The Miser

Many of the characters try to win over Harpagon with flattery. How is flattery depicted, and what does each character’s use of—or avoidance of—flattery reveal about their characterization and/or motivations? What alternatives, if any, exist to flattery in the play?

Out of all of the characters, Cleante and Harpagon seem to fight the most. What might be the reason for this? How and why does the dynamic between Cleante and Harpagon differ from that between Harpagon and Elise?

Compare and contrast the characters of La Fleche, Master Jacques, and Frosine. How do they interact with their masters or employers? How do they view the miser? Do they change by the play’s end? Why or why not?

In the play, Elise warns Valere that words are meaningless without actions. In what ways is this proven to be true?

Prior to plays like The Miser, asides were utilized to reveal what a character was thinking without letting the other characters know. In this play, the asides are heard by everyone. How does this device add to the comedy of the play? How does this device function both in terms of narrative drive and/or characterization?

What does the miser lose from his greed? What, if anything, does he gain?

What is Valere’s character arc throughout the play? How does his character arc compare to that of his sister, Marianne?

Love and marriage are prominent themes in the play. How do different characters conceive of marriage? Is there any way of reconciling the more idealized forms of love and the more transactional aspects of matchmaking in the play? If so, how, and if not, why not?