The Miser Marriage Quotes

Harpagon tells his son that as long as Mariane has some kind of dowry (a payment to give him for marrying her), he's happy to be her husband. This is ridiculous, of course, because Mariane finds him absolutely repulsive. But then again, she and her mom are starved for income, so she has to at least consider the marriage.

Harpagon feels like, as the father of the house, it is his duty to find spouses for his two children. They might not be the best matches, but hey, at least they're the richest matches. For Cléante he has an older woman in mind. This is especially ridiculous considering that Harpagon plans on marrying a woman nearly 40 years younger than he is.

Much like he has chosen a widow for Cléante, Harpagon has chosen a rich older man named Anselme for his daughter Élise. He never asks her whether she likes this man, since as far as he's concerned Élise has no say in the matter.