The Bores: A Comedy in Three Acts

In Short

Commissioned on short notice for a grand royal festivity, this character-comedy unfolds as a rapid succession of absurd encounters. The protagonist, Éraste, desperately seeks a moment alone with the woman he loves, Orphise, but is repeatedly intercepted by a parade of societal bores—ranging from obsessive hunters and dancers to pedants and schemers. Bound by the polite conventions of the court, he must endure their monologues and interruptions. Despite its light narrative thread interwoven with ballets, the play endures as a sharp, witty portrait of human vanity and social exasperation.

The Story

The play opens with a theatrical prologue featuring a Naiad rising from a fountain to greet the King with elaborate verse, setting a tone of elegant diversion. Soon after, Éraste appears in a public garden, anxiously hoping to meet Orphise, the woman he adores. His practical servant, La Montagne, tries to assist him, but their progress is immediately stalled by a succession of intrusive acquaintances. Éraste encounters men and women wholly consumed by their own trivial obsessions, each demanding his attention and testing his endurance. Bound by the strict rules of courtly politeness, he cannot simply flee, and must endure their tedious monologues.

Among these early interruptions, Lisandre corners him to sing and demonstrate the intricate steps of a new couranto, expecting lavish praise. Shortly after, Alcandre demands that Éraste deliver a duel challenge on his behalf, but Éraste firmly refuses, citing his profound respect for the King's strict laws against duelling. Seeking refuge, he encounters Alcippe, who is bitterly obsessed with a disastrous game of piquet and insists on recounting every single card of his lost hand. Two women, Orante and Climène, subsequently drag him into a public debate over whether a true lover ought to be jealous, treating him as an impartial judge of their conflicting romantic philosophies.

As the day progresses, the intrusions multiply. Dorante traps Éraste with a wildly long and frustrating story about a stag hunt ruined by an ignorant country bumpkin who foolishly shot the animal with a horse-pistol. Later, Caritidès, a pedantic scholar obsessed with Greek nomenclature, pesters him to present a convoluted petition to the King, while Ormin pitches an extravagant financial scheme promising hundreds of millions of revenue. Filinte offers suffocatingly unwanted companionship, refusing to leave Éraste's side despite desperate pleas.

Amidst these trials, Éraste's romance with Orphise faces severe internal strains caused by misunderstandings and brief jealous quarrels. More dangerously, Orphise's guardian, Damis, fiercely opposes their match. Driven by hatred, Damis plots Éraste's murder, hiring armed men to ambush him outside Orphise's residence. Yet, in a sudden twist of fate, when ruffians unexpectedly turn upon Damis himself, Éraste heroically rushes to his defense and scatters the ruffians. Deeply moved by this noble act of courage, Damis abandons his hostility, sanctions their union, and clears the path for the reunited lovers.

How It Unfolds

The royal prologue The performance opens with an actor stepping forward in ordinary dress to offer humble excuses for the brief preparation time before the stage transforms into a decorative garden with fountains. From within a central water feature, a graceful Naiad steps out of a large shell to deliver flowery, flattering verses that honor the King and officially inaugurate the theatrical festivities.

A morning of endless interruptions Éraste arrives in the park hoping for a private moment with Orphise, but his morning is instantly derailed by a succession of self-absorbed acquaintances who refuse to respect his time. He is forced to endure Lisandre singing an air and demonstrating intricate dance steps, and must firmly reject Alcandre's awkward request to carry an illegal duel challenge to an adversary.

The cascading absurdities of the afternoon As the day wears on, the parade of social nuisances grows relentlessly worse, severely testing Éraste's adherence to courtly politeness. Alcippe traps him with an endless, furious grievance about a lost game of piquet, Dorante details a disastrous stag hunt ruined by a country bumpkin, and eccentric figures like the Greek pedant Caritidès and the schemer Ormin demand favors and bizarre financial backing. Even overly enthusiastic friends like Filinte offer suffocating company that cannot be easily shaken.

A violent turn and resolution The light social comedy briefly takes a dark turn when Orphise's hostile guardian, Damis, plots an armed ambush to murder Éraste outside the home. However, when armed men unexpectedly threaten Damis himself, Éraste heroically leaps to his defense and scatters the ruffians. This selfless act of bravery dissolves Damis's bitter opposition, clearing the path for the reunited lovers.

The People

The characters represent a cross-section of seventeenth-century social types, driven by distinct eccentricities. Éraste, the central figure, wants nothing more than a quiet, fulfilling romance with Orphise. His primary obstacle is the relentless army of social bores who hijack his time, compounded by the hostility of Orphise's guardian. By the end of the play, Éraste remains largely exasperated but ultimately triumphs through sheer endurance and a final act of heroism.

Orphise wants to love Éraste freely, but she is constrained by strict social decorum and her guardian's heavy-handed control. She navigates misunderstandings and jealous disputes with Éraste before her path is finally cleared.

Damis, Orphise's guardian, wants to prevent the match between his ward and Éraste, viewing the younger man as a threat. His stubborn hostility and controlling nature stand directly in the way of the lovers' happiness. He undergoes a significant shift when Éraste saves his life from an ambush, leading Damis to abandon his opposition and sanction their marriage.

The various bores—such as Lisandre, Alcippe, Dorante, Caritidès, and Ormin—want only an audience for their vanity, whether through singing dance steps, recounting card games, sharing hunting grievances, or pitching absurd petitions and financial schemes. Their obstacle is the rest of polite society's waning patience, though they remain blissfully unaware of their own tediousness, ending the play just as self-absorbed as they began.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the social tax of dealing with tedious acquaintances, Éraste laments the burden of compulsory politeness:

Heavens! must we be compelled daily to endure a hundred fools, because they are men of rank, and must we, in our politeness, demean ourselves so often to applaud, when they annoy us?

Reflecting on the unavoidable trials that accompany human existence, the servant La Montagne offers a grounded philosophical observation:

These annoyances are mingled with the pleasures of life. All goes not, sir, exactly as we wish it.

Explaining his preference for classical linguistic distinction, the pedantic scholar highlights his peculiar vanity:

Those we dress in Greek have a much superior look; and in order to have one ending in ès, I call myself Mr. Caritidès.

What It's Really About

Beneath its light comic surface, the play explores the suffocating tyranny of social convention and the heavy tax of forced politeness. Molière investigates how polite society forces individuals to endure arrogance, ignorance, and narcissism under the guise of good manners. The work questions the boundaries of social interaction, contrasting genuine human connection with the endless performance required by courtly life. Furthermore, it examines human vanity across different strata—from vain artists and obsessive sportsmen to deluded pedants and schemers—suggesting that self-absorption is a universal human failing. The constant interruptions serve as a metaphor for the minor, grating frustrations that threaten to derail human happiness, arguing that true peace requires immense endurance against the tide of social absurdity.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate sharp social satire, witty character sketches, and classic theatrical history will find much to admire in this brisk comedy. Reading it feels like watching a remarkably recognizable parade of modern annoyances dressed up in seventeenth-century attire; anyone who has ever been trapped in a conversation with an oversharing acquaintance will immediately recognize Éraste's plight. The text captures a unique historical moment, born from a rapid fortnight-long collaboration designed to dazzle a king and court with integrated ballets and dazzling stagecraft.

However, contemporary readers should note certain period difficulties, including its light narrative thread, which functions more as a disjointed sequence of tableaux than a traditional plot-driven comedy, alongside dated seventeenth-century references to hunting rules and card games like piquet. Despite these period hurdles, the emotional core remains entirely fresh. What stays with the reader long after finishing is the universal recognition of daily exasperation—the comforting realization that human beings have been driving each other crazy with monologues and misplaced enthusiasm for centuries, and that a good sense of humor remains our best defense.