description The School for Wives Overview
The School for Wives is a five-act verse comedy by Molière, first performed in Paris in 1662. Arnolphe has arranged for Agnès to be raised in ignorance, believing that limited education will make her an obedient and faithful wife, but she falls in love with the young Horace and gradually resists Arnolphe's control. Through mistaken confidences, irony, and reversals, the play examines jealousy, male authority, education, marriage, and women's capacity for independent judgment.
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Who are the main characters in Molière's "The School for Wives"?
The play centers on Arnolphe, an older man who adopts the young Agnès to raise her in ignorance so she will be a perfectly faithful wife. However, Agnès falls in love with the young Horace, who is actually the son of Arnolphe's friend.
When was "The School for Wives" first performed?
"The School for Wives" is a five-act comedy written in verse that premiered in Paris in 1662. It was an immense success for the playwright Molière and his troupe at the Palais-Royal theater.
Why did Arnolphe keep Agnès ignorant in "The School for Wives"?
Arnolphe keeps Agnès confined to a convent and severely limits her education because he is terrified of being cuckolded. He believes that by making her entirely naive and uneducated, she will lack the wit and desire to ever take a lover.
Did "The School for Wives" face any controversy when it was released?
Yes, the play sparked a massive scandal and controversy among religious groups and the French upper class. Critics formed the "Querelle de l'École des femmes," attacking Molière for obscenity and for mocking the institution of marriage, which he defended in subsequent short plays.
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