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monologue
Comedy
1 Character

Arnolphe's Lament on Betrayal

from The School for Wives

Written by Molière

The School for Wives

Arnolphe reels from the discovery that his ward, Agnès, has outsmarted him by sending a secret letter to her lover. He struggles with a volatile mix of fury over his wounded pride and the painful realization that he is genuinely in love with the woman he tried to keep ignorant.

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ARNOLPHE: How mortifying! I made sure he never knew,

But what an effort, hiding my discomfiture!

She’s ignorant, but oh! the cleverness of her!

The minx was just pretending, knew it all along––

The devil must have shown her how to lead me on.

That dreaded letter has most surely sealed my doom.

The t

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WriterMolière
CharactersArnolphe
Duration00:02:00
Age Range40s-60s
GenderMale
GenreComedy
PeriodClassical
Formatmonologue
SourceThe School for Wives
ToneDesperate, self-pitying, furious
Suitable Fordrama school audition, agent showcase, general practice, competition
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