Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Do you think any character in particular acts as the moral center of this play, or does the honor of "moral center" go to pretty much everyone who isn't Harpagon?
- Do you know any misers in your own life? How do they stack up against Harpagon? Would you recommend this play to them? Why or why not?
- Do you think the ending of this play (where we find out Mariane, Anselme, and Valère are all related) is awesome, or too neat and tidy? Could you see today's audiences enjoying this kind of coincidence? Why or why not?
- Why does La Flèche want to steal Harpagon's casket of money? Use specific quotations from the play to support your answer.
- What kinds of techniques does Molière rely on to create humor in this play? Are they effective? Use specific examples from the play to support your answer.
- What is Frosine's role in this play? How would the play suffer/change if she were taken out of it?
- Do you think that Harpagon is an effective character, or is he so cartoonishly cheap that it affects the humor of the play?
- What other famous misers can you think of in literature? How are they similar to or different from Harpagon? Extra points if you can think of a famous miser who came before Harpagon.
- What do you make of the fact that Harpagon's name comes from the Latin word for "grappling hook"? What does this name tell us about his character right off the bat?