About the work
"The Liar" (original title "Le Menteur") is a five-act comedy by Pierre Corneille, first performed in late 1643 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and printed in 1644. The play is regarded as a model for classical French comedy of character.
Plot
The young law student Dorante, newly arrived in Paris, invents a heroic soldier's past for himself upon first meeting the young women Clarice and Lucrèce. Because he confuses the two, he has to tell one lie after another, up to and including an invented marriage. In the end his lies expose him: Clarice marries Alcippe, while Dorante ends up with Lucrèce.
Cultural significance
As one of the first major comedies of intrigue in French classical theatre, "The Liar" influenced Molière's later comedies and was itself an adaptation of a Spanish model by Juan Ruiz de Alarcón.