Molière again and again and...

Arnolphe educating Agnés

Last time I wrote in French, since this was part of an assignment for my French University Course. However, I know that some of my followers don't read French so I felt an urge for writing in English as well about "L'école des femmes" written in Baroque France, some 350 years ago by the most brightly shining star amongst French playwrites through history, Molière. Sadly enough the issues brought up in this classic comedy still are current in our day.

The play is about a middle-aged man, Arnolphe,  who has brought up a girl, Agnés-who is presumed orphan, in secludedness behind the walls of his suburban garden. His intention was to bring her up as ignorant as possible in order to make of her an obedient, submissive wife that will not cheat on her husband the day she comes of age and he marries her.

However, as Arnolphe returns from a stay in the countryside he discovers that during his absence young Horace has dated his foster daughter. Arnolphe cannot just throw him out of his house since Horace is the son of Arnolphe's influential and aristocratic friend Oronte. So he deceives Horace by sometimes using the fake aristocratic name Monsieur de la Souche. By this name Agnés calls him when she tells Horace of his horrid behavoiur towards her.

Arnolphe decides to marry Agnés as soon as possible to prevent her to become the wife of Horace's. But he discovers that he has fallen in love with young Agnés and the marriage is postponed. Then Horace gets to know that his hand has been promised to the daughter of his father's friend Enrique since they both were infants. Both Agnés and Horce are devastated by these news, but as in a real Italiean comedy, they are rescued in the end by this Enrique on his returning home from the Spanish colonies in the New World. Enrique is in fact the father of Agnés thus Agnés and Horace have been engaged to each other since thay were born.

The middle aged, middle class Arnolphe has to leave the stage for the young aristocratic couple and he not only learns, the hard way, not to meddle with other people's lives but also to remain in his place in society. It still remains another century before the bourgeoisie will conquer the French aristocracy. 

So the middle-class man gets his revenge in the end.But it still remains a lot before Agnés gets her fair share in society, before women and men have the some privilegies and duties in society. It is still more common for a much older man to marry a very young wife than the opposite. Still people laugh at women who talks too much. It is still common to find intelligent and educated women less attractive than those who are not. Furthermore women, stupid or clever, are met with contempt and restrictions, even violence, when they want to lead a life of their own choice to a much larger extent than men.

In fact, there still are societies throughout the world where women are regarded as the property of men. And there are still men who don't recognize female leaders or women as religious office holders. One of those Arnolpheses of our day is called Dag Sandahl. He is famous for not recognizing female priests as "real ones".

The other day his engagement to a female priest, 30 years his junior, was announced. He claims to have the same opinion as earlier about women as priests but he doesn't try to hide that he is proud as a peacock over the fact that he has attracted this young woman. In blogs his fellow female priest-hating men supports his choice, claiming that he may now convince and educate his young wife so she will get to know her place and leave her call as a "fake priest".

Some things will never change...or?

Dag Sandahl educating Linda Muhr