Analysis of Moliere’s Would-Be Gentleman Essay Example

be recognized and accepted as a member of the elite class. Although he possesses wealth, his family was a member of the middle class, and, therefore, Monsieur Jourdain was born into the middle class. In an effort to be accepted as a member of the aristocracy, Monsieur Jourdain undertakes endeavors that society deems as gentleman like. Monsieur Jourdain takes up dancing, music, fencing, and philosophy for the sole reason of becoming “a man of learning” (Moliere 198).

Prior to his obsession with becoming a member of the elite class, Monsieur Jourdain had very little interests in these studies; else he would have mastered these studies when he was an adolescent. Now that social status is motivating him to join the ranks of the elite class, however, Monsieur Jourdain brushes aside his own personal preferences for the sake of achieving his goal. The idea of social status has completely reset Monsieur Jourdain’s way of thinking, as he now thinks in terms of the question “Is this what the quality do? ” (193).

Members of the aristocracy are proficient in the arts, so Monsieur Jourdain believes that he too must also become capable in the arts if he ever wants to move up the social ladder. Notice how Monsieur does not take up practices such as shoe making or tailoring. Trades that require manual labor are considered to be practices for the bottom half of the social ladder. Knowing how to work with your hands is probably a good skill to have, probably more important to have than dancing or singing, but with it comes a social stigma that would severely hamper Monsieur Jourdain’s quest

to becoming an aristocrat.

Monsieur Jourdain’s emphasis on social status causes him to pursue useless tasks, while refusing to learn skills that might actually be of benefit. In addition to his own goals, Monsieur Jourdain imposes his aspirations on his daughter, Lucile. With the knowledge that social status is obtained by rite of birth, Monsieur Jourdain intends to break the cycle of middle class meddling that he and his family have been affiliated with by having Lucile marry a nobleman. If Monsieur Jourdain ever hopes to break out of the middle class, he cannot have his daughter marry a commoner.

Therefore, Lucile is forbidden to marry Cleonte on the basis that he is not of “noble birth” (225). Monsieur Jourdain is not entirely naive to believe that possessing wealth will propel him up the social ladder. Instead, he recognizes that wealth alone cannot make him a nobleman, as he says, “I’ve got more than enough money for my daughter. What I need is honour. I intend to make her a marquise” (226). Again, social status leads Monsieur Jourdain to think in terms of how to better himself in the eyes of society.

He recognizes that Lucile is a crucial element in his quest to become a gentleman, for he lacks the privileged rite of birth that the aristocracy benefit from. His emphasis on social status has driven Monsieur Jourdain to sacrifice his daughter’s preferences for his own personal and selfish gain. Monsieur Jourdain, however, does not view this act as selfish, but rather as necessary. After drawing criticism from his wife for denying Cleonte Lucile’s hand in marriage, Monsieur Jourdain counters, “Those

are sentiments hat show what a small mind you have – not wanting to better yourself” (226). Monsieur Jourdain realizes that Lucile is his ace in the hole for becoming a member of the elite, and he scolds his wife for not recognizing the great opportunity that Lucile’s marriage can bring them. Again, the thought of social status causes Monsieur Jourdain to degrade his own daughter from a human being, to a mere bargaining chip for his (family’s) benefit. This ultimate pursuit of becoming a gentleman has drawn criticism and ridicule from Monsieur Jourdain’s peers.

The process of becoming a member of the elite class is a universal standard accepted by everyone within society. This means that regardless of what Monsieur Jourdain does or what practices he decides to take up, he will never be fully accepted by his peers as a gentleman. In the eyes of everyone else, Monsieur Jourdain was not born a noble; therefore, he can never be a true noble. Even the music master laughs at Monsieur Jourdain’s folly, as he says to the dancing master, “Now it’s true that this man of ours has no great share of enlightenment…But his money makes up for the weakness of his judgement.

His taste is located in his wallet. His applause has cash value. Ignorant and middle class he might be, but he’s worth more to us, you know, than the cultured nobleman who put us in touch with him” (187). This is a crucial statement because it shows that regardless of whether or not Monsieur Jourdain is officially christened as a nobleman, he lacks the qualities that truly make a

nobleman. According to the music master, becoming a gentleman is not something that Monsieur Jourdain can obtain overnight, nor is it something that one can “catch up” on.

To be a true nobleman, in the eyes of the music master and the rest of society, one must have lived the aristocratic lifestyle since birth. In a sense, the social standards set forth by society handicaps Monsieur Jourdain from being fully accepted as a true gentleman. While Monsieur Jourdain does possess wealth, wealth alone cannot differentiate him from the rest of the middle class. The music master looks down upon and ridicules Monsieur Jourdain because Monsieur Jourdain is “ignorant and middle class”, while he somewhat respects Dorante because Dorante is a “cultured nobleman. Although Monsieur Jourdain is wealthier than Dorante, and Dorante is actually in debt to Monsieur Jourdain, Dorante will always garner more respect because of his social status and the high ranking people he is associated with. Unlike Monsieur Jourdain, Madame Jourdain rejects the notion of bettering herself, and, instead, accepts her place in society. Madame Jourdain recognizes that she is living a comfortable lifestyle and that she is nothing more than a “good, plain commoner” (225), so there is no need to want to join the elite class.

She has little care for the idea of social status, and she simply wants what is best for her and her family. Madame Jourdain is wary of the idea of social status because she feels that a commoner mingling outside of their respective class will only draw ridicule and disapproval, as already evidenced by the music master’s mockery of Monsieur Jourdain. With regard

to Lucile marrying a nobleman, Madame Jourdain fears that “marrying above your station is liable to end in tears” (226), and that she does not want “a son-in-law who’ll look down on my daughter on account of her family” (226).

With that said, it is easy to see how the idea of social status has made Madame Jourdain aware of her surroundings. Social status has made Madame Jourdain realize that society will never accept her and her husband as true members of the elite, and that pursuing such a goal will only make them the laughingstock of the town. Whereas social status has made Monsieur Jourdain oblivious to the fool that he is making out of himself, social status has reinforced Madame Jourdain’s notion that one should stay within the confines of their social class.

During Middle Age Europe, one’s life was entirely centered around their social status. The respect one received within society was often reflective of their social status and their ranking on the social ladder. Moliere’s Would-Be Gentleman points out how an emphasis on social status can drive people to different behaviors. On one hand, the notion of social status causes Monsieur Jourdain to give up his own desires and preferences, sacrifice his daughter’s happiness, draw ire from his wife, and embarrass himself in front of his peers for the hope that he could better himself and be considered a nobleman.

On the other hand, social status causes Madame Jourdain to open her mind to her surroundings, and use reason to rationally think things through regarding the marriage of her daughter. In the end, Madame Jourdain’s lack of emphasis

on social status proves triumphant, leaving Monsieur Jourdain to play dress up in Turkish costumes and humiliate himself at the expense of his dignity. Bibliography: Moliere, Jean-Baptiste. The Misanthrope and Other Plays (Penguin Classics). New York: Penguin Classics, 2000.