''La Méprise (Marivaux)'' is a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

in one act and in

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

, written by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

playwright Pierre de Marivaux and first performed on August 6, 1734, by the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne or Théâtre-Italien are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were commedia dell'arte companies employed b ...

at the théâtre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne.Lucette Desvignes, ''Revue de Littérature Comparée'', 41, 1967, p. 166-179.

Characters

* Clarice * Hortense, Clarice's sister * Ergaste * Lisette, Clarice's servant * Arlequin, Hortense's servant * Frontin, Ergaste's servant.

Plot

Two sisters, both blonde and charming, dress the same. The play is set in a park, where the young ladies are having a walk, hiding their face behind a mask. Ergaste, the lover, thinks he is talking to one sister when in fact it is the other. ''

quid pro quo Quid pro quo ('what for what' in Latin) is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", ...

s'' follow, until the two sisters disappear together.

References

Bibliography

* Lucette Desvignes, "Marivaux et ''La Méprise'' : exploration d’un thème antique", ''Revue de Littérature Comparée'', n. 41, pp. 166–179, 1967. * Jean Fleury, ''Marivaux et le marivaudage'', Paris: Plon, 1881. {{DEFAULTSORT:Meprise Plays by Pierre de Marivaux