.
We can also see the hypocrisy of this artistic movement, as each of the schools of art compete to be the first, rather than just to spread the fraternal love. In the same work, the audience sees this conflict between the schools of music and dance. We see this slight competition carried out playfully with the masters of these two schools.
“Music-Master: There’s nothing so profitable in a state, as much. Dancing-Master: There’s nothing so necessary for men, as dancing.” Music-Master: A state cannot subsist without music. Dancing-Master: Without dancing, a man can do nothing.” (226)
This banter goes on for a few more lines between the two, and we learn that “disorders” and wars are all caused by a lack of music, and that all disasters and “fatal misfortunes” are caused by the lack of dancing in the world. Whereas these two men are not completely wrong, one might suggest that they take their own advice and try their hardest to combine their strengths, rather than compete against each other, in order to achieve harmony in the world.
It can be said that Molière also criticized those who wanted to push the arts for their motives as well. He exposes the audience to a character, Mr. Jordan, who constantly seeks out things such as the arts. The problem with this search is that he searches, seeking to imitate those that he calls “people of quality,” (226) and as such, he is made to look asinine, being told, and agreeing, that he must hold private concerts in his private residence “every Wednesday, or every Thursday” (227). In this instance he again asks if “people of quality” have these concerts, thus causing him to look quite the opposite of that which he is seeking to seem: cultured.
As one can see, Molière demonstrated a taste for the arts, being a playwright himself, seeing the intrinsic value in music and dance, but it seems that he also held some disdain for the arts. This can be seen due to his portrayal of those who fight amongst the arts, competing to be the first and the best, thus achieving nothing in the search for true brotherhood among humanity. He also cares not for those who would try to emulate themselves as ambassadors of the arts to society who only because it is popular to do so. He holds some very interesting, and very plausible theories, contained in these pages, such as the necessity of the arts for the world to be at harmony with itself. The arts soothe, and calm the soul in times of hectic chaos. Maybe if we followed this school of thought, we, as the human race, might one day integrate the arts truly into our lives in order to “open the human mind to see the beauty of things.”
The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Baptiste Poquelin, also known as Molière, is a critique of French society at the time. Many people in the French society believed that material possessions and fake intelligence showed their good character and would raise their social status. In this play the Cit, Mr. Jordan, thinks he is of good character because of the things he has and says. There are many parts throughout the story where Mr. Jordan says things and exhibits characteristics that make him look ignorant pompous. He acts and speaks how he believes he is supposed to act and speak according to the standards of others.
Many times throughout the play Mr. Jordan pretends to be more intelligent and of better character than he actually is. For example, Mr. Jordan says to the Dancing-Master and the Music-Master, “I have made you wait a little; but ‘tis because I am to be dressed out to-day like your people of quality; and my hosier has sent me a pair of silk-stockings, which I thought I should never have got on”(225). He makes them wait in order to put on the clothes that he believes “people of quality” wear. He finds it hard to put on the pair of silk stockings, but does it anyway because he believes to be of high-class one must do so. This is comparative to the culture of French society in the 1600s. For example, women would distort their bodies with corsets in order to fit the standard of society. Molière equates the Cit’s actions with the French upper class.
Also Mr. Jordan thinks that he should conform to societal norms of knowledge. For example, when the Music-Master and the Dance-Master tell him he should learn to sing and dance because these two things “open the human mind to see the beauty of things”(226), Mr. Jordan responds by saying, “What, do people of quality learn music too”(226)? The Masters tell him that they do. He replies, “I’ll learn it then. But I don’t know how I shall find time. For, besides the fencing-master who teaches me, I have also got me a philosophy-master…”(226). He wants to learn philosophy, not for the sake of learning, but in order to sound intelligent to members of the upper class. Also when the Philosophy-Master tries to teach him the three operations of the mind, he responds by telling him he would rather to learn something else that’s ‘prettier’. He doesn’t want to learn morality or physics, but rather orthography, the almanac, and the pronunciations of the alphabet.
Molière uses The Cit Turned Gentelman as a critique of French society in the 1600s. During this time, people where more interested in sounding smart then actually being intelligent. They also believed that what you wore was very important and that everyone should conform to society’s standards. He uses Mr. Jordan as an example of the society in France. He compares the cit to people in society that did whatever they though was expected of them to become part of the upper class.
In The Cit Turned Gentleman, Moliere develops a character who’s life is based solely upon his idea of what others think of him. This man begins life as a poor citizen of the state, slowly gaining status through his pocketbook. Rather than gradually becoming more of a gentleman as he grows wealthier, Mr. Jordan decides to gain his “gentleman” status in a very short period of time. By hiring a team of masters, he claims to have a yearning to learn the art of dancing, music, philosophy, and fencing. To any outsider, this appears as if it would be beneficial for a person to have experience with all of these subjects, but Mr. Jordan doesn’t do it to better himself as a person; he does it simply to try to better his status in the state. By creating this character, Moliere shows that although a person may appear to have a higher social status, this does not necessarily make he or she a more well-rounded character.
As Mr. Jordan buys his way through his “gentleman schooling,” it doesn’t take long for others to realize the foolishness and pettiness of his character. He is easily manipulated to believe whatever he thinks sounds or appears scholarly, and he won’t accept anything else. His masters of arts tolerate him because he pays a pretty penny for the work that they do. For example, the Music-Master states, in reference to the arts, that “it is true he understands ‘em ill, but he pays for ‘em well. And that’s what our art has more need of at present than of anything else” (224). As long as these masters are telling him how one of high standing should act, then Mr. Jordan does not mind how empty his pocket is becoming. When he is presented with his suit that he was measured for, the tailor has put the flower upside-down on his coat. Mr. Jordan doesn’t realize that this is how it is supposed to be worn. He attempts to reprimand the tailor, asking, “what a deuce have we here? You have put the flowers downwards” (233). The tailor replies with just what Mr. Jordan wishes to hear; that “the people of quality wear ‘em in that way” (233). Immediately, Mr. Jordan stands corrected and will not have the flowers any other way. This not only shows his ignorance and simple mind, but it shows how easily he can be influenced by anyone he knows more than him about society.
Moliere includes a comedic counterpart to Mr. Jordan: his wife, Mrs. Jordan. Although she shares his wealth, she does not go about following anyone’s orders she believes to have high standings. In fact, she is very grounded and realistic. When Dorantes comes about asking Mr. Jordan for more money, she serves as the sensible character, relaying to the reader her knowledge that Mr. Jordan is being manipulated out of his money. Her witty banter of Mr. Jordan not only attempts to ground her husband, but it also communicates Moliere’s view of a well-rounded person in society: one does not necessarily need money and knowledge of the arts. All that is essential is a solid base, a good head on one’s shoulders, and a bit of common sense.
Jean Baptiste Poquelin, henceforth called Moliére, characterizes a cit, Mr. Jordan, as a man struggling to attain the education, honor and reputation of a gentleman. In The Cit Turned Gentleman, the sly Coviel, Cleontes’s servant, successfully convinces Mr. Jordan his father was of noble birth to realize his employer’s wishes of marrying Lucilla. The servant’s remark, “What a dupe!” (253), demonstrates how effortlessly Mr. Jordan can be manipulated. In addition, the title’s allusion to Spain’s cid reinforces the play’s pathetic protagonist’s unknown birth and common decent. Unlike his Spanish counterpart, however, Mr. Jordan is not satisfied with being a righteous, popular hero. Instead he obsesses over transcending his meager social status and becoming a gentleman. As the Music-Master satirizes, “We have found a man here, just such one as we both of us want. This same Mr. Jordan is a sweet income, with his visions of nobility and gallantry, which he has got into his noodle” (224). Moliére effectively utilizes sarcasm to criticize French society of the 1600s, where the aristocracy mattered and everyone else did not. The playwright satirizes Mr. Jordan, who symbolizes all those trying to overcome their social status, and his obsession with “people of quality” (226) to underscore the lack of noble value in the French aristocracy.
After the music-master, the dancing-master, and the fencing-master sway Mr. Jordan to take up their talents, for as the music-master comments no other reason than he pays well for their instructions (224), the philosophy-master enters to instruct him. Probably the most alarming comments the playwright makes about the aristocracy occur during the philosophy-master’s lesson with Mr. Jordan. Aside from his feigning speaking Latin, ignorance of reading and writing, and disinterest in logic, no greater shock comes to the audience than when Mr. Jordan asks, “What means morality” (231)? Once the philosophy-master explains to him morality treats of happiness and moderation, he then decides he wants no instruction in morality for “… And there’s no morality holds me; I will have my belly full of passion, whenever I have a mind to it” (231). Moliére’s few lines speak volumes regarding France’s upper class’s disregard for moderation. Less than 100 years away from revolution and with increasing unnecessary spending moneyed by proficient taxation that reduced commoners to famine, the playwright’s arguments about French society should have served more as a cautionary tale to the country rather than a humorous satire.
At the time of its writing, The Cit Turned Gentleman would have been performed to a group of French aristocrats absorbed in frivolous and insignificant aspects of society. For example, these aspects would consist of the kind of music an “individual of quality” would listen to as he eats only the finest of foods, or whether the flower pattern on his pants should be going up or down. The satirist Molière realizes the insignificance of all these aspects and tells his audience through the eyes of Mrs. Jordan, while he shows French society through his character Mr. Jordan. Characters like Dorantes, Coviel, and Dorimène represent the opinions of Molière as well.
The audience sees that Mr. Jordan is not satisfied with being a civilian and he is doing whatever it takes to be considered a gentleman. He goes from wearing fancy clothes, studying music, dance and philosophy, as long as said activities are also enjoyed by “people of quality.” In the lines where Mr. Jackson is listening to people sing, Mr. Jordan replies to the Music Master, “Why so? Have people of quality?...I’ll have one then. Will it be fine” (Molière p. 227)? In these lines, Mr. Jackson is not concerned whether he likes the music, as long as “people of quality” listen to it. Another example of these same sentiments can be found in the lines where the tailor returns Mr. Jordan’s clothing. Mr. Jordan says, “ Do people of quality wear the flowers downwards?...Oh ‘tis very well then” (p. 233). At first, Mr. Jordan does not like the way the tailor has placed the pattern, but as soon as the tailor tells him that “people of quality” do it, then Mr. Jordan changes his mind. Through these lines, Molière shows how the French did not care if a fad made them look stupid or ignorant, as long as the fad was fashionable and popular. Molière portrays Mr. Jordan as a fool because he wants to show how the French are foolish through their frivolousness in only caring about what is acceptable to French aristocrats.
Molière shows his opinion to the audience the strongest through his lines of Mrs. Jordan. Molière shows his disdain for these superfluous fads in the words of Mrs. Jordan where she says, “Go, go, you should send all these folks apacking with their silly stuff” (p. 237). The lines show that Molière thinks that France should be rid of this “silly stuff”, and he wishes it would be sent out his sight. Molière calls France a fool in the lines of Mrs. Jordan where she says, “You are a fool husband with all these whims, and this is come to you since you have taken upon you to keep company with quality” (p.237). Molière states France has become a fool since she has begun to only concern herself with what the aristocrats think. Mrs. Jordan continues with, “Well, did I not guess how ’twould be!...He’ll ne’er be satisfied till he has ruined you…He’ll drain your last farthing…Go, You’re a downright dupe” (p. 239). Molière shows awareness of the costs people spend on the fads when there are more important issues in society to be addressed. He calls France out on her stupidity, telling her to be aware that these fads are merely passing whims. He tells her that it will take all of her money before realizing that all of her worth has been squandered away on useless fads.
Molière is more concerned with what matters in life, like having company he can relate to and trust, not fear that they will shun him. The audience can see this in the lines, “…Or that show should have children that should be ashamed to call me grandmother…I’ll have a man who shall be beholden to me for my daughter, and to whom I can say, sit you down there son-in-law, and dine with me” (p. 246). Molière realizes that it is not about wealth, but about being with someone that makes you feel comfortable. Molière knows that family and friends are not people you need to impress, but rather people that treat you the same regardless of social status or money.
In A Cit turned Gentleman, Molière addresses an issue that presents itself even to this day. Do not focus on the idea of fads. They are not permanent and they will pass. Rather, focus on issues of importance, like how much money one is lending out or the sincerity of a prospective son-in-law. Issues about money, fads, and social problems of the like present themselves throughout time but yet society still does not know how to overcome them.
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In the play The Cit Turned Gentleman the definition of a gentleman is presumed to be so many things that it is apparent there is no one description for the word. The physical demand is that one be clothed properly, in the latest fashions. There is also the expectation that one be well-trained in music, dancing, fencing and various other skills. In addition to this, a man must have connections with those of a higher status. Without these attributes, depending whose opinion you seek, one may not be termed a gentleman. It is therefore ambiguous whether the cit Mr. Jordon can ever be considered a gentleman.
Mr. Jordon puts a large emphasis on the clothing he wears throughout the play, constantly comparing his clothes to what “the people of quality” (225) wear. In the second scene of the play, Mr. Jordon remarks on his outfit, informing the music-master and the dancing-master his gown is the type that elevated people wear in the morning. His preoccupation with the attire of higher social classes proves Mr. Jordon’s thought on the connection between being a gentleman and being clothed properly. His belief is that if one dresses as one of a higher class, one will be seen as being in a higher class. This notion is further seen in Mr. Jordon’s approval of the upside-down pattern of flowers on his new garments after the tailor explains “All the people of quality wear em’ in that way” (233). With Mr. Jordon’s thoughts being considered, we can assume physical judgment of a man determines whether he can be termed a gentleman.
In addition to having certain physical attributes, the various masters in The Cit Turned Gentleman believe a man must possess knowledge of music and dance, among other skills. According to the dancing-master, “All of the disasters of mankind… come from want of skill in dancing” (226) and therefore dancing is a skill one must learn. The music-master also argues “…if all men learnt music, would that not be a means of keeping them [men] better in tune, and of seeing universal peace in the world?” (226) Mastering these two skills is not sufficient, however, as it is also necessary, according to the fencing master “… the science of defense is the finest and most necessary of all sciences” (230). Not to be outdone, the philosophy-master quotes to Mr. Jordon “… that without learning, life is as it were an image of death” (230). Taking all of these words to heart, Mr. Jordon attempts these skills, trying his utmost to become a gentleman.
Even with his endeavors at a number of skills and stylish outfits, Mr. Jordan still feels he lacks the high social connections aspect of being a gentleman. He tries to remedy this through lending his professed friend Dorantes a large amount of money. Mr. Jordan hopes to indebt Dorantes to himself in order to gain a friend in the highly ranked count. Jordan also believes his earned friend will give him an introduction to Doriméne, a marchioness he holds in high esteem. Jordan goes great lengths to pursue this great lady, purchasing a diamond ring as a present for which he does not take credit. Jordan’s fixation with increasing his social status through making advantageous connections proves his belief that knowing certain people paves the way to being considered a gentleman.
If one was to accept the aspects of being a gentleman from the play The Cit Turned Gentleman, a man would have to encompass several different traits. It is apparent that the characters in this performance have varying views on what a gentleman is. To Mr. Jordan, physical appearance, in the way one is dressed, is necessary for one to be termed a gentleman. To the masters, various skills are essential in the life in a man. Additionally, Jordan feels connections to those of a higher social status are crucial to climb the ladder to being a gentleman. With such extensive criteria, it is difficult to define what a gentleman truly is.
“We have found a man here, just such one as we both of us want. This same Mr. Jordan is a sweet income, with his visions of nobility and gallantry, which he has got into his noodle” (224). The words of the Music-Master, in The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Baptiste Poquelin, gives the audience the first indication of the character of Mr. Jordan, the Cit, and how naïve he is in regards to the manipulation of others. The character of Mr. Jordan is a simple man who is easily manipulated for the benefits of others throughout the entirety of the work. Persuasion is used upon Mr. Jordan especially in relation with the marriage of Lucillia, his daughter.
Mr. Jordan is an extremely simple minded individual searching for knowledge through his education in the sciences. Jordan takes lessons from professionals in dance, music, fencing and philosophy in order to expand his wealth of knowledge in order to feel more like a gentleman. However, the Cit is far too simple minded and obsessed with the concept of social status for many of the concepts that are shown to him. During the lessons with the Philosophy-Master, Jordan requests that “this logic idea does not suit [him] by any means. Let’s learn something else that’s prettier” (231). Mr. Jordan claims to want to learn about philosophy; however, he finds it difficult to comprehend one of the core concepts of that concentration and requests something much simpler. In turn, Jordan is fascinated learning the correct jaw movements in pronouncing the vowel letters of the alphabet. The Cit’s captivation by a concept so simple shows that audience that his capacity is limited and that he is a candidate for effortless manipulation.
Slyly, Coviel, the servant of Lucilla’s love Cleontes, convinces Mr. Jordan of his gentleman lineage. This servant manipulates his words in order to make Mr. Jordan’s father into a gentleman. Mr. Jordan is fixated on social status to the point that is clouds his limited judgment. This obsession allows the easy manipulation of Mr. Jordan’s opinions for the manipulator’s benefit. According to Coviel, Mr. Jordan’s father was not “…a tradesman? ‘tis mere scandal, he never was one. …he used to pick [stuff] up everywhere, have ‘em carried to his house, and gave ‘em to his friends for money” (251). These few words allow Coviel, a man of much lower social status, direct access to the emotions of Mr. Jordan. The servant then uses this simple statement as a way of assisting his master in his quest in securing a marriage to Mr. Jordan’s daughter.
Therefore, Mr. Jordan’s simple mind is the main reason he is manipulated so throughout the work. The Cit is far too concerned with nobility and gentry to realize the coercions of the others. Jordan’s mind is far too limited to understand the fundamental concepts in philosophy let alone the manipulation of others. The Cit is only interested in being socially classified as a dignified gentleman. The intense desired of the gentleman status, allows the crafty Coviel the perfect opportunity to sway Jordan into choosing Cleontes as husband for Lucilla. “…What a dupe!” (253), as revealed by Cloviel.
The Cit Turned Gentleman focuses on how people put too much emphasis on dividing society into social classes. People of higher social classes tend to look down on people of lower social status, even in today’s world. This book teaches a wonderful moral lesson. It talks of a man, Mr. Jordan, who emphasizes class to an extreme, and it does not get him anywhere. The book teaches that social class does not determine every aspect of an individual.
Mr. Jordan continues to climb the social ladder throughout his life. He does everything that he can to look of high social class. He wants people to know that he can afford expensive things. He tells the Journeyman-Tailor, “ See what it is to dress like people of quality. You man go clothed like a cit all your days, and they’ll never call you, my dear gentleman” (234). The book mocks his pride by showing that even though he has all of these nice things, others see him as a fool. He looks down at those who he considers to be citizens. He tells his wife that hanging around with higher-class individuals “is much better than herding with your cits” (237). In actuality, people really look at him as dumb because he agrees to things with little explanation. Those who he looks down upon actually look down upon him, even though he comes from a higher class than them.
People continuously take advantage of Mr. Jordan. His blindness to this comes from his ignorance. He feels that he knows everything, because he thinks of himself as more intelligent than those around him. He continuously lets people borrow money from him, because he thinks that it makes him look good to lend it to them. He continuously agrees to partake in various activities, to be taught things that he feels those of higher class should know. He hires a Music-Master, a Dance-Master, a Philosophy-Master, a Fencing-Master, and a Master-Tailor. When deciding whether to learn music he asks the Music-Master, “What, do people of quality learn music too” (226)? He justifies spending outrageous amounts of money on these activities, because it helps him to show people his high-society status. This high-society status blinds him when it comes to determining peoples’ character, because he determines character based on class and status in society.
Mr. Jordan’s belief that his high-class status makes him above those around him, gets mocked when his gets fooled by a lower-class man. Mr. Jordan wants his daughter, Lucilia, to fall in love with someone that he imagines as perfect for her, even though she develops feelings for someone else. He dislikes the man, named Cleontes, whom she falls in love with, because he feels that the man does not deserve her. Mr. Jordan states to Cleontes, “I desire you tell me whether you are a gentleman” (244). This book shows that love does not have boundaries. Class does not determine who a person will fall in love with.
In conclusion, people should never judge one another. People get placed into social classes by society, which can create immense problems. The problems arise when people look at social class as a determinant for character and ability. This book demonstrates this perfectly. Mr. Jordan continuously gets outsmarted by those around him that he looks down upon. The book also shows this when those around him see him as the ignorant one. Mr. Jordan does have more materialistic things than these people, but these people have stronger character. This book emphasizes the fact that class does not create character; people create character.
As a prolific satirist, Moliere lives up to his reputation in the publication of his play, The Cit Turned Gentleman. Here, he develops the individual story of a man’s quest for elite societal status using Horation devices. Moliere conveys that nobility and aristocracy lies in more than just apparent actions. By ridiculing his main protagonist, Mr. Jordan, he, in truth, ridicules French society of the era. He finds those who buy into the idea of “purchasing” class as incredibly ignorant and badly informed. Moliere continues to complicate the plot by implicating class division and superiority. “You are no gentleman, you shan’t have my daughter.” (245) Mr. Jordan prohibits his daughter from marrying the one she truly loves, which leads to Cleontes’s deception. Here, Moliere clearly points out Mr. Jordan’s simple thought process. The playwright proceeds to ridicule his protagonist by drawing into question whether he even understands how a true “gentleman” acts. Mr. Jordan’s outrageous requests of his staff further his stupidity,” O! What a strange thing it is to have to do with brutes! You pout out your lips, and bring your underjaw to your upper, U, d’ye see?” (236)
His wife, Mrs. Jordan, takes on the role of the only truly sane character, similar to the chorus’s role in traditional Greek drama. She sets the ethical framework for the play and represents the audience’s rational point of view. Mrs. Jordan sees characters such as Dorantes for whom they really are. Moliere develops her character by creating humorous and witty asides such as “This man makes a mere milch cow of you.” (239), meaning “He’s milking you for all the money you own.” Additionally, Moliere develops dramatic irony, in which the audience knows the truth behind certain characters’ motives. In this case, the audience views Dorantes as a despicable character whose purpose lies in loosening Mr. Jordan’s purse strings for his own benefit. Dorantes continues to dupe Mr. Jordan into the belief that he must wear particularly ridiculous fashions and continuously speak in “prose” for others to find him as a person of “quality”. “Do people of quality wear the flowers downwards? ...’tis very well then.” (233) Yet, despite his continued use of satire in his plot, Moliere borrows from Commedia Dell Arte. He incorporates slapstick humor and characters such as Nicola, the irritating lackey who persistently butts into conversation. “Hold your prate, Mrs. Impertinence. You are always thrusting yourself into conversation.” (245)
Moliere won me over with his piece, The Cit Turned Gentleman. I won’t lie the play was a little bland in the beginning and I rolled my eyes , while muttering to myself, “ Thanks a lot Ms. Letostak. Another comedy, huh? If this is a repetition of The Clouds , I will shove a Twinkie up my nose! This play came through and kept me entertained. Yet, I’m confident in my belief that nothing can compete in the arena of absolute dryness as Aristophanes’ lovely read.
In various works throughout history, the audience will always notice one character, who never fails to provide an absurd amount of comic relief with his/her melodramatic ways. Mrs. Jordan clearly represents said individual. While she desperately tries to play the voice of reason, I couldn’t help but smirk when reading this verbose monologue:
“I will never consent to it. Marriages between people who are not of the same rank are always subject to the most serious inconveniences. I do not wish to have a son-in-law who would have it in his power to reproach my daughter with her parentage; nor that she should have children who would be ashamed to call me their grandmother. If she came to see me with the equipage of a grand lady, and failed through inadvertency to salute some of the neighbors, people would not fail to say a thousand ill-natured things. "Just see," they would say, "our lady the marchioness, who is so puffed up now, she is Mr. Jordan's daughter; she was only too pleased, when a child, to play at my lady with us. She has not always been so exalted as now, and her two grandfathers sold cloth near St. Innocents' Gate. They have laid a great deal of money by for their children, for which, may be, they are now paying dearly in the other world, for one does not generally become so rich by honest means." I do not wish to give occasion for such gossip, and I desire to meet with a man who, to cut it short, will be grateful to me for my daughter, and to whom I can say, "Sit down there, son-in-law, and dine with me"” (Clark, 246).
The dialogue exchanged between Mr. and Mrs. Jordan just mere lines before had me chuckling as well! However, Dorantes, lover of Dorimene, takes the cake. His response to Mrs. Jordan impressed the he** out of me! I have never read so much sarcasm and witnessed such a condescending tone! I loved it!
“…I agree with him that the dinner is not worthy of you. As it was I who ordered it, and as I have not for this kind of thing the knowledge of some of our friends, you will not find here a well studied repast, but will meet with many incongruities of good eating and some barbarisms of good taste. If our good friend Damis had ordered it, all would be according to rule; there would be elegance and erudition everywhere; and he would not fail to exaggerate to you the excellence of every dish, and to make you acknowledge his high capacity in the science of good eating. He would speak to you of a loaf with golden sides, crusty all over, and yielding tenderly under the teeth; of wine full-bodied and of not too perceptible an acidity; of a saddle of mutton stewed with parsley; of a loin of Normandy veal, long, white, tender, and which is, as it were, an almond paste between the teeth; of partridges wonderful in flavor; and as his masterpiece, a pearl broth reinforced with a large turkey flanked with young pigeons, and crowned with white onions blended with endive. For my part I confess my ignorance; and as Mr. Jordan has very well said, I wish the repast were more worthy of your acceptance” (Clark, 248).
Irony, deceit, and humor run rampantly through this piece. In the end, Coviel has permission to marry Nicola and young Lucilia is not forced to marry the Grand Turk! Mr. Jordan even gets to crack one last joke at his wife, as the play closes. Has this play been made into a movie? I think we should all rent it and enjoy it as a class!
The theme of deception prevails in Moliére’s French comedy, The Cit Turned Gentleman. Mr. Jordan, the protagonist in the play, obsesses over impressing other people by making them believe that he comes from a higher social class than he really does. He even takes lessons from masters of the sciences so he can be perceived as knowledgeable and cultured in all areas. In addition to this, he puts his familial relationships at risk by lying to his wife and ignoring his daughter’s feelings for his own self-benefit. His whole mission in life diverts to being regarded and treated as a gentleman by others, since everyone considers gentlemen to be of high class and social status. Regardless of all the time and money Mr. Jordan spends on trying to be someone he clearly cannot be, he still winds up being viewed as just another foolish citizen (or cit).
At the beginning of The Cit Turned Gentleman, Mr. Jordan splurges on private lessons from masters of several different sciences, such as music, dancing, fencing, and philosophy. To himself it seems like a good idea to be educated in the areas that “people of quality” are, but lessons in these sciences do not always prove to be so beneficial (226). Similar to the situation in Aristophanes’s The Clouds, the ideas of the “higher-level” educators are not always better or more logical than the ideas and beliefs of the lower-class common people. The Music-Master defends his noble art by asking, “And if all men learnt music, would not that be a means of keeping them better in tune, and of seeing universal peace in the world?” (226). Although I agree with his point that music has the power to open our eyes to the truth and make us see and love all people equally, the results definitely depend on the type of music and the intelligence of the people listening to it. Mr. Jordan is without a doubt not one of those wise persons, so even if he did listen to the right type of music, he still would not get the message from the song that other more perceptive people would. In response to the Music-Master’s question, the Dancing-Master refers to history’s past mistakes by questioning, “And can making a false step proceed from anything but not knowing how to dance?” (226). I understand that in dance, one must be precise with movements and actions, but I really do not agree that Teddy Roosevelt knowing how to dance may have avoided World War II. In an attempt to belittle both the Music-Master and the Dancing-Master, the Fencing-Master goes on about “…how highly the science of arms excels all the other useless sciences, such as dancing, music, and---” (229). Again, I find this argument rather absurd because to be intelligent, a person needs to use her or his mind to solve problems, not their arms. The Philosophy-Master is somewhat less ridiculous than the Dancing and Fencing Masters, but his words end up useless not because of their meaning, but due to Mr. Jordan’s inability to comprehend them. The first thing that the Philosophy-Master teaches Mr. Jordan is a Latin phrase which means, “without learning, life is as it were an image of death” (230). After seeing that Mr. Jordan becomes excited to learn more, the Philosophy-Master suggests to go over the operations of the mind, morality, and physics, but these lack appeal to Mr. Jordan because of their complexness and “ugliness.” So to keep the easily-amused Mr. Jordan engaged, the Philosophy-Master decides to teach him how vowels are produced in the mouth instead of real philosophical ideology. Mr. Jordan attempts to get more educated in sciences (such as dancing and fencing) that would not really help him in everyday situations, but does not have the brains or drive to fully grasp concepts in the areas that actually could increase his overall knowledge, like music and philosophy.
Throughout The Cit Turned Gentleman, Moliére uses comical and absurd situations to prove serious points and real lessons. Mr. Jordan tries to hire teachers in hopes of becoming educated on the level of upper-class people, but this schooling does not benefit him in the end. He obviously does not understand the Music-Master’s lesson on how music leads to universal peace, because at the end of the play he still strives to fit in with those of a higher status which shows that he does not see all people as equals. The Dancing-Master’s lesson also prove to be useless to Mr. Jordan, since he makes several wrong moves which his training in dance do not help him avoid. For example, he manipulates his wife by trying to initiate a relationship with another lady of an upper-class (Dorimene), which could in turn potentially elevate his status. He also aims to climb up the social ladder by trying to marry off his daughter Lucilia to Turkish royalty who promise to give him more social power by making him a “Mamamouchi,” or Paladin. All of this Turkish marriage business is of course a joke on Mr. Jordan, since the “Turkish Highness” turns out to be Cleontes, the man Lucilia wanted to marry anyway. As for the Fencing-Master’s lesson, Mr. Jordan does use his arms in attempts to raise his social status when he continuously loans Dorantes, of upper-class status, money which he never receives back. On top of this, the money that the “noble” Dorantes borrows gets spent on his lover Dorimene, which of course Mr. Jordan never realizes. The only lesson that Mr. Jordan may have fully understood is that of vowel production from the Philosophy-Master, which maybe helps him at the end of the play when he recites ridiculous Turkish phrases as part of his hilarious initiation ceremony to become a Mamamouchi. Instead of Mr. Jordan deceiving other people to alter their perceptions of himself, he in turn gets deceived by his family and upper-class citizens to get what they want from him. The servant Coviel makes clear what everyone really thinks of Mr. Jordan at the end of the play when he states, “If it’s possible to find a greater fool than this, I’ll go and publish it at Rome” (259).
Moliere‘s The Cit Turned Gentleman is a prime example of how social views and hypocrisy can influence a theatrical comedy to the point where it reflects an Age in time rather intimately.
16th through 17th century French society was indeed patriarchal; that is, men dominated in every subject ranging from art to politics. Hence, it is no wonder why Moliere depicts women as the subservient sex in his theatric prose. “Hold your prate, I tell you you are ignorant creatures, both of you, and don’t know the advantage of all this.” (Moliere 236). In this scene, Mr. Jordan has just been questioned as to why he takes up hobbies that do not apply to his age or tenure. He, enraged solely by opposition, chooses to scold both women in a vulgar manner. Men of Moliere’s age were thus highly inconsiderate of women, not to mention disrespectful. Analyzing the scene further, Mr. Jordan never offers the women opportunity to explain. He merely casts their opinion’s away, declaring them ignorant and incapable of understanding his oh so valuable intentions. These were thus roles women played in theatrics of the Renaissance.
Deception is Moliere’s key to unlocking a world of paradox and humor that inevitably reflects society as a whole. “ ‘Tis a downright cit, ridiculous enough, as you see, in his whole behavior…” (248). How many individuals wished to express complete dissent to the protagonist of the play? How many individuals chose to dismiss the truth to gain the master’s fondness? Hypocrisy, thus, is apparent in every detail of the play, just as it is apparent in every life of every individual considered human. Hence, Moliere presents the theme of his comedy: mankind will do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means degradation or deceit. “Well gentlemen? What have you there? Will you let me see your little drollery…how do you call that thing? Your prologue, or dialogue of songs and dancing…” (224). The musician and the dancer readily accept condescending remarks regarding their arts so that they may reap Mr. Jordan‘s benefits. “But which of these ways , which is the best?/ That which you said: Beautiful marchioness, your fair eyes make me die for love.” (233). The philosopher, well aware of his master’s diminution of elegant prose, consents to the words so as to please Mr. Jordan. From these scenes and examples alone it is evident that Moliere stresses not only the vulnerability of man to higher power, but also man’s undisputed willingness to submit to anything that could potentially harm their material lives. There is no doubt that the men in the play (musician, dancer, philosopher, fencer) held their occupations close to their hearts (they fought to defend their beliefs); however, when Mr. Jordan condescends them all, pride dissolves into submission. Thus, Moliere effectively proved this point: in situations where belief and life clash, humanity tends to favor life. After all, moral discomfort is only temporary.
Fraught with arguments against an imperfect society, satire has always prevailed as a popular device for criticizing the environment one lives in by ridiculing a certain aspect or figure within it. Though the satire may not always offer a perfect alternative, it certainly contributes to the grand spark from which change shall erupt. The Cit Turned Gentleman, a comedic satire produced by Molière, serves as a brilliant example of a societal satire that offers criticisms of its time by symbolizing a whole class of people through one man. Offering a way to derive solutions to his society’s flaws, Molière continually focuses on one character’s flaws in order to exploit the weaknesses of an entire class. By playing on Mr. Jordan’s flaws and countering them with Mrs. Jordan’s ideas, Molière presents us with a satire filled with specific events which all come to contribute to the complex nature of this work.
From the title of the work, we can immediately understand that we will follow one man’s process of change in order to derive the criticism of society that Molière attempts to convey. Upon reading the work, we derive that Mr. Jordan represents the man who thinks moving up in society entails only a clever impersonation of the higher tier and simply doing as they do. Upon reflection, this idea as well as situation truly transcends the confines of time. Typical of even today’s society, many think that moving up in society and class can be bought superficially by acting a part. However, though this may seem true, to truly move higher in society, one must exude certain qualities in order to move into the true upper class, not the superficial one. In the beginning of the work, we come upon Mr. Jordan in conversation with the Music-Master and the Dancing-Master. Upon hearing the Musician reading the lines “But tell me, Iris, what dire fate attends your enemies, if thus you treat your friends?”, we see Mr. Jordan react in a way which suggests that Molière wants us to see that Mr. Jordan doesn’t mind stepping on close friends in order to heighten his position in society (Molière 225). In reply, Mr. Jordan specifically states that “This song seems to me a little upon the dismal; it inclines one to sleep; I should be glad you could enliven it a little here and there” (225). From this specific quotation, we see that Mr. Jordan possesses some superficiality in his actions. Representing the ideas of the type of people who wish to heighten their rank in society at the cost of honor and honesty, Mr. Jordan’s lines possess traces of imposture which come to signify the wrong. Through this specific instance, along with all of Mr. Jordan’s other antics, Molière questions whether or not worth lies in deception and fakeness in order to move up in society. More than that, does he not question whether this higher class truly represents what we should strive for as human beings?
However, interestingly enough, though Molière gives us an example of the flaws of a certain class of people, he also provides the counterargument which represents the solution. Also in the embodiment of a character, the counterargument comes to us in the form of Mrs. Jordan. Here, though a typical idea in our present society, the atypical idea of a woman having the better ideas then the man presents itself to us. In response to all of Mr. Jordan’s boastings about how one needs certain educational aspects of character rather than practical ones, such as distinguishing verse from prose, Mrs. Jordan says “You are a fool, husband, with all these whims, and this is come to you since you have taken upon you to keep company with quality” (237). Immediately, we side with Mrs. Jordan. Does not the significance of one’s life rely on selflessness? Even in the case of her daughter’s marriage, which serves to make the plot more complex, Mrs. Jordan tells Mr. Jordan that he should be focusing on marrying his daughter rather than, in his case, foolish academic pursuits. Therefore, through the words of Mrs. Jordan, we can conclude that one should selflessly live out one’s life, and focus on practical matters where importance truly lies, as exemplified in this specific example. Therefore, Molière’s work proves that sacrificing true worth for superficial gain represents the wrong ideals of life, as we can derive from the various asides in the work. Coviel’s remark about Mr. Jordan’s character at the end of the piece wraps up the idea beautifully: “If it’s possible to find a greater fool than this, I’ll go and publish it at Rome” (259).
Sacrificing true worth for superficial gain does not represent the true goals in life. Through the comic relief provided by Mr. Jordan’s actions and the practical solutions given in Mrs. Jordan’s ideas, The Cit Turned Gentleman comes to beautifully and comically depict a problem within society that transcends time itself. In terms of worth, selfish and superficial gains do not compare to honesty and honor in the truly important matters of life.
Artists for Peace!
It seems as if those who are in the liberal arts will only sound the bell of true liberation of strife when the arts are truly integrated into society. It seems that The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Babtiste Poquelin, also known as Molière, touts this belief. It is of the belief of certain characters that societies that are in union with the arts are truly in harmony are at peace with the world, and otherwise, there is discord amongst humans. This is most definitely a valid point that begs examining at this point in our world, which constantly brews turmoil and conflict, but upon further examination of these characters’s viewpoints, one can most definitely see a conflict amongst the schools of dance and music. It can be said that one must also question the motives of those who are pushing for the arts’s integration into society, to make sure that it is done for the correct reasons, rather than just for fashion.
It is most definitely true that our world needs the arts to survive. This intrinsic truth has most definitely demonstrated itself to the entire human race countless times throughout history. We, at this time, live in a society that does not hold the arts in high regard. As a result, it can be said that our morale as a nation and as a society scrapes at the ceiling of the basement of the mansion the esprit du corps. The playwright expresses this in his characters’s zest for music, stating that music and dancing “open the human mind to see the beauty of things” (Molière, 226). In history, one can see that the ages of clearest enlightenment and of true fellowship have also been ages where the arts have prevailed.
We can also see the hypocrisy of this artistic movement, as each of the schools of art compete to be the first, rather than just to spread the fraternal love. In the same work, the audience sees this conflict between the schools of music and dance. We see this slight competition carried out playfully with the masters of these two schools.
“Music-Master: There’s nothing so profitable in a state, as much.
Dancing-Master: There’s nothing so necessary for men, as dancing.”
Music-Master: A state cannot subsist without music.
Dancing-Master: Without dancing, a man can do nothing.”
(226)
This banter goes on for a few more lines between the two, and we learn that “disorders” and wars are all caused by a lack of music, and that all disasters and “fatal misfortunes” are caused by the lack of dancing in the world. Whereas these two men are not completely wrong, one might suggest that they take their own advice and try their hardest to combine their strengths, rather than compete against each other, in order to achieve harmony in the world.
It can be said that Molière also criticized those who wanted to push the arts for their motives as well. He exposes the audience to a character, Mr. Jordan, who constantly seeks out things such as the arts. The problem with this search is that he searches, seeking to imitate those that he calls “people of quality,” (226) and as such, he is made to look asinine, being told, and agreeing, that he must hold private concerts in his private residence “every Wednesday, or every Thursday” (227). In this instance he again asks if “people of quality” have these concerts, thus causing him to look quite the opposite of that which he is seeking to seem: cultured.
As one can see, Molière demonstrated a taste for the arts, being a playwright himself, seeing the intrinsic value in music and dance, but it seems that he also held some disdain for the arts. This can be seen due to his portrayal of those who fight amongst the arts, competing to be the first and the best, thus achieving nothing in the search for true brotherhood among humanity. He also cares not for those who would try to emulate themselves as ambassadors of the arts to society who only because it is popular to do so. He holds some very interesting, and very plausible theories, contained in these pages, such as the necessity of the arts for the world to be at harmony with itself. The arts soothe, and calm the soul in times of hectic chaos. Maybe if we followed this school of thought, we, as the human race, might one day integrate the arts truly into our lives in order to “open the human mind to see the beauty of things.”
The Cit Turned Gentleman by Jean Baptiste Poquelin, also known as Molière, is a critique of French society at the time. Many people in the French society believed that material possessions and fake intelligence showed their good character and would raise their social status. In this play the Cit, Mr. Jordan, thinks he is of good character because of the things he has and says. There are many parts throughout the story where Mr. Jordan says things and exhibits characteristics that make him look ignorant pompous. He acts and speaks how he believes he is supposed to act and speak according to the standards of others.
Many times throughout the play Mr. Jordan pretends to be more intelligent and of better character than he actually is. For example, Mr. Jordan says to the Dancing-Master and the Music-Master, “I have made you wait a little; but ‘tis because I am to be dressed out to-day like your people of quality; and my hosier has sent me a pair of silk-stockings, which I thought I should never have got on”(225). He makes them wait in order to put on the clothes that he believes “people of quality” wear. He finds it hard to put on the pair of silk stockings, but does it anyway because he believes to be of high-class one must do so. This is comparative to the culture of French society in the 1600s. For example, women would distort their bodies with corsets in order to fit the standard of society. Molière equates the Cit’s actions with the French upper class.
Also Mr. Jordan thinks that he should conform to societal norms of knowledge. For example, when the Music-Master and the Dance-Master tell him he should learn to sing and dance because these two things “open the human mind to see the beauty of things”(226), Mr. Jordan responds by saying, “What, do people of quality learn music too”(226)? The Masters tell him that they do. He replies, “I’ll learn it then. But I don’t know how I shall find time. For, besides the fencing-master who teaches me, I have also got me a philosophy-master…”(226). He wants to learn philosophy, not for the sake of learning, but in order to sound intelligent to members of the upper class. Also when the Philosophy-Master tries to teach him the three operations of the mind, he responds by telling him he would rather to learn something else that’s ‘prettier’. He doesn’t want to learn morality or physics, but rather orthography, the almanac, and the pronunciations of the alphabet.
Molière uses The Cit Turned Gentelman as a critique of French society in the 1600s. During this time, people where more interested in sounding smart then actually being intelligent. They also believed that what you wore was very important and that everyone should conform to society’s standards. He uses Mr. Jordan as an example of the society in France. He compares the cit to people in society that did whatever they though was expected of them to become part of the upper class.
In The Cit Turned Gentleman, Moliere develops a character who’s life is based solely upon his idea of what others think of him. This man begins life as a poor citizen of the state, slowly gaining status through his pocketbook. Rather than gradually becoming more of a gentleman as he grows wealthier, Mr. Jordan decides to gain his “gentleman” status in a very short period of time. By hiring a team of masters, he claims to have a yearning to learn the art of dancing, music, philosophy, and fencing. To any outsider, this appears as if it would be beneficial for a person to have experience with all of these subjects, but Mr. Jordan doesn’t do it to better himself as a person; he does it simply to try to better his status in the state. By creating this character, Moliere shows that although a person may appear to have a higher social status, this does not necessarily make he or she a more well-rounded character.
As Mr. Jordan buys his way through his “gentleman schooling,” it doesn’t take long for others to realize the foolishness and pettiness of his character. He is easily manipulated to believe whatever he thinks sounds or appears scholarly, and he won’t accept anything else. His masters of arts tolerate him because he pays a pretty penny for the work that they do. For example, the Music-Master states, in reference to the arts, that “it is true he understands ‘em ill, but he pays for ‘em well. And that’s what our art has more need of at present than of anything else” (224). As long as these masters are telling him how one of high standing should act, then Mr. Jordan does not mind how empty his pocket is becoming. When he is presented with his suit that he was measured for, the tailor has put the flower upside-down on his coat. Mr. Jordan doesn’t realize that this is how it is supposed to be worn. He attempts to reprimand the tailor, asking, “what a deuce have we here? You have put the flowers downwards” (233). The tailor replies with just what Mr. Jordan wishes to hear; that “the people of quality wear ‘em in that way” (233). Immediately, Mr. Jordan stands corrected and will not have the flowers any other way. This not only shows his ignorance and simple mind, but it shows how easily he can be influenced by anyone he knows more than him about society.
Moliere includes a comedic counterpart to Mr. Jordan: his wife, Mrs. Jordan. Although she shares his wealth, she does not go about following anyone’s orders she believes to have high standings. In fact, she is very grounded and realistic. When Dorantes comes about asking Mr. Jordan for more money, she serves as the sensible character, relaying to the reader her knowledge that Mr. Jordan is being manipulated out of his money. Her witty banter of Mr. Jordan not only attempts to ground her husband, but it also communicates Moliere’s view of a well-rounded person in society: one does not necessarily need money and knowledge of the arts. All that is essential is a solid base, a good head on one’s shoulders, and a bit of common sense.
Jean Baptiste Poquelin, henceforth called Moliére, characterizes a cit, Mr. Jordan, as a man struggling to attain the education, honor and reputation of a gentleman. In The Cit Turned Gentleman, the sly Coviel, Cleontes’s servant, successfully convinces Mr. Jordan his father was of noble birth to realize his employer’s wishes of marrying Lucilla. The servant’s remark, “What a dupe!” (253), demonstrates how effortlessly Mr. Jordan can be manipulated. In addition, the title’s allusion to Spain’s cid reinforces the play’s pathetic protagonist’s unknown birth and common decent. Unlike his Spanish counterpart, however, Mr. Jordan is not satisfied with being a righteous, popular hero. Instead he obsesses over transcending his meager social status and becoming a gentleman. As the Music-Master satirizes, “We have found a man here, just such one as we both of us want. This same Mr. Jordan is a sweet income, with his visions of nobility and gallantry, which he has got into his noodle” (224). Moliére effectively utilizes sarcasm to criticize French society of the 1600s, where the aristocracy mattered and everyone else did not. The playwright satirizes Mr. Jordan, who symbolizes all those trying to overcome their social status, and his obsession with “people of quality” (226) to underscore the lack of noble value in the French aristocracy.
After the music-master, the dancing-master, and the fencing-master sway Mr. Jordan to take up their talents, for as the music-master comments no other reason than he pays well for their instructions (224), the philosophy-master enters to instruct him. Probably the most alarming comments the playwright makes about the aristocracy occur during the philosophy-master’s lesson with Mr. Jordan. Aside from his feigning speaking Latin, ignorance of reading and writing, and disinterest in logic, no greater shock comes to the audience than when Mr. Jordan asks, “What means morality” (231)? Once the philosophy-master explains to him morality treats of happiness and moderation, he then decides he wants no instruction in morality for “… And there’s no morality holds me; I will have my belly full of passion, whenever I have a mind to it” (231). Moliére’s few lines speak volumes regarding France’s upper class’s disregard for moderation. Less than 100 years away from revolution and with increasing unnecessary spending moneyed by proficient taxation that reduced commoners to famine, the playwright’s arguments about French society should have served more as a cautionary tale to the country rather than a humorous satire.
At the time of its writing, The Cit Turned Gentleman would have been performed to a group of French aristocrats absorbed in frivolous and insignificant aspects of society. For example, these aspects would consist of the kind of music an “individual of quality” would listen to as he eats only the finest of foods, or whether the flower pattern on his pants should be going up or down. The satirist Molière realizes the insignificance of all these aspects and tells his audience through the eyes of Mrs. Jordan, while he shows French society through his character Mr. Jordan. Characters like Dorantes, Coviel, and Dorimène represent the opinions of Molière as well.
The audience sees that Mr. Jordan is not satisfied with being a civilian and he is doing whatever it takes to be considered a gentleman. He goes from wearing fancy clothes, studying music, dance and philosophy, as long as said activities are also enjoyed by “people of quality.” In the lines where Mr. Jackson is listening to people sing, Mr. Jordan replies to the Music Master, “Why so? Have people of quality?...I’ll have one then. Will it be fine” (Molière p. 227)? In these lines, Mr. Jackson is not concerned whether he likes the music, as long as “people of quality” listen to it. Another example of these same sentiments can be found in the lines where the tailor returns Mr. Jordan’s clothing. Mr. Jordan says, “ Do people of quality wear the flowers downwards?...Oh ‘tis very well then” (p. 233). At first, Mr. Jordan does not like the way the tailor has placed the pattern, but as soon as the tailor tells him that “people of quality” do it, then Mr. Jordan changes his mind. Through these lines, Molière shows how the French did not care if a fad made them look stupid or ignorant, as long as the fad was fashionable and popular. Molière portrays Mr. Jordan as a fool because he wants to show how the French are foolish through their frivolousness in only caring about what is acceptable to French aristocrats.
Molière shows his opinion to the audience the strongest through his lines of Mrs. Jordan. Molière shows his disdain for these superfluous fads in the words of Mrs. Jordan where she says, “Go, go, you should send all these folks apacking with their silly stuff” (p. 237). The lines show that Molière thinks that France should be rid of this “silly stuff”, and he wishes it would be sent out his sight. Molière calls France a fool in the lines of Mrs. Jordan where she says, “You are a fool husband with all these whims, and this is come to you since you have taken upon you to keep company with quality” (p.237). Molière states France has become a fool since she has begun to only concern herself with what the aristocrats think. Mrs. Jordan continues with, “Well, did I not guess how ’twould be!...He’ll ne’er be satisfied till he has ruined you…He’ll drain your last farthing…Go, You’re a downright dupe” (p. 239). Molière shows awareness of the costs people spend on the fads when there are more important issues in society to be addressed. He calls France out on her stupidity, telling her to be aware that these fads are merely passing whims. He tells her that it will take all of her money before realizing that all of her worth has been squandered away on useless fads.
Molière is more concerned with what matters in life, like having company he can relate to and trust, not fear that they will shun him. The audience can see this in the lines, “…Or that show should have children that should be ashamed to call me grandmother…I’ll have a man who shall be beholden to me for my daughter, and to whom I can say, sit you down there son-in-law, and dine with me” (p. 246). Molière realizes that it is not about wealth, but about being with someone that makes you feel comfortable. Molière knows that family and friends are not people you need to impress, but rather people that treat you the same regardless of social status or money.
In A Cit turned Gentleman, Molière addresses an issue that presents itself even to this day. Do not focus on the idea of fads. They are not permanent and they will pass. Rather, focus on issues of importance, like how much money one is lending out or the sincerity of a prospective son-in-law. Issues about money, fads, and social problems of the like present themselves throughout time but yet society still does not know how to overcome them.
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