''Scapin the Schemer'' (french: Les Fourberies de Scapin) is a three-act

comedy of intrigue The comedy of intrigue, also known as the comedy of situation, is a genre of comedy in which dramatic action is prioritised over the development of character, complicated strategems and conspiracies drive the plot, and farcical humour and contriv ...

by the French playwright

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

. The title character Scapin is similar to the archetypical Scapino character. The play was first staged on 24 May

1671 Events January–March * January 1 – The Criminal Ordinance of 1670, the first attempt at a uniform code of criminal procedure in France, goes into effect after having been passed on August 26, 1670. * January 5 – The ...

in the theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris. The original play is in French but, like many of

's plays, it has been translated into many different languages. Adaptations in English include the 1676 ''

The Cheats of Scapin ''The Cheats of Scapin'' is a 1676 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Otway. It was an adaptation of the French play '' Scapin the Schemer'' by Molière. It premiered at the Dorset Garden Theatre performed by the Duke's Company as an afte ...

'' by

Thomas Otway Thomas Otway (3 March 165214 April 1685) was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for '' Venice Preserv'd'', or ''A Plot Discover'd'' (1682). Life Otway was born at Trotton near Midhurst, the parish of which his fathe ...

and '' Scapino'' by Frank Dunlop and

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

in 1974, which has also been further adapted by Noyce Burleson. Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell also adapted the play, as ''Scapin'', in 1995.''Scapin'', adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell
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Characters

; Scapin : Léandre's valet and "fourbe" (a rough translation of "fourbe" is "a deceitful person") ; Léandre : Son of Géronte and lover of Zerbinette ; Octave : Son of Argante and lover of Hyacinthe ; Géronte : Father of Léandre and of Hyacinthe ; Argante : Father of Octave and of Zerbinette ; Hyacinthe : Daughter of Géronte and lover of Octave ; Zerbinette : Daughter of Argante and lover of Léandre, believed to be a gypsy girl ; Silvestre : Octave's valet ; Carle : "Fourbe" ; Nérine : Hyacinthe's wet nurse ; Two porters

Plot

Scapin constantly lies and tricks people to get ahead. He is an arrogant, pompous man who acts as if nothing were impossible for him. However, he is also a diplomatic genius. He manages to play the other characters off of each other very easily, and yet manages to keep his overall goal — to help the young couples — in sight. In their fathers' absence, Octave has secretly married Hyacinthe and Léandre has secretly fallen in love with Zerbinette. But the fathers return from a trip with marriage plans for their respective sons. Scapin, after hearing many pleas for help, comes to their rescue. Thanks to many tricks and lies, Scapin manages to come up with enough money from the parents to make sure that the young couples get to stay married. But, no one knows who Hyacinthe and Zerbinette really are. It ends in the classic "And they lived happily ever after," and Scapin is even brought to the head of the table at the ending feast (even though he has to fake a fatal wound to make it happen ).

Quotations

Notes

* Garreau, Joseph E. 1984. "Molière". In ''McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama''. Ed. Stanley Hochman. New York: McGraw-Hill. . 397–418. * Pavis, Patrice. 1998. ''Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis.'' Trans. Christine Shantz. Toronto and Buffalo: U of Toronto P. .

Bibliography

Comédie Française - Histoire de la Comédie Française

''Scapin'', adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell

External links