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45-603: Le Bourgeois gentilhomme satirizes attempts at social climbing and the bourgeois personality , poking fun both at the vulgar, pretentious middle-class and the vain, snobbish aristocracy . The title is meant as an oxymoron : in Molière's France, a "gentleman" was by definition nobly born, and thus there could be no such thing as a bourgeois gentleman. The play is in prose (except for the ballet openings which are in verse ). The play takes place at Mr. Jourdain's house in Paris . Jourdain

90-546: A Cretan-Greek form of " arihagne " ("utterly pure"), was a Great Goddess of Crete , "the first divine personage of Greek mythology to be immediately recognized in Crete", once archaeological investigation began. Kerenyi observed that her name was merely an epithet and claimed that she was originally the "Mistress of the Labyrinth ", both a winding dancing ground and, in the Greek opinion,

135-492: A fool of himself, to the disgust of his hired teachers. His philosophy lesson becomes a basic lesson on language in which he is surprised and delighted to learn that he has been speaking prose all his life without knowing it. Par ma foi ! il y a plus de quarante ans que je dis de la prose sans que j'en susse rien, et je vous suis le plus obligé du monde de m'avoir appris cela. My faith! For more than forty years I have been speaking prose while knowing nothing of it, and I am

180-537: A historical person, reported that in contemporary Naxos was an earthly Ariadne, who was distinct from a divine one: Some of the Naxians also have a story of their own, that there were two Minoses and two Ariadnes, one of whom, they say, was married to Dionysos in Naxos and bore him Staphylos and his brother, and the other, of a later time, having been carried off by Theseus and then abandoned by him, came to Naxos, accompanied by

225-540: A nurse named Korkyne, whose tomb they show; and that this Ariadne also died there. In a kylix by the painter Aison ( c.  425  – c.  410 BC ), Theseus drags the Minotaur from a temple-like labyrinth, yet the goddess who attends him in this Attic representation is Athena . An ancient cult of Aphrodite -Ariadne was observed at Amathus , Cyprus , according to the obscure Hellenistic mythographer Paeon of Amathus ; his works are lost, but his narrative

270-593: A prison with the dreaded Minotaur in its centre. Kerenyi explained that a Linear B inscription from Knossos "to all the gods, honey… [,] to the mistress of the labyrinth honey" in equal amounts, implied to him that the Mistress of the Labyrinth was a Great Goddess in her own right. Professor Barry Powell suggested that she was the Snake Goddess of Minoan Crete. Plutarch , in his Life of Theseus , which treats him as

315-437: A revised version of the play, reinstating the turquerie and removing the opera. Strauss provided further incidental music including some arrangements of Lully. Meanwhile, the entertainment was provided with a separate operatic prologue and this is the form in which Ariadne is now usually given. George Balanchine choreographed a number of modern versions , from the 1930s to the 1970s, using Strauss's score. The first version

360-457: Is a Minoan loanword . Ariadne was the daughter of Minos , the King of Crete and son of Zeus , and of Pasiphaë , Minos' queen and daughter of Helios . Others denominated her mother Crete , daughter of Asterius , the husband and King of Europa . Ariadne was the sister of Acacallis , Androgeus , Deucalion , Phaedra , Glaucus , Xenodice , and Catreus . Through her mother, Pasiphaë, she

405-485: Is a middle-aged "bourgeois" whose father grew rich as a cloth merchant . The foolish Jourdain now has one aim in life, which is to rise above this middle-class background and be accepted as an aristocrat . To this end, he orders splendid new clothes and is very happy when the tailor's boy mockingly addresses him as "my Lord". He applies himself to learning the gentlemanly arts of fencing, dancing, music and philosophy, despite his age; in doing so he continually manages to make

450-474: Is among the sources that Plutarch cited in his vita of Theseus (20.3–5). According to the myth that was current at Amathus, the second most important Cypriot cult centre of Aphrodite, Theseus' ship was swept off course and the pregnant and suffering Ariadne put ashore in the storm. Theseus, attempting to secure the ship, was inadvertently swept out to sea, thus being absolved of abandoning Ariadne. The Cypriot women cared for Ariadne, who died in childbirth and

495-495: Is an intensive prefix) and adnós (ἀδνός) "holy". Conversely, Stylianos Alexiou has argued that despite the belief being that Ariadne's name is of Indo-European origin, it is actually pre-Greek . Linguist Robert S. P. Beekes has also supported Ariadne having a pre-Greek origin; specifically being Minoan from Crete because her name includes the sequence dn (δν), rare in Indo-European languages and an indication that it

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540-527: Is borrowed from the French language ; it is the past participle of the verb parvenir (to reach, to arrive, to manage to do something). The word parvenu typically describes a person who recently ascended the social ladder , especially a nouveau riche or "new money" individual. The famous Margaret Brown , who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, was portrayed as a "new money" individual, most notably in

585-552: Is sometimes used as synonymous with parvenu , and may be used as an insult, suggesting a poor work ethic or disloyalty to roots. Several examples might include athletic and entertainment professionals born and raised in poverty and suddenly finding themselves with significantly higher income due to their new-found celebrity status. Established royal families of Europe regarded the Bonaparte family as parvenu royalty. Napoleon III tried to marry into Swedish and German royalty, but

630-467: The coup d'état of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's father, Reza Khan , in 1921. Many parvenus in the United States arrived there as poor immigrants, then worked their way up the social ladder. Beginning as laborers, they took advantage of better economic opportunities in the U.S., moving on to become civil servants, " white collar " (business/office) workers and finally members of respectable society. In

675-528: The King at Versailles , he can get Jourdain to pay his debts. Jourdain's dreams of being upper-class go higher and higher. He dreams of marrying a Marchioness , Dorimène, and having his daughter Lucile marry a nobleman. But Lucile is in love with the middle-class Cléonte. Of course, M. Jourdain refuses his permission for Lucile to marry Cléonte. Then Cléonte, with the assistance of his valet Covielle and Mme Jourdain, disguises himself and presents himself to Jourdain as

720-726: The New York City Opera , featured input from Jerome Robbins , who stepped in during a period of Balanchine's illness. Peter Martins also choreographed one scene near the end of the ballet. The production starred Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux , Patricia McBride , Rudolf Nureyev , Darla Hoover , Michael Puleo and students of the School of American Ballet . In 2005 Le Poème Harmonique in collaboration with Benjamin Lazar  [ fr ] (stage director) and Cécile Roussat  [ fr ] (choreographer) presented Le Bourgeois gentilhomme at

765-479: The "Grove of Aphrodite-Ariadne". According to Cypriot legend, Ariadne's tomb was located within the temenos of the sanctuary of Aphrodite-Ariadne. The primitive nature of the cult at Amathus in this narrative appears to be much older than the Athenian sanctioned shrine of Aphrodite, who at Amathus received "Ariadne" (derived from " hagne ", "sacred") as an epithet . The Roman author Hyginus identified Ariadne as

810-403: The "climbing social classes" musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown , because of her impoverished Irish immigrant roots and lack of social pedigree . The Oxford English Dictionary defines a parvenu as: "A person from a humble background who has rapidly gained wealth or an influential social position; a nouveau riche; an upstart, a social climber. Also in extended use. Generally used with

855-533: The 19th century, the French aristocracy viewed Jewish women who converted to Christianity upon marriage as parvenus. Professor Catherine Nicault of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne has argued that this exemplified the way in which the French aristocracy was hostile toward Jews. Ariadne In Greek mythology , Ariadne ( / ˌ ær i ˈ æ d n i / ; Ancient Greek : Ἀριάδνη ; Latin : Ariadne )

900-631: The Ariadneia festival in Cyprus to Theseus, who left money to the island so sacrifices could be made to commemorate Ariadne. Sacrifices were held in the grove of Ariadne Aphrodite, where Ariadne's tomb resided. During these sacrifices, a young man shall lie down and mimic a woman in labour by crying out and gesturing on the second day of the month, Gorpiaeus . One silver and one bronze statuette were also constructed in her honor. Ariadne, in Etruscan Areatha ,

945-566: The Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. Dia may have referred to the island of Naxos . Most accounts claim that Theseus abandoned Ariadne on Naxos , and in some versions Perseus mortally wounds her. According to some, Dionysus claimed Ariadne as wife, therefore causing Theseus to abandon her. Homer does not elaborate on the nature of Dionysus' accusation, yet the Oxford Classical Dictionary speculated that she

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990-516: The Roman Libera , bride to Liber . Ariadneia (ἀριάδνεια) festivals honored Ariadne and were held in Naxos and Cyprus . According to Plutarch , some Naxians believed there were two Ariadnes, one of which died on the island of Naxos after being abandoned by Theseus. The Ariadneia festival honors Naxos as the place of her death with sacrifices and mourning. Paeon , as stated by Plutarch, attributes

1035-480: The Utrecht Baroque Festival. Informed by the musical and theatrical traditions of 17th century France, the production revived the musical and dance interludes originally scored by Jean-Baptiste Lully and the work was presented in its entirety. The wardrobe was notably bourgeois and ridiculous, evidently the intent of the directors to present Monsieur Jordain as a naive, stunned and yet vulnerable man new to

1080-474: The effect of absolving the Athenian cultural hero of desertion. The vase painters of Athens often depicted Athena leading Theseus from the sleeping Ariadne to his ship. Ariadne bore Dionysus famous children, including Oenopion, Staphylus, and Thoas . Dionysus set her wedding diadem in the heavens as the constellation Corona Borealis . Ariadne was faithful to Dionysus. In one version of her myth, Perseus killed her at Argos by turning her to stone with

1125-415: The finest actors and musicians of the time. Molière played the role of Monsieur Jourdain, clothed in bright colors trimmed with silver lace and multicolored feathers; André Hubert played Madame Jourdain ( travesti ); Mlle de Brie played Dorimène; Armande Béjart played Lucile; and the composer Jean-Baptiste Lully danced the mufti in the last act cérémonie des Turcs . Le Bourgeois gentilhomme reflected

1170-662: The future Shah of Iran , Mohammad Reza Pahlavi . One of the reasons speculated for their divorce is that Fawzia's family, including King Farouk I , viewed the Pahlavis as parvenus . Though the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt and Sudan , to which Fawzia belonged, had humble beginnings, it had solidified its status in Egypt and the Arab World since 1805. In contrast, the Pahlavis were a far more recent dynasty, owing their position entirely to

1215-475: The head of Medusa during Perseus' war with Dionysus. The Odyssey relates that Theseus took Ariadne away from Crete only for Artemis to kill her in Dia (usually identified with Naxos) on Dionysus' witness. An ancient scholiast wrote that Ariadne and Theseus had sex on a sacred grove, and an angry Dionysus revealed that to Artemis, who proceeded to punish Ariadne with death. According to Plutarch , one version of

1260-445: The implication that the person concerned is unsuited to the new social position, esp. through lacking the necessary manners or accomplishments." The term designates individuals not socially accepted by individuals already established in their new class. It expresses a form of classism . A social climber is a derogatory term that denotes someone who seeks social prominence through aggressive, fawning, or obsequious behavior. The term

1305-514: The labyrinth of the Minotaur. Ariadne betrayed her father and her country for her lover Theseus. She eloped with Theseus after he killed the Minotaur , yet according to Homer in the Odyssey "he had no joy of her, for ere that, Artemis slew her in seagirt Dia because of the witness of Dionysus ". The phrase "seagirt Dia" refers to the uninhabited island of Dia, which lies off the northern coast of

1350-445: The most obliged person in the world to you for telling me so. Madame Jourdain, his intelligent wife, sees that he is making a fool of himself and urges him to return to his previous middle-class life, and to forget all he has learned. A cash-strapped nobleman called Dorante has attached himself to M. Jourdain. He secretly despises Jourdain but flatters his aristocratic dreams. For example, by telling Jourdain that he mentioned his name to

1395-632: The myth tells that Ariadne hanged herself after being abandoned by Theseus. Dionysus then went to Hades, and brought her and his mother Semele  to Mount Olympus , where they were deified. Some scholars have posited, because of Ariadne's associations with thread-spinning and winding, that she was a weaving goddess , like Arachne , and support this theory with the mytheme of the Hanged Nymph (see weaving in mythology ). Karl Kerenyi and Robert Graves theorized that Ariadne, whose name they thought derived from Hesychius ' enumeration of "Άδνον",

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1440-484: The original score and script by Molière and Lully. Many male and female musicians, instrumentalists, dancers, cooks, tailor's apprentices, and others are needed for the interludes. An hour-long version adapted by Harry McFadden was broadcast on the NBC radio series Great Plays on December 18, 1938. Social climbing A parvenu is a person who is a relative newcomer to a high-ranking socioeconomic class . The word

1485-577: The sky to create a constellation, the Corona Borealis . Ariadne is associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of Theseus and the Minotaur. There are also festivals held in Cyprus and Naxos in Ariadne's honor. Greek lexicographers in the Hellenistic period claimed that Ariadne is derived from the ancient Cretan dialectical elements ari (ἀρι-) "most" (which

1530-510: The son of the Sultan of Turkey . Jourdain is taken in and is very pleased to have his daughter marry foreign royalty. He is even more delighted when the "Turkish prince" informs him that, as father of the bride, he too will be officially ennobled at a special ceremony. The play ends with this ridiculous ceremony, including the Sabir language standing in for Turkish. The original production brought together

1575-716: The then-current trend for les turqueries, all things related to the Ottoman Empire . The work stemmed from the scandal caused by the Turkish ambassador Suleiman Aga who, upon visiting the court of Louis XIV in 1669, affirmed the superiority of the Ottoman court over that of the Sun King. The first performance of Der Bürger als Edelmann , a German version of the play, took place on 25 October 1912, adapted by Hugo von Hofmannsthal with incidental music by Richard Strauss . The turquerie

1620-426: The version of the myth; later, she helped Theseus conquer the Minotaur and save the children from sacrifice. In other narrations she was the bride of Dionysus , her status as mortal or divine varying in those accounts. Because ancient Greek myths were orally transmitted, like other myths, that of Ariadne has many variations. According to an Athenian version, Minos attacked Athens after his son, Androgeus ,

1665-406: The world of money and privilege "victim and architect of the action". The use of candlelight as the only lighting source on stage and a frontal performance style even during conversations between characters gave the production a distinctly baroque air and was well received. The 2005 production was the first ever since the play's first performance to render it in its entirety, as faithful as possible to

1710-400: Was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete . There are different variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of Naxos . There, Dionysus saw Ariadne sleeping, fell in love with her, and later married her. Many versions of the myth recount Dionysus throwing Ariadne's jeweled crown into

1755-584: Was already married to him when she eloped with Theseus. According to Plutarch, Paion the Amathusian recounted Theseus accidentally abandoned Ariadne only to come back when it was too late. In Hesiod and in most other versions, Theseus abandoned Ariadne sleeping on Naxos , and Dionysus rediscovered and wedded her. In a few versions of the myth, Dionysus appeared to Theseus as they sailed from Crete , saying that he had chosen Ariadne as his wife and demanding that Theseus leave her on Naxos for him; this had

1800-489: Was also the half-sister of the Minotaur (who was known in Crete as Asterion). Ariadne married Dionysus and became the mother of Oenopion , the personification of wine, Staphylus , who was associated with grapes, as well as Thoas , Peparethus , Eurymedon , Phliasus , Ceramus , Maron , Euanthes , Latramys , and Tauropolis . Minos put Ariadne in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations either to Poseidon or Athena , depending on

1845-475: Was killed there. The Athenians asked for terms and were required to sacrifice 7 young men and 7 maidens to the Minotaur every 1, 7 or 9 years (depending on the source). One year, the sacrificial party included Theseus , the son of King Aegeus , who volunteered in order to kill the Minotaur . At first sight, Ariadne fell in love with him and provided him a sword and ball of thread (ο Μίτος της Αριάδνης, "Ariadne's string") so that he could retrace his way out of

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1890-411: Was memorialized in a shrine. Theseus, overcome with grief upon his return, left money for sacrifices to Ariadne and ordered two cult images , one of silver and one of bronze, erected. At the observation in her honour on the second day of the month Gorpiaeus , a young man lay on the ground and vicariously experienced the throes of labour. The sacred grove in which the shrine was located was denominated

1935-508: Was performed in 1932 by Wassily de Basil and René Blum 's Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo , featuring David Lichine and Tamara Toumanova , with sets by Alexandre Benois . In 1944, a new version of the ballet was performed by the second iteration of the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo , with Nicholas Magallanes (taking over for an injured Frederic Franklin ), Maria Tallchief , and Nathalie Krassovska . The most well-known version, from 1979 for

1980-414: Was replaced by an appended operatic entertainment Ariadne auf Naxos , composed by Strauss to a libretto by Hofmannsthal, in which Jourdain's eccentric requirements have led to Ariadne being marooned on a desert island where there just happens to be a commedia dell'arte troupe. The production was directed by Max Reinhardt . The combination of play and opera proved problematic. Hofmannsthal created

2025-527: Was unsuccessful because he was a parvenu . For instance, his plan to marry Anna Pavlovna , one of the sisters of the Emperor Alexander , did not push through because the Empress Mother objected to the union on account of Napoleon's status as a parvenu. The reason given for the misalliance was difference of religion. This was also said to be the case with the marriage of Egyptian Princess Fawzia to

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