Comédie représentée pour la première fois sur le théâtre du Petit-Bourbon le 28 mai 1660 par la Troupe de Monsieur, frère unique du Roi.

La scène est à Paris.

Sganarelle by Moliere

Produced by David Garcia, David Moynihan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

SGANARELLE; OU, LE COCU IMAGINAIRE

COMÉDIE EN UN ACTE.

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SGANARELLE: OR THE SELF-DECEIVED HUSBAND.

A COMEDY IN ONE ACT.

(_THE ORIGINAL IN VERSE_.)

28TH MAY, 1660.

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.

Six months after the brilliant success of the _Précieuses
Ridicules_, Molière brought out at the Théâtre du Petit-Bourbon a new comedy, called _Sganarelle, ou le Cocu Imaginaire_, which I have translated by _Sganarelle, or the self-deceived Husband_. It has been said that Molière owed the first idea of this piece to an Italian farce, _Il Ritratto ovvero Arlichino cornuto per opinione_, but, as it has never been printed, it is difficult to decide at the present time whether or not this be true. The primary idea of the play is common to many _commedia dell' arte_, whilst Molière has also been inspired by such old authors as Noël Du Fail, Rabelais, those of the _Quinze joyes de Mariage_, of the _Cent nouvelles Nouvelles_, and perhaps others.

The plot of _Sganarelle_ is ingenious and plausible; every trifle becomes circumstantial evidence, and is received as conclusive proof both by the husband and wife. The dialogue is sprightly throughout, and the anxious desire of Sganarelle to kill his supposed injurer, whilst his cowardice prevents him from executing his valorous design, is extremely ludicrous. The chief aim of our author appears to have been to show how dangerous it is to judge with too much haste, especially in those circumstances where passion may either augment or diminish the view we take of certain objects. This truth, animated by a great deal of humour and wit, drew crowds of spectators for forty nights, though the play was brought out in