Front page of Les Fourberies de Scapin
Written by	Molière
Characters	Scapin Léandre Octave Géronte Argante Hyacinthe Zerbinette Silvestre Carle Nérine Two porters
Date premiered	1671 (1671-MM)
Place premiered	Paris
Original language	French
Genre	Comedy

Les Fourberies de Scapin (literally, "Scapin's Deceits") is a three-act comedy by French playwright Molière. The title character Scapin is similar to the archetypical Scapino character. The play was first staged in 1671 in Paris.

The original play is in French but, like many of Molière's plays, it has been translated into many different languages. Adaptations in English include Scapino! by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale,^[1] which has also been further adapted by Noyce Burleson.^[2] Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell have also adapted the play, as Scapin.^[3] Despite a few alterations and modernization of language, the play still retains much of its original structure.

Characters[link]

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

Silvestre 

Octave's valet

Carle 

"Fourbe"

Nérine 

Hyacinthe's wet nurse

Two porters

Plot[link]

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).

Quotes[link]

"À vous dire la vérité, il y a peu de choses qui me soient impossibles, quand je veux m'y mêler."
Scapin, Act 1, Scene 2
"To tell you the truth, there are few things that I find impossible, when I want to do them."

"Il vaut mieux encore d'être marié que mort."
Scapin, Act 1, Scene 4
"It's better to be married than to be dead."

"Mais que diable est-il allé faire dans cette galère?"
Géronte, Act 2, Scene 7
"What the devil was he doing in that galley?"
(This line prompted a new word in French: "galère" now also has the meaning "a cumbersome, painful business.")^[4]

See also[link]

• Scapino

Notes[link]

Bibliography[link]

In French:

• Comédie Française - Histoire de la Comédie Française
• Les Fourberies de Scapin

In English:

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

v t e Works by Molière Le Médecin volant Les Précieuses ridicules The School for Wives Tartuffe Dom Juan L'Amour médecin The Misanthrope Le Médecin malgré lui Amphitryon George Dandin ou le Mari confondu The Miser Monsieur de Pourceaugnac Le Bourgeois gentilhomme Psyché Les Fourberies de Scapin Les Femmes Savantes The Imaginary Invalid