quinze ans

The fifteen-year period is the decisive measure of Arlequin’s bond with the comte de Valcourt. When Cléante reveals that he is the son of the man whose fortune Arlequin inherited, Arlequin recalls having loved and known his benefactor for fifteen years. That duration gives emotional and moral weight to his immediate decision to restore the entire inheritance.

A History of Gratitude

The fifteen years belong to the past relationship between Arlequin and the comte de Valcourt, not to Cléante’s disguised courtship. Arlequin states that he loved the comte de Valcourt throughout that period and that the comte made him heir to all his fortune. The inheritance therefore appears first as a legally effective gift received from a trusted friend, but the revelation of Cléante’s identity forces Arlequin to reconsider what that gift meant.

The Period of Concealed Loss

Cléante’s account makes the fifteen-year history part of a larger story of separation. An old friend of his father had been prepared to seek permission for Cléante to visit him, which would have allowed Cléante to embrace his father for the first time in his life. Before that meeting could occur, news arrived in Italy that the comte de Valcourt had died and had left his fortune to a stranger. The long paternal absence and the unexpected inheritance are thus joined by a death that prevents reconciliation.

From Inheritance to Restitution

Once Cléante names the comte de Valcourt and says that he possesses proof of his identity, Arlequin recognizes him as the son of his benefactor. He immediately declares that the fortune is Cléante’s and that he will return it, even though Cléante argues that he has no legal claim because his father’s marriage was never declared. Arlequin rejects that legal objection in favor of what he describes as the voice of his heart: he cannot accept being rich while the son of the man to whom he owes everything remains poor.

Relation to Love and Family Duty

The return of the fortune does not end the conflict; it redirects it. Arlequin asks Cléante to ensure that Nisida will have the means to live, since he could not bear to leave his daughter in poverty. Cléante accepts the inheritance only on the condition that he may place it at Nisida’s feet and marry her. The fifteen-year bond therefore produces a reciprocal moral exchange: Arlequin restores the property out of gratitude, while Cléante converts the restored wealth into security for Arlequin’s daughter.

Ethical Significance

The remembered fifteen years culminate in the play’s final standard of conduct. Arlequin has been rich that morning and is prepared to become poor because retaining the fortune would violate his sense of honesty toward his benefactor’s son. The duration of his friendship with the comte de Valcourt makes restitution more than a sudden impulse: it is the delayed fulfillment of a debt formed over a sustained relationship. At the close, Arlequin links the lovers’ union, the repayment of the inheritance, and his continuing care for the household to the duty of an honest man and a good father.