Le médecin malgré lui

The play centers on Sganarelle, a rustic who, after being beaten and mistaken for a learned practitioner, is compelled to assume the role of doctor and confront a string of consultations. Through bluffing, comic misunderstandings and physical farce he parries questions, prescribes absurd remedies and exposes the pretensions of medical authority. Presented in three acts, the work alternates rapid scenes of mistaken identity, lively banter and satirical set-pieces aimed at doctors and social pretensions, resolving through revelation and reconciliations while relying on timing, stock characters and earthy humour to sustain relentless gaiety.