La Tontine

"La Tontine" by Alain René Le Sage is a comedic play from the 1700s that makes fun of trickery and the funny situations between doctors and their patients, also looking at how silly money-making plans can be. It's all about how far people will go to get money and the funny things that can happen because of it. The play tells the story of Dr. Peacock, who plans to make money from a tontine by insuring the life of a healthy farmer. At the same time, he wants his daughter to marry a pharmacist who isn't someone she really likes. As the characters try to manage these funny events, the farmer ends up getting strange medical treatments from the doctor, and, clueless about the doctor's plan, he gets really scared for his health. The story shows how mixed-up plans and social rules can lead to misunderstandings and surprising love and money connections at the end. Through smart talks and funny scenes, Le Sage criticizes how medicine and money work together in society.