Harpagon, the title character of The Miser, is consumed byall aspects of his wealth. He makes money by lending at usurious rates andpinching pennies at all turns.  A widowerin his sixties, he seeks to marry Mariane, an attractive young woman who is alreadyinvolved with his son Cléante.  Hisdaughter, Elise, is the beloved of Valere, a steward in his household. Heinsists she marry a wealthy older man. The plot moves quickly, coming to a headwhen a servant, La Flèche, steals his money box.  The play deftly blends satire and farce, andalso makes fun of theatrical functions, such as spoken asides that thecharacters actually hear and including the audience among the possible suspectsin the robbery. The seemingly intractable complications are eventually resolvedby the discovery that some of the problematic characters are actually long-lostrelatives.  The Miser is loosely based onand borrows plot points and dialog from the Latin comedy Aulularia by Plautus and from Italian farces. Versions beganappearing throughout Europe soon after its debut in 1668. The play has beentranslated and adapted continuously ever since.

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