The Imaginary Invalid Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 1, Scene 6 Summary

Act 1, Scene 6 Summary

Argan's wife, Beline, who is Angelique's stepmother, enters the scene. Argan asks for his wife's help, since his daughter and servant have angered him. As Argan pleads his case, Beline placates him and tries to calm him.

Act 1, Scene 6 Analysis

Beline speaks to her husband as if he were a child. The fact that she treats him like a child is symbolic of the way that the sick and invalids are also treated. Argan seems to respond to this type of treatment and is thus calmed. Argan accepts his illness and the imposition it puts on his family, although he thinks of it strictly as a physical sickness, not the mental abnormality that it is. This allows the plot element of conflict to emerge in the storyline. This is an example of a conflict with self that Argan will be dealing with throughout the rest of the play.