Harpagon, a rich bourgeois obsessed with his box full of gold, wants to marry his children to wealthy matches so as to spend nothing, and to marry young Mariane himself. But his son Cléante happens to love Mariane, his daughter Élise loves Valère, and a crafty valet has spotted the box.
It is one of Molière's most famous comedies. Its hero has become a common noun in French, “un harpagon”, and his cry “Without a dowry!” has been making people laugh for more than three centuries.
Written in lively dialogue and full of mix-ups, this play is easy to read in the language you are learning.
