Molière

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a famous French playwright, actor, and poet. He was born on January 15, 1622, and passed away on February 17, 1673. Molière is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world literature. His plays, which include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, and comédie-ballets, have been translated into many languages and are still performed today, especially at the Comédie-Française.

Molière began his career as an actor and used his time traveling with a troupe to develop his comedic skills while writing plays. He combined elements of Commedia dell'arte with refined French comedy. With the support of aristocrats like Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis XIV, Molière performed for the king and was granted spaces to perform in Paris, such as the Petit-Bourbon and the theatre in the Palais-Royal. His plays, including The Affected Ladies, The School for Husbands, and The School for Wives, became very popular.

Despite his popularity, Molière's work sometimes drew criticism. His play Tartuffe was denounced by the Catholic Church in France for its portrayal of hypocrisy and was even banned for a time. Another play, Dom Juan, was withdrawn and never performed again by Molière. His hard work took a toll on his health, and during a performance of his final play, The Imaginary Invalid, he suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. He managed to finish the show but passed away a few hours later.

Life

Molière was born in Paris on January 15, 1622. He was the first son of Jean Poquelin and Marie Cressé. After his mother passed away when he was ten, he went to live with his father in a wealthy area of Paris. He studied at a prestigious school and later decided to pursue a career in acting.

In 1643, Molière joined forces with actress Madeleine Béjart to create a theater company. They faced financial difficulties but continued performing across the provinces for many years. Eventually, they returned to Paris in 1658, where Molière gained recognition for his plays. He became famous for his comedies that made fun of societal habits and behaviors.

Molière wrote many famous plays, including The Affected Young Ladies, The Imaginary Cuckold, and The School for Wives. His works often mixed humor with sharp observations about human nature. Despite facing criticism from some groups, Molière remained a favorite of the king and continued to create successful plays until his passing in 1673.

Death

Molière had a serious lung illness and passed away on 17 February 1673 while performing his last play, The Imaginary Invalid. Despite feeling very unwell during the show, he insisted on finishing the performance. After the show, he became even sicker and passed away a few hours later at home.

At that time in France, actors were not allowed to be buried in regular cemetery grounds. However, the King allowed Molière to have a nighttime funeral. His remains were later moved to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Reception of his works

Many people in Molière's time, including some religious leaders and medical professionals, did not like his work. But this did not stop him from becoming very popular with the public. Other playwrights in England and France began to copy his style. In the 1700s, his plays were very popular in England but not as much in France. By the 1800s, during the French Restoration, his comedies became loved by both the public and critics in France. In the 1900s, scholars continued to study Molière's plays and his skills as a writer.

Molière's plays were first translated into English in 1714 by John Ozell. The first complete English version came in 1739 and was used many times. Later, Curtis Hidden Page translated some of Molière's plays into English verse in 1908. Other famous translators include Richard Wilbur, Donald M. Frame, and Justin Fleming.

Actor Hume Cronyn wrote in his memoirs that in 1962, famous actor Laurence Olivier made a harsh comment about Molière when Cronyn told him he would play the main role in The Miser. Cronyn shared that Olivier said Molière was not funny, but Cronyn felt this opinion was wrong.

Influence on French culture

Molière helped shape modern French comedy. Many words and phrases from his plays are still used in French today.

For example, a tartuffe describes someone who acts very holy but isn't sincere. A harpagon comes from a greedy character and means someone who is very cheap and loves money too much. The phrase "to go into that galley" (galère) comes from one of Molière's plays and means to get into unnecessary trouble. These phrases show how Molière's work continues to influence everyday language.

Portrayals of Molière

Molière appears in Alexandre Dumas's novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne, where he uses ideas from the musketeer Porthos for a main character in his play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme.

Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov wrote a book called Life of Mr. de Molière about him, finished in 1932–1933 and published in 1962.

A French film from 1978 named Molière, directed by Ariane Mnouchkine and starring Philippe Caubère, tells his whole life’s story. It was entered for a top prize at Cannes in 1978.

He is also shown with other writers in the 1989 film The Blasphemers' Banquet.

In the 2000 film Le Roi Danse (The King Dances), played by Tchéky Karyo, Molière works with Jean-Baptiste Lully.

A 2007 French film Molière takes a more relaxed look at his life, starring Romain Duris, Fabrice Luchini, and Ludivine Sagnier.

David Hirson wrote a play called La Bête that mimics Molière’s style and includes a funny character based on him.

In 2023, a musical named Molière, l'Opéra Urbain, directed by Bruno Berberes and shown at the Dôme de Paris from November 11, 2023, to February 18, 2024, retells Molière’s life mixing old costumes with new art styles and music types.

List of major works

Here is a list of some important plays written by Molière:

• Le Médecin volant (1645)—The Flying Doctor
• La Jalousie du barbouillé (1650)—The Jealousy of le Barbouillé
• L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps (1655)—The Blunderer, or, the Counterplots
• Le Dépit amoureux (16 December 1656)—The Love-Tiff
• Le Docteur amoureux (1658)—The Doctor in Love (first play performed for Louis XIV, now lost)
• Les Précieuses ridicules (18 November 1659)—The Affected Young Ladies
• Sganarelle ou Le Cocu imaginaire (28 May 1660)—Sganarelle, or the Imaginary Cuckold
• Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince jaloux (4 February 1661)—Don Garcia of Navarre or the Jealous Prince
• L'École des maris (24 June 1661)—The School for Husbands
• Les Fâcheux (17 August 1661)—The Bores (also translated The Mad)
• L'École des femmes (26 December 1662; adapted into The Amorous Flea, 1964)—The School for Wives
• La Jalousie du Gros-René (15 April 1663; now lost)—The Jealousy of Gros-René
• La Critique de l'école des femmes (1 June 1663)—Critique of the School for Wives
• L'Impromptu de Versailles (14 October 1663)—The Versailles Impromptu
• Le Mariage forcé (29 January 1664)—The Forced Marriage
• Gros-René, petit enfant (27 April 1664; now lost)—Gros-René, Small Child
• La Princesse d'Élide (8 May 1664)—The Princess of Elis
• Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur (12 May 1664)—Tartuffe, or, the Impostor
• Dom Juan ou Le Festin de pierre (15 February 1665)—Don Juan, or, The Stone Banquet
• L'Amour médecin (15 September 1665)—Love Is the Doctor
• Le Misanthrope ou L'Atrabilaire amoureux (4 June 1666)—The Misanthrope, or, the Cantankerous Lover
• Le Médecin malgré lui (6 August 1666)—The Doctor in Spite of Himself
• Mélicerte (2 December 1666)
• Pastorale comique (5 January 1667)—Comic Pastoral
• Le Sicilien ou L'Amour peintre (14 February 1667)—The Sicilian, or Love the Painter
• Amphitryon (13 January 1668)
• George Dandin ou Le Mari confondu (18 July 1668)—George Dandin, or the Abashed Husband
• L'Avare (9 September 1668)—The Miser
• Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (6 October 1669)
• Les Amants magnifiques (4 February 1670)—The Magnificent Lovers
• Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (14 October 1670)—The Bourgeois Gentleman
• Psyché (17 January 1671)—Psyche
• Les Fourberies de Scapin (24 May 1671)—The Impostures of Scapin
• La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas (2 December 1671)—The Countess of Escarbagnas
• Les Femmes savantes (11 March 1672)—The Learned Ladies
• Le Malade imaginaire (10 February 1673)—The Imaginary Invalid (or The Hypochondriac)