The Imaginary Invalid

by Molière from 1673

About

Molière's final play (1673) is a savage comedy about hypochondria: Argan, obsessed with his imagined illnesses and the doctors who profit from them, plans to marry his daughter to a physician to reduce his medical bills — until the household's clever maid and his more sensible brother conspire to expose his folly. Molière himself played Argan in the original production and collapsed on stage during its fourth performance; he died at home that evening. The play thus acquired a tragic biographical irony: a satire on the medical profession, performed by a mortally ill man. It remains one of the most frequently performed of his comedies.

Translated from the original French.

The Imaginary Invalid

Characters
9
Words
15.6k
Acts
3
Scenes
10
Duration
~1 hr 57 min

Characters

#CharacterPlayerLines
1
ARG
355
2
TOI
193
3
MR. DIAFOIRUS
74
4
BER
74
5
ANG
73
6
BEL
55
7
LOU
35
8
CLE
34

44 sections

15.6k words
#TitleWords
Act I
1
Act I. Scene I.—ARGAN (_sitting at a table, adding up his apothecary’s
5874:24
2
Act I. Scene II.—ARGAN, TOINETTE.
2962:13
3
Act I. Scene III.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
400:18
4
Act I. Scene IV.—ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
4983:44
5
Act I. Scene V.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
1.4k10:28
6
Act I. Scene VI.—BÉLINE, ARGAN.
2221:40
7
Act I. Scene VII.—ARGAN, BÉLINE, TOINETTE.
2651:59
8
Act I. Scene VIII.—ARGAN, BÉLINE.
1801:21
9
Act I. Scene IX.—MR. DE BONNEFOI, BÉLINE, ARGAN.
7765:49
10
Act I. Scene X.—ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
2301:44
11
Act I. Scene XI.—BÉLINE (_in the house_), ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
100:05
Act II
12
Act II. Scene I.—CLÉANTE, TOINETTE.
1791:21
13
Act II. Scene II.—ARGAN, TOINETTE.
1040:47
14
Act II. Scene III.—ARGAN, CLÉANTE, TOINETTE.
2651:59
15
Act II. Scene IV.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE.
1591:12
16
Act II. Scene V.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE, TOINETTE.
1831:22
17
Act II. Scene VI.—MR. DIAFOIRUS, THOMAS DIAFOIRUS, ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE,
3.2k23:54
18
Scene VIII.—ARGAN, BÉLINE, MR. DIAFOIRUS, T. DIAFOIRUS, TOINETTE.
830:37
19
Scene IX.—ARGAN, MR. DIAFOIRUS, T. DIAFOIRUS, TOINETTE.
2421:49
20
Scene X.—BÉLINE, ARGAN.
810:36
21
Scene XI.—ARGAN, LOUISON.
6224:40
22
Scene XII.—BÉRALDE, ARGAN.
1641:14
Act III
23
Act III. Scene I.—BÉRALDE, ARGAN, TOINETTE.
580:26
24
Act III. Scene II.—BÉRALDE, TOINETTE.
1240:56
25
Act III. Scene III.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
1.8k13:27
26
Act III. Scene IV.—MR. FLEURANT, ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
1641:14
27
Act III. Scene V.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
1250:56
28
Act III. Scene VI.—MR. PURGON, ARGAN, BÉRALDE, TOINETTE.
4173:08
29
Act III. Scene VII.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
2541:54
30
Act III. Scene VIII.—ARGAN, TOINETTE, BÉRALDE.
700:32
31
Act III. Scene IX.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
470:21
32
Act III. Scene X.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE, TOINETTE (_dressed as a doctor_).
570:26
33
Act III. Scene XI.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
490:22
34
Act III. Scene XII.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE, TOINETTE.
510:23
35
Act III. Scene XIII.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
570:26
36
Act III. Scene XIV.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE, TOINETTE (_as a doctor_).
7985:59
37
Act III. Scene XV.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE.
610:27
38
Act III. Scene XVI.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE, TOINETTE.
3862:54
39
Act III. Scene XVII.—ARGAN, TOINETTE.
3742:48
40
Scene XIX.—BÉRALDE (_coming out of the place where he was
660:30
41
Scene XX.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, TOINETTE.
1200:54
42
Scene XXI.—ARGAN, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE, TOINETTE.
2041:32
43
Scene XXII.—ARGAN, BÉRALDE, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE, TOINETTE.
4623:28
44
Scene XXIII.—BÉRALDE, ANGÉLIQUE, CLÉANTE.
1381:02