LE MAL MARIÉ
by Jean de La Fontaine · from Fables de La Fontaine
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, there was a man. He was not happy. At times, people are not happy with others. It is good to be kind. It is good to be happy.
The Man had a wife. Her name was The Woman. The Man was not happy with his wife. She always complained. She was never happy. He wanted an answer.
The Woman always complained. "It is too late," she said. "It is too early." "Not good." She complained. The Man was very tired. The servants were very tired too. All were sad.
The Man was very tired of her. He sent The Woman away. She went to live with her kin. They lived in the country. The Man hoped she would change there. He hoped she would be happy. He thought she would learn.
Time passed. The Man thought about The Woman. He hoped she was changed now. He hoped she was kind. He brought her back home.
The Man asked The Woman. "How was your time?" he said. "Did you like it?" "Were you happy?" He waited.
The Woman answered right away. "The people there were lazy," she said. "They did not work well. They did not care for beasts. I told them they were bad. They did not like me. They were not good." She still complained.
The Man listened to her words. She was still the same. She still complained. She did not change. The Man was very sad.
The Man thought about it. The country people were tired. The servants were tired. He was tired too. "How can I live with her?" he thought.
The Man made a big choice. "Go back to the village," he said. "You must stay there. You cannot come back here. This is my final word."
"I will never ask you back," he said. "Never! You must stay there." He was firm. He meant his words.
The man lived in peace. The woman stayed in the country. She still complained. Be kind and happy, not grumbling.
Original Story
LE MAL MARIÉ.
Que le bon soit toujours camarade du beau,
Dès demain je chercherai femme;
Mais comme le divorce entre eux n’est pas nouveau,
Et que peu de beaux corps, hôtes d’une belle âme,
Assemblent l’un et l’autre point,
Ne trouvez pas mauvais que je ne cherche point.
J’ai vu beaucoup d’hymens, aucuns d’eux ne me tentent:
Cependant des humains presque les quatre parts
S’exposent hardiment au plus grand des hasards;
Les quatre parts aussi des humains se repentent.
J’en vais alléguer un qui, s’étant repenti,
Ne put trouver d’autre parti
Que de renvoyer son épouse,
Querelleuse, avare et jalouse.
Rien ne la contentoit, rien n’étoit comme il faut:
On se levoit trop tard, on se couchoit trop tôt;
Puis du blanc, puis du noir, puis encore autre chose.
Les valets enrageoient; l’époux étoit à bout:
Monsieur ne songe à rien, monsieur dépense tout,
Monsieur court, monsieur se repose.
Elle en dit tant, que monsieur, à la fin,
Lassé d’entendre un tel lutin,
Vous la renvoie à la campagne
Chez ses parents. La voilà donc compagne
De certaines Philis qui gardent les dindons,
Avec les gardeurs de cochons.
Au bout de quelque temps qu’on la crut adoucie,
Le mari la reprend. Eh bien! qu’avez-vous fait?
Comment passiez-vous votre vie?
L’innocence des champs est-elle votre fait?
Assez, dit-elle; mais ma peine
Étoit de voir les gens plus paresseux qu’ici:
Ils n’ont des troupeaux nul souci.
Je leur savois bien dire, et m’attirois la haine
De tous ces gens si peu soigneux.
Eh, madame, reprit son époux tout à l’heure,
Si votre esprit est si hargneux
Que le monde qui ne demeure
Qu’un moment avec vous, et ne revient qu’au soir,
Est déjà lassé de vous voir,
Que feront des valets, qui toute la journée
Vous verront contre eux déchaînée?
Et que pourra faire un époux
Que vous voulez qui soit jour et nuit avec vous?
Retournez au village: adieu. Si de ma vie
Je vous rappelle, et qu’il m’en prenne envie,
Puissé-je chez les morts avoir, pour mes péchés,
Deux femmes comme vous sans cesse à mes côtés!
III
Story DNA
Moral
A quarrelsome and critical nature will drive away even those closest to you, and such a nature is unlikely to change.
Plot Summary
A man, regretting his marriage, is driven to despair by his wife's constant, quarrelsome, avaricious, and jealous nature. He sends her to live in the countryside with her parents, hoping the change of environment will soften her. Upon her return, he asks about her time, only for her to immediately complain about the laziness of the country folk, proving her critical spirit is unchanged. Realizing she is incorrigible, the husband sends her back permanently, vowing never to recall her, even wishing for two such wives in the afterlife if he ever does.
Themes
Emotional Arc
frustration to resignation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Jean de La Fontaine's fables often satirized contemporary society and human nature, drawing on classical sources but applying them to 17th-century French contexts. The 'mal marié' (badly married man) was a common trope in literature of the period.
Plot Beats (11)
- The narrator opens by reflecting on the challenges of marriage and the common regrets people have.
- He introduces a specific man who, regretting his marriage, seeks a solution for his quarrelsome, avaricious, and jealous wife.
- The wife's incessant complaints about everything and everyone (too early, too late, too white, too black) drive her husband and servants to despair.
- The exasperated husband sends his wife away to her parents in the countryside, to live among simple people like turkey-keepers and pig-herders.
- After a period, the husband, hoping she has changed, brings her back home.
- He asks her how she spent her time in the countryside and if the innocence of rural life suited her.
- The wife immediately responds by complaining that the country people were even lazier than those at home, and she frequently criticized them, earning their hatred.
- The husband, realizing her spirit is still just as quarrelsome and that she hasn't changed at all, is dismayed.
- He points out that if even people who saw her briefly were tired of her, how could servants or a husband endure her constant criticism?
- The husband definitively sends her back to the village, declaring he will never recall her.
- He makes a dramatic vow, wishing for two such wives in the afterlife if he ever takes her back.
Characters
The Husband
A man of average height and build, likely appearing somewhat worn and weary from marital strife. His complexion might be a bit sallow, reflecting his constant vexation.
Attire: Typical 17th-century French bourgeois attire: a dark wool or linen doublet, breeches, and a simple white linen shirt underneath. His clothing would be practical and well-maintained, but not ostentatious, reflecting his status as a man of means but not nobility.
Wants: To find peace and quiet in his own home; to escape the constant nagging and criticism of his wife.
Flaw: His initial patience and reluctance to confront his wife directly, allowing her behavior to escalate.
Transforms from a long-suffering husband enduring constant criticism to a man who finally asserts himself and takes decisive action to secure his own peace.
Patient (initially), long-suffering, exasperated, decisive (eventually), weary.
The Wife
A woman of perhaps average or slightly robust build, whose features are likely sharp or perpetually set in a critical expression. Her appearance might be meticulously kept, yet convey an air of dissatisfaction.
Attire: 17th-century French bourgeois women's attire: a dark, perhaps somewhat severe, gown made of wool or sturdy linen, with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Her clothing would be practical and well-made, but lacking in softness or adornment, reflecting her unyielding personality.
Wants: To control her environment and everyone in it; to find fault and express her dissatisfaction, though nothing ever truly satisfies her.
Flaw: Her inability to find contentment or peace, her constant need to criticize, which ultimately alienates everyone around her.
She remains unchanged throughout the story, demonstrating the intractable nature of her personality. Her return from the countryside confirms her inability to learn or adapt.
Querulous, avaricious, jealous, perpetually discontent, critical, nagging, quarrelsome.
Locations
The Husband's House
A well-appointed, likely bourgeois French home of the 17th century, with rooms that witness daily domestic strife. The interior would feature timber beams, plaster walls, and simple, functional furniture, reflecting a comfortable but not overly opulent lifestyle. It is the setting for constant arguments and the wife's incessant complaints.
Mood: Tense, suffocating, filled with bickering and frustration.
The husband endures his wife's constant nagging and criticism, leading to his decision to send her away.
The Countryside Village
A rural French village setting, likely with thatched-roof cottages, fields, and pastures where livestock graze. The landscape is open and natural, a stark contrast to the domestic confines of the house. It's a place of simple, agricultural life, where the wife is sent to live with her parents and interact with farmhands.
Mood: Pastoral, simple, but also a place of continued conflict due to the wife's nature.
The wife is exiled here, where she continues her critical ways, alienating the villagers and farmhands.