LA Farce de maître pathelin

    La Farce de Maître Pathelin is one of the most popular medieval plays still produced today. It's popularity come from its timeless humor which is based in absurdity and deceit. What I find interesting about the play is its use of an ensemble to achieve its humour. Whereas plays like Le Garçon et l'Aveugle  were simple slapstick comedies, Pathelin's humor relies on the interactions of the stereotyped characters that we would find in commedia dell'arte. There is the cunning trickster, the nagging wife, and the boorish judge. The play reminded me of Ubu Roi  for the callous marital dialogue, but also of 19th century English farces that depended on quick wit and the manipulation of an absurd situation. The character of Pathelin, like Ubu, is intriguing and dastardly, but we continue to cheer for his antics to see what crazy thing he will do next.