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Harpagon

Harpagon is the central character of Molière's comedy The Miser (L'Avare), first performed in 1668. He is an elderly, widowed father whose life is defined by extreme miserliness and an abiding fear of losing money. His obsession with wealth shapes his relationships with family, servants, and suitors, and his suspicion about others’ motives drives much of the action.

In the play, Harpagon aims to secure his fortune through strategic marriages and careful control of dowries

The play employs farcical devices—misidentifications, concealed identities, and opportunistic theft—to expose the consequences of avarice. Supporting

Legacy and reception: Harpagon endures as a defining archetype of greed in Western drama. The Miser remains

and
inheritances.
He
plans
to
marry
his
daughter
Élise
to
a
wealthy
old
man,
Anselme,
and
he
balks
at
any
arrangement
that
might
diminish
his
wealth.
His
son
Cléante,
in
contrast,
resents
his
father’s
domination
and
pursues
a
romance
with
Mariane,
while
Élise
herself
is
in
love
with
Valère,
a
young
man
of
modest
means.
Harpagon’s
attempts
to
manipulate
these
relationships,
along
with
his
insistence
on
guarding
a
hidden
money
box,
precipitate
a
series
of
disguises,
eavesdropping,
and
comic
misunderstandings
that
propel
the
plot.
characters,
such
as
the
scheming
valet
and
the
household
staff,
assist
and
complicate
Harpagon’s
schemes.
The
tension
between
greed
and
affection
culminates
in
a
critique
of
mercantile
values,
while
preserving
humor
through
improvisation
and
verbal
wit.
one
of
Molière’s
best-known
works,
frequently
staged
and
studied
for
its
satire
of
bourgeois
society,
its
theatrical
conceits,
and
its
memorable
portrayal
of
a
man
whose
wealth
governs
every
aspect
of
his
life.