Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

At the start of Act IV, Doranté, Dorimène, and M. Jourdain are dining, and Dorimène compliments the food. M. Jourdain demurs, claiming that it isn’t worthy of her, and Doranté agrees, delivering a long, romantic monologue about the food and her worthiness. Dorimène responds, “I reply to this compliment only by eating” (89). M. Jourdain compliments her hands, and she draws attention to the diamond, but M. Jourdain, following Doranté’s advice, declines to talk about it. Doranté orders some wine, requesting the singers to perform a drinking song. M. Jourdain tells Dorimène that she is beautiful, and she dismisses his compliment as gallantry. Doranté attempts to cover the fact that Dorimène does not know that M. Jourdain is trying to woo her. Scene 2 opens with Mme. Jourdain, who enters and catches the three at dinner, noting that she was not invited since her husband sent her to dine at her sister’s. Doranté claims that M. Jourdain is only allowing the count to use the house to court Dorimène for himself, and M. Jourdain quickly agrees.

Mme. Jourdan is not fooled, however, and reprimands her husband as well as the marchioness for causing trouble in her marriage. Dorimène cries, “Goodness, Doranté! You have outdone yourself by exposing me to the absurd fantasies of this ridiculous woman” (93). She exits, and Doranté chases after her. M. Jourdain responds angrily to his wife for disrupting dinner and embarrassing him. Mme. Jourdain replies, “I’m not concerned. These are my rights that I defend, and I’ll have all wives at my side,” before leaving (93). As M. Jourdain complains that his wife interrupted while he was “in the mood to say pretty things” (94), Scene 3 begins with Covielle, who enters in a disguise. Covielle tells M. Jourdain that he was a friend of his father and that he knew him when he was only a child. Covielle calls M. Jourdain’s father “a very honorable gentleman” (94), which catches M. Jourdain’s attention. M. Jourdain exclaims, “There are some fools who want to tell me that he was a tradesman” (95). Covielle insists that he was not and that he will swear to it before anyone.

Covielle tells M. Jourdain that the son of the Grand Turk is in town and has fallen in love with his daughter Lucile and wishes to marry her. He claims that the royal son wants to bestow upon M. Jourdain the title of “Mamamouchi, which is a certain high rank in his country” (98). Covielle tells M. Jourdain that the man will arrive soon, prepared for the ceremony to bestow M. Jourdain’s new status. M. Jourdain worries that his daughter is in love with Cléonte and will reject him. Covielle reassures him that the son of the Grand Turk actually looks a lot like Cléonte and Lucile will change her mind. In Scene 4, Cléonte arrives disguised as a Turk. He speaks in gibberish, and Covielle “translates.” M. Jourdain prostrates himself, and Covielle sends him to fetch Lucile. Scene 5 transitions as Covielle laughs at M. Jourdain’s foolishness. Count Duranté enters and recognizes Covielle in his disguise, asking why he is laughing. Covielle admits that he is scheming to convince M. Jourdain to give his daughter to Clèonte. He begins to tell Duranté the plot as:

the Turkish ceremony for ennobling Monsieur Jourdain is performed in dance and music, and comprises the Fourth Interlude. The ceremony is a burlesque full of comic gibberish in pseudo-Turkish and nonsensical French, in which Monsieur Jourdain is made to appear ludicrous and during which he is outfitted with an extravagant costume, turban, and sword (101).