As the play is Older Than Steam, all spoilers on this page are unmarked.
Les Fourberies de Scapin — variously translated as The Schemes of Scapin, Scapin the Schemer, or The Impostures of Scapin — is a 1671 comedy by Molière.
Two young men from well-to-do families marry two women of lesser means in secret while both of their fathers are out of town. The fathers return with marriage plans for the sons, not realizing they are already married. The title character, Scapin, wants to help the lovers stay married to their current wives; he does this through schemes, lies, and tricks.
First performed on May 24, 1671, at the Palais Royal, where Molière acted the part of Scapin.
Les Fourberies de Scapin provides examples of:
- Actually, I Am Him: Zerbinette can't resist telling a stranger in the streets about all the tricks Scapin played on Géronte, irrepressibly laughing at the old fool. The man lets her finish her tale before he furiously reveals that he is Géronte.
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: It is left ambiguous in the last scene wheter Scapin is actually going to die, voluntarily. The audience of a comedy wants him to live and for this to be one last scheme, but a more holier-than-thou audience, which were many at court in Molière's time, may want him to be punished for his irreverent actions. This ambiguity allows to change the ending depending on the audience.
- Anti-Hero: Scapin steals from his employers, and beats both of them up in a very violent manner for sins that can be argued: Géronte did let Léandre think that Scapin betrayed his secret, but it was Léandre who punished Scapin for it, with a level of violence that can vary depending on the production. He also points out, in a Noodle Incident, that he once dressed up as a werewolf and nearly broke Léandre's back by pushing him down the stairs, because Léandre was having him run errands at night.
- Arranged Marriage: The core plot: Géronte and Argante want to arrange marriages for their sons. The sons are not on board with this plan. The sons have new girlfriends and want to Marry for Love. The plot twist is that it's a Perfectly Arranged Marriage and Suddenly Suitable Suitor: the girlfriends (who they already fell in love with on their own) are coincidentally the brides their fathers picked for them.
- Anvil on Head: Scapin claims to suffer a hammer to the head.
- Appeal to Flattery: Scapin to ArganteScapin: But what was he to do? He sees a young person who wishes him well; for he inherits it from you that all women love him.
- As You Know: Octave to Scapin in the beginning. Made funny by Scapin's injections of "Yes, I know."Octave: You know, Scapin, that two months ago Mr. Géronte and my father set out together on a voyage, about a certain business in which they are both interested.
Scapin: Yes, I know that.
Octave: And that both Léandre and I were left by our respective fathers, I under the management of Silvestre, and Léandre under your management.
Scapin: Yes; I have acquitted myself very well of my charge.
Octave: Some time afterwards Léandre met with a young gipsy girl, with whom he fell in love.
Scapin: I know that too. - Beautiful Tears: Hyacinthe is crying over her dying mother the first time Octave sees her. He falls in Love at First Sight.Octave: Her tears were none of those unpleasant tears which spoil the face; she had a most touching grace in weeping, and her sorrow was a most beautiful thing to witness. [...] All who approached her burst into tears whilst she threw herself, in her loving way, on the body of the dying woman, whom she called her dear mother; and nobody could help being moved to the depths of the heart to see a girl with such a loving disposition.
Scapin: Yes, all that is very touching; and I understand that this loving disposition made you love her. - Character Name and the Noun Phrase: The titular Scapin.
- Commedia dell'Arte:
- More clearly, Scapin is based on the staple character Scapino.
- Octave + Hyacinthe and Léandre + Zerbinette are the innamorati.
- The dads are both Pantalone.
- Faked Kidnapping: They claim Léandre has been kidnapped by Turks, so that his dad will pay his ransom.
- Handshake Refusal: Léandre tries to hug his dad when he returns from a trip. Géronte refuses, because he needs to tell him off first.
- Haplessly Hiding: Scapin convinces his master Géronte to hide in a sack which he carries over his shoulders, then pretends to be attacked by bandits thrashing him within an inch of his life. In fact, Scapin puts the sack on the ground and vigorously beats it with a heavy staff.
- I Have No Son!:Géronte: Ah! scoundrel, if you mean to bring dishonour upon me, I will renounce you for my son, and you will have to avoid my presence for ever!
- Long-Lost Relative: Zerbinette is the long-lost daughter.
- Maid and Maiden: Hyacinthe and her governess Nérine, who is very protective of her.
- Missing Mom: Hyacinthe's mom, Géronte's second wife, dies shortly before the play begins in a scene that Octave describes. It's not clear what she died of.
- Orphan's Plot Trinket: Zerbinette's bracelet.
- Redemption Equals Death: Scapin, dying of a brain injury, begs forgiveness of everyone and they grant it. Also Forgiveness Requires Death, where Géronte is concerned:Scapin: Ah! Sir, how much better I feel for your kind words.
Géronte: Yes, I forgive you; but on one condition, that you die.
Scapin: How! Sir?
Géronte: I retract my words if you recover.
Scapin: Oh! oh! all my pains are coming hack. - Reluctant Gift: Géronte is being conned by Scapin into paying a ransom of 500 gold coins for his son (in fact, the son needs the money for various living expenses). His paternal love finally shining through after much effort, he gives Scapin the purse... but forgets to let go, and even puts it back in his pocket before Scapin reminds him that he still needs the money.
- Rescue Sex: Downplayed. Zerbinette is not a slut in the least, but people assume that since she was reared by Romani people. She makes it clear that — while she likes Léandre and is thankful for him buying her freedom — he will only get sex if he marries her first.
- Secret Other Family: Géronte has one, under the name "Pandolphe"Argante: But why did you keep her [Hyacinthe] in Tarentum, instead of enjoying the happiness of having her with you?
Géronte: I had my reasons for it; some family interests forced me till now to keep my second marriage secret. - Shotgun Wedding: Scapin tells Argante that Octave's marriage to Hyacinthe went like this. The idea is that Argante can't be mad at Octave for marrying her if he was forced into it. Argante believes this story, but the ploy overall fails because he instantly jumps to "if it was coerced, we can use that to get him a divorce."
- Stealth Insult: Zerbinette apologizes for calling her new father-in-law a fool and a cheapskate to his face without knowing it was him, as she only knew him from reputation.
- What Does She See in Him?: Downplayed. Buddies Léandre and Octave are both somewhat miffed by the fact that their friend thinks their new girlfriend is, y'know, nice, but doesn't seem to fully grasp just how phenomenal she is. Probably a good thing, since if they did understand her appeal, it would be a case of Surprise Incest.Octave: As we are great friends, he told me at once of his love, and took me to see this young girl, whom I thought good-looking, it is true, but not so beautiful as he would have had me believe. He never spoke of anything but her; at every opportunity he exaggerated her grace and her beauty, extolled her intelligence, spoke to me with transport of the charms of her conversation, and related to me her most insignificant saying, which he always wanted me to think the cleverest thing in the world. He often found fault with me for not thinking as highly as he imagined I ought to do of the things he related to me, and blamed me again and again for being so insensible to the power of love.
- Where Did We Go Wrong?: Géronte throws shade at Argante, saying that the reason his son eloped was because he'd been reared poorly. Irony, because Géronte's son has done the exact same thing as Argante's — as the audience already knows, and as Géronte is about to find out.Géronte: Because, if, like a courageous father, you had corrected your son when he was young, he would not have played you such a trick.
Argante: I see. So that you have corrected your own much better?
Géronte: Certainly; and I should be very sorry if he had done anything at all like what yours has done.
