“An Imaginary Handmaid, or the Punished Dodger” ( French: La Fausse Suivante, or Le Fourbe Puni ) is a play written by the French playwright Marivot in 1724. It was first staged on July 8, 1724 by Italian actors at the Burgundy Hotel in Paris .
| Imaginary maid, or Punished Dodger | |
|---|---|
| La Fausse Suivante, ou le Fourbe puni | |
 | |
| Genre | comedy |
| Author | Marivo |
| Original language | French |
| Date of writing | 1724 |
| Date of first publication | July 8, 1724 |
The play is about seduction, money, power, and dressing up. The main character is a manipulator who is going to marry a rich decanter for the sake of her condition. The main female character appears to be a knight in disguise, and punishes the main character for deceit, and the countess for frivolity
Content
Actors
- Countess , rich and attractive
- Leilo , unclean couplet
- Chevalier , a wealthy Parisian disguised as a knight
- Trivelin , servant of Chevalier
- Harlequin , servant Leilo
- Fronten , another Chevalier servant
- Servants, Dancers, Musicians
Story
A young wealthy Parisian is going to marry Leilo, whom she never even saw. She decides to meet him in advance by dressing in Chevalier and making friends with him. Laylo admits to a new acquaintance that he was in a predicament. In addition to the “Parisian lady,” he seduced the Countess. He needs to marry one of the women who is richer, since he signed an agreement with the Countess, according to which he will have to pay her a large amount of money in case of termination of the engagement.
Leilo asks Chevalier to seduce the Countess so that she herself canceled the engagement and paid the compensation. However, gossip that Chevalier is a woman is spread among the servants. In the end, she has to admit it, although she does not give her real name. With the help of the servants, she steals the contract concluded between Leilo and the Countess. At the end of the play, Chevalier leaves the seductive Countess, exposes Leilo and breaks the contract in their presence. The young Parisian woman finally reveals herself, thereby teaching a lesson to both the frivolous Countess and the rogue Leilo.
Famous Performances
- 1724: premiere of the play at the Italian Comedy Theater
- 1957: Château de Gournay
- 1964: The national national populaire
- 1991: Comédie-Française
- 1999: Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
- 2010: Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
- 2011: Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers.
- 2013: Théâtre Le Lucernaire
Films
- 1966 - Imaginary maid, or the Punished Dodger (TV) - dir. Jean-Paul Sassi
- 1985 - False Maid (TV) - dir. Patrice Chereau
- 2000 - The Fake Handmaid - dir. Benoit Jacot