L'Épreuve

Lucidor loves Angélique, and thinks he is loved by her. But the girl is of modest condition, and Lucidor wants to make sure he is chosen for himself and not for his fortune.

Before proposing the marriage, he decides to put the sincerity of Angélique at l'épreuve: making his valet Frontin a very rich friend of his, he strongly encourages Angélique to marry him. Each then sets out to make the other jealous to see if he is truly loved...

Lucidor and Angélique's love affairs, complicated by stratagems and traps, are a model of falsely light comedy. Here human feelings painfully clash with social relations and class differences. And as often with Marivaux, the truth can only come to light after a long series of lies and false pretences, certainly funny but also deeply cruel.

Its brilliant vivacity, relevance and brevity only make the piece more joyfully impactful.