''Turcaret'' (or ''Le Financier'') is a

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

by Alain-René Lesage, first produced on 14 February 1709 at the Comédie-Française in Paris. It is considered one of Lesage's most important works. The play shows clear signs of having been written by an admirer of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, and has much in common with his 1664 comedy '' Tartuffe''.

Plot

Turcaret is a ruthless, dishonest and dissolute financier. His vulgar wife is as dissolute as himself. A harebrained marquis, a knavish chevalier and a coquettish baroness, to whom Turcaret is attracted, are among the other highly comic characters.

Bibliography

*Richard Parish, ''"Marine Chassée": A Reconsideration of the Dramatic Structure of Lesage's Turcaret. '' ''En marge du classicisme: Essays on the French Theatre from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment'', ed. Alan Howe & Richard Waller, Liverpool, Liverpool UP; 1987, p. 173-199 1709 plays Plays by Alain-René Lesage Comedy plays {{1700s-play-stub