The School For Wives

The School For Wives is a comedic play written by French playwright Jean Baptiste Poquelin, who is better known by his stage name, Moliere. The play was first performed in 1662 and centers on the character of Arnolphe, a wealthy and middle-aged man who is determined to marry a young and innocent girl who he has raised and educated in isolation from the world. Arnolphe believes that by controlling his future wife's every move and thought, he will be able to prevent her from being unfaithful to him.However, Arnolphe's plans are foiled when his future wife, Agnes, meets and falls in love with Horace, a young man who is everything Arnolphe is not. Horace is charming, witty, and kind, and Agnes is immediately drawn to him. Arnolphe's attempts to keep Agnes away from Horace only serve to push her further into his arms, and Arnolphe is forced to confront the fact that he cannot control love.The School For Wives is a satirical commentary on the societal norms and expectations of marriage and relationships in 17th century France. Moliere uses humor and wit to critique the idea that women should be submissive and obedient to their husbands, and he highlights the absurdity of a man trying to control every aspect of his wife's life. The play is still widely performed today and is considered one of Moliere's greatest works.I declare I cannot rest anywhere; my mind is troubled by a thousand cares, thinking how to contrive, both indoors and out, so as to frustrate the attempts of this coxcomb. With what assurance the traitress stood the sight of me! She is not a whit moved by all that she has done, and though she has brought me within an inch of the grave, one could swear, to look at her, that she had no hand in it.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.