"A Flea in Her Ear" by Georges Feydeau

At the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, the life was changing rapidly because of technological progress, art development, and the rising popularity of hedonism which entered the deep-rooted traditions of family institution and relation between opposite sexes. George Feydeau is a famous French playwright who is well-known for depicting life at that period of time. One of his most praised plays is A Flea in Her Ear. This work is a vivid example of French bedroom farce. A Flea in Her Ear presents a humorous insight into daily life of people and exposes main social challenges that they experienced.

A Flea in Her Ear Plot’s Summary

The action takes place at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century in Paris. Raymonde Chandebise, a wife Victor Emanuel, starts questioning her husband’s marital fidelity. The doubts arose when Victor stopped sharing a bed with her: “After having been a husband – and what a husband! – suddenly stopped – like that! Between one day and the next” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 17). Raymonde does not comprehend that the primary reason for Victor’s sexual inactivity is his nervous condition. On the contrary, she starts to think that her husband has a mistress. Raymonde shares her worries with her friend Lucienne. The women decide to test Victor by sending an anonymous letter to him and inviting him to meet in the Hotel Coq d’Or, a place with an uncertain reputation. When Victor receives the invitation, he assumes that it is the misunderstanding and the letter is addressed to Romain Tournel, Victor’s best friend. Tournel is a handsome young man with a quick temper, who is interested in Raymonde. He accepts the invitation (Feydeau, 2010). The conflict develops because of the problems in family life.

Further development of the events makes the whole situation even more complex. Victor’s young nephew, Camille, is very delighted by the fact that a brand-new silver palate by Dr. Finache corrected her speech impediment. In order to celebrate such good news, young man together with Antoinette, a household cook, go to the Hotel Coq d’Or. Etienne, Antoinette’s jealous husband, follows them. Dr. Finache goes to the hotel as well in order to entertain. Unintentionally, Victor shows the letter to Don Carlos Homenides, Lucienne’s husband, who straightforwardly recognizes the handwriting of his wife. Don Carlos is a very violent and passionate Spaniard, and he assumes that Lucienne want to have the romantic affair with Victor. Being overwrought, Don Carlos hurries to the hotel threatening to kill his wife. Victor runs after him to prevent the murder. Feraillon, an owner of the Hotel Coq d’Or, is a very careful manager. He runs his establishment properly similarly to a military manner, however, this order is to be disrupted (Feydeau, 2010). Consequently, all the characters are on their way to the hotel. The author represents the events which force the characters to end up in the hotel as the rising action.

When the characters arrive at the same place, level of misunderstanding rises. Without any intention to explain their activities, the heroes complicate the situation even more. For instance, while looking for a revenge on his unfaithful wife, Don Carlos shoots at every moving object in the hotel. Victor notices his wife talking with Tournel and assumes that she cheats on him. At the same time, the porter of the hotel, who is an alcoholic, thinks that Victor is insane. Meanwhile, Tournel tries to lure Raymonde and Camille loses the silver palate. Conflict’s escalation happens in the Hotel Coq d’Or, where all the characters gather together. The misunderstanding between the characters remains after everyone move to Victor’s home (Feydeau, 2010).

Everything becomes clear after Lucienne tells that the letter was written at Raymonde’s request. Thus, the conflict is a simple misunderstanding. Ferraillon visits Victor to give the letter back and to resolve the issue between Victor and Poche, the porter of the Hotel Coq d’Or. Lastly, Raymonde talks with Victor. She explains her feelings and suspicions. Victor comforts his wife that he will end her doubts tonight (Feydeau, 2010). Thus, the family reunion is an anagnorisis of a real situation.

A Flea in Her Ear Themes

Deceitful appearances are a vital theme of A Flea in Her Ear. Being an inevitable farcical characteristic, the misunderstanding based on the failed communication is the reason for the identities’ conflict in the play. For example, a huge part of confusion could be avoided if the characters do not mistake Poche for Chandel. On the one hand, this element serves for a comical purpose. However, on the other hand, the playwright clearly stresses the imperfections of humanity and civilization. According to the nineteenth century etiquette, the language which a person uses in daily life can define to which class he/she belongs. Play’s characters rely strongly on the appearance. For instance, Raymonde starts chatting with inn’s porter thinking that she is talking with her husband. This social interaction would not happen if she knew that Poche is a drunken porter (Feydeau, 2010, p. 54). The simple reason for such an unacceptable behavior is the resemblance between porter and Victor. This theme underlines the hidden irony of the play that a simple servant can become a gentleman after changing his jacket. Thus, Feydeau reveals the problem of a society which judges people according to their appearance.

The description of the institution of marriage is highly accurate in the play. At the end of the nineteenth century, the attitude towards marriage was profoundly conservative. Man and woman could have pious and honest life, but they might have had the children that were born from the unofficial spouse and were called bastards. For instance, the owner of the Hotel Coq d’Or states that “only married couples come here” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 43). Thus, Feydeau does not follow the established practice but depicts marriage with it bright and dark sides. The lack of communication inside the family is proved to be a grave problem, especially when Victor does not share his problem with his wife. In attempt to understand the reason of the conflict, Dr. Finache mentions: “You should have told your wife all you told me… she would have had a good laugh, and you would have enjoyed the joke together” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 32). Moreover, the hedonism that existed in Paris at that time is clearly described by the writer with the examples of relations between the characters and the popularity of the Hotel Coq d’Or. Thus, marriage is an important theme of the play because the author questions the genuine role of marriage in the society where personal pleasure prevails.

The theme of infidelity runs through the play. A Flea in Her Ear starts with the scene where Antoinette “got some strange idea about me and the housemaid” and is trying to kiss Camille (Feydeau, 2010, p. 6). While suspecting her husband of having a mistress, Raymonde is thinking “about taking a lover just for the worry of it” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 17). Moreover, Tournel does not care that Raymonde is the wife of his best friend and continues pursuing her. The Hotel Coq d’Or symbolizes the place where people can meet to cheat on their spouses. In fact, the marital betrayal is mutual. The writer introduces sexual references with innuendoes. For instance, the description made by Dr. Finache of Victor’s impotence is metaphorical and presented through an indirect remark (Feydeau, 2010). It seems that Feydeau clearly understands that introducing sexual references is risky, especially when the play was written and performed for the first time. However, the sophisticated humor makes the innuendoes much more effective than the obvious remarks. Thus, the infidelity clearly describes the existing relationships between people.

Narcissism and self-obsession are other important motifs in the play. Raymonde and Tournel are the characters that are particularly obsessed with themselves. For example, Raymonde embodies the double standards. While she suspects her husband of cheating, she is thinking about committing the same. Tournel is full of personal self-importance and feels ashamed because of being “made a fool of in front of myself” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 82). Raymonde and Tournel are so inattentive while trying to justify themselves in front of Victor that they keep talking without noticing that the person in front of them is actually not Victor, but Poche. Another narcissistic character is Don Carlos, who is shaking with anger when he presupposes that his wife is adulterous. He commences the shooting in the hotel without making any attempt to clear the situation and to understand its circumstances (Feydeau, 2010, p. 87). Consequently, if each character was less centered on themselves, they could better understand people around them, clearly recognize events and circumstances, and face the reality. Undoubtedly, the topic of self-obsession is revealed in very accurate and clear manner. Furthermore, the themes of the plays correspond to the life in Paris when the atmosphere was filled with liberation, pleasure, and fun.

Other Characteristics of A Flea in Her Ear

The timing of the play is precise. In order to reach the required effect and to make A Flea in Her Ear more appealing, Feydeau adds the detailed stage directions at the end of the play. The writer pays special attention to the number of exits and entrances that are specifically placed and equally important. They create a certain rhythm of A Flea in Her Ear that helps to maintain the sense of confusion and energy of the action. This technique helps the audience to remain on the same wave with the characters and their bewilderment. Moreover, many parts in the plot prolong the anticipation of resolution with the adding scenes where characters fail to meet. For instance, Victor misses Tournel in Act I; when Victor goes to find Tournel and to tell him that Don Carlos wants to kill him, Tournel appears on the stage. Meantime, Camille cannot find his silver palate to warn Tournel about the danger until Tournel leaves (Feydeau, 2010, p. 39-40). Thus, timing plays an important role in A Flea in Her Ear.

A Flea in Her Ear derides the world of the chattering classes. For instance, the name Don Carlos Homenides de Histangua is so long that it provokes the feeling of nonsense and laugh. However, this exaggeration corresponds to character’s qualities. Etienne ridicules this name by saying “whatever your name is” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 27). Portraying the social conflicts at different levels, the writer argues that the sense of morality is lost in society. Moreover, he creates a diminutive image of the ladies embodied by selfish Raymonde and Lucienne. On the contrary, men in the embodiment of Victor are naïve. Besides, the family of Olympe and Feraillon that represents working class is an example of faithful and happy marriage. Finally, the scene of Poche and Victor confusion allows assuming that Feydeau believes that only cloth separates the lower and upper classes, not their deeds or etiquette (Feydeau, 2010, p. 54). Thus, the play reassembles existing contradictions within the society.

In general, the play’s characters create a very strong impression. Despite the fact that A Flea in Her Ear is a comedy, the main task of which is to entertain, it accurately uncovers such topics as prostitution, adultery, impotence, and madness. The characters created by Feydeau are not puppets, false or idealized versions of the human being that exist within the obsolete plots. On the contrary, they resemble real people whose negative traits definitely prevail. It means that the writer wants to make the audience the part of the play so that the spectators can feel the emotions as if they participate in the play. Moreover, Feydeau does not want to establish the illusion of idealized relationships. He knows that everyone has problems, but they all can be resolved if people make determined efforts to achieve understanding. He implies that it is vital to talk to each other. Thus, A Flea in Her Ear should not only amuse and entertain. In fact, the play is aimed to create a strong connection with the audience while revealing its urgent concerns and issues.

Finally, the play is easy to read and comprehend because of Feydeau’s writing style and manner of representing events. The temper and mood of each character can be felt vividly. For instance, dull and bombastic nature of Don Carlos is presented with Spanish phrases and witty remarks about others: “Pooh! Cheap Beaujolais!” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 40). Victor’s shyness can be easily understood from the scene when he does not want his wife to take his analysis from the doctor. Moreover, he simply does not tell her that he visited a doctor: “And they will give her a bottle?…I do not like it” (Feydeau, 2010, p. 36). Such subtle humor makes the play more elaborate and appealing. Feydeau’s writing style is engaging and helps to understand the essence of his message.

Conclusion

A Flea in Her Ear is a farcical play that describes the life of Parisians who face a powerful state of confusion. The story begins with the misunderstanding between Raymonde and Victor about their sexual life. The plot develops. The author introduces the new characters and describes their personal lives. The climax of the story’s conflict happens in the Hotel Coq d’Or where all the characters eventually meet. The play finishes with the Raymonde and Victor’s reconciliation.

The deceitful appearances, the crisis of the institution of marriage, the infidelity in relations, and the self-obsession impose the constraints on all the characters. The conflict and confusion arise only because people do not want to reject their conventional type of behavior and worldview in order to talk to each other. In fact, they even fail to listen to each other because they are fully emerged in their own perception of reality. Consequently, the absurdity of the situation is predominantly based on human nature to believe blindly in personal doubts.

Feydeau’s decision on the genre, timing, and specific worldview complement the whole picture of the play. The writer appeals to the audience’s interests. He understands the real-life problems of common people and manages to describe those burning issues with the wry humor. Accurate timing that often involves the fast change of actions and characters strengthens the message of the play. Feydeau highlights that regardless of social class, people encounter similar problems which result from the misunderstandings and the inability to listen to each other.