Home >> Arts >> Literature >> Drama >> Renaissance >> Molière


  Doctor in Spite of Himself, The
Don Juan
Imaginary Invalid, The
  Misanthrope, The
Miser, The
Pretentious Young Ladies, The
  School for Husbands, The
School for Wives, The
Tartuffe


Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better called Molière (January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673), was a French theatre writer, director and actor, one of the masters of comic satire.

Life
the boy of a Parisian artisan, Poquelin misused his mother while however a tyke & entered the prestigious Jesuits' Collège de Clermont, to complete his studies. There are numerous stories all about his instance at a college: These are said that his father was super demanding of him, that he met a Prince of Conti, or that he was the pupil of the philosopher Pierre Gassendi, but none one seem to develop any foundation.

These are certain, nonetheless, that Poquelin was the close friend of the abbé La Mothe Le Vayer, son of François de La Mothe-Le-Vayer, in a years in which the revolutionary proletarian armyé was editing his father's works, & it has been suggested that Poquelin could use been influenced by the two. Among his number 1 works was the translation (okay, misplaced) of De Rerum Natura by the Roman philosopher Lucretius.

While Poquelin reached a age of Xviii, his father passed in to him a title of Tapissier du Roi, & a associated professional of valet de chambre, which brought him into frequent email by using a king. Poquelaround is claimed to stand graduated in law at Orléans in 1642, but occasionally doubts remain when to this.

Inside June 1643, together with his lover Madeleine Béjart and a brother and sister of hers, he founded the theatre company or troupe of '''L'Illustre Théâtre''', which became bankrupt in 1645. At this instance he assumed a pseudonym of Molière, inspired per title of the little village within Southern France. A failure of the company stimulated him to spend a few weeks inside prison for debt. He was disentangled per aid of his father, & he left by owning Madeleine for the tour of villages as a traveling comedian. This life lasted for Xiv years, in a period of which he at the start played by owning the corporations of Charles Dufresne, and after created the company of his have. In a course of his travels he met a prince of Conti, the governor of Languedoc, who became his patron, & he known as his company when him. However this friendly relationship would prevent late, after Conti joined Molière's enemies in the Parti des Dévots.

Around Lyons, Mme Duparc, famous when la Marquise, joined a company. La Marquise was courted, vainly, by Pierre Corneille and later became a lover of Jean Racine. Racine offered Molière his tragedy Théagène et Chariclée (one of a foremost works he wrote when he got left his theology studies), but Molière did non perform it, though he encouraged Racine to pursue his artistic career. These are said that before long when Molière became super angry sustaining Racine once he was told that he experienced secretly presented his tragedy to the company of Hôtel de Bourgogne as well.

Molière reached Paris around 1658 and played at the Louvre (then for rent as a theatre) within Corneille's tragedy Nicomède & a farce Le docteur amoureux (Doctor in Love), using occasionally profits. He was awarded a title of Company delaware Monsieur (a Monsieur was a king's brother) & using the aid of Monsieur, his company joined a locally famed Italian company that played Commedia dell'arte. He became firmly constituted at their theatre Petit-Bourbon, in which in November 18, 1659 he gave the premier of Les Précieuses ridicules (A Affected Young Ladies), one of his masterpieces. This was really a 1st of his several tries to jest at of certaaround mannerisms & affectedness so most common in France. It was Molière, indeed, world health organization coined a sentence that caustic remark castigat ridendo sir thomas more (it criticises customs across humour) sometimes mistaken for the echt Latin proverb. the style & a content of his foremost profits were before long at the centre of a wide literary debate.

Works
Despite his have preference for tragedy, Molière became famed for his farces, which were usually inside a single work & performed when a tragedy. A select few one farces were just part written, & were played in the style of Commedia dingle'arte by using improvisation across the canovaccio. He as well wrote ii comedies around verse, however these were less successful & come typically considered to become less significance.

"Les Précieuses" won Molière the attention & a criticism of numbers of, however it was non a popular profits. He so asked his Italian partner Tiberio Fiorelli, famous for his play Scaramouche, to teach him the techniques of Commedia dingle'arte. His 1660 play Sganarelle, ou le Cocu imaginaire (the fanciful cuckhold) seems to become a tribute two to Commedia dingle'arte & to his teacher. the theme of marital bed was on text enriched per insertion of a review of Molière's all about the total of falseness in the relationship, which he depicted using a degree of pessimism. This was evident around his late works likewise, & was the source of inspiration for several late authors, including (inside the different field & using different result) Luigi Pirandello.

Around 1661, in order to please his patron (Monsieur), he wrote & played Dom Garcie de Navarre, ou lupus erythematosus Prince jaloux (the Jealous Prince), the heroic comedy from either a operate of Cicognini's. Monsieur was Philippe, Duke of Orléans, world health organization was thus enthralled by owning amusement & art that he was before long excluded from either a state affairs. 2 more comedies of a equivalent season were the successful ''50'École des maris (a School for Husbands) & Les Fâcheux, subtitled Comédie faite pour les divertissements du Roi'' (the comedy for the king's amusements) because it was performed when you took the series of parties that Nicolas Fouquet gave in honour of the monarch. These amusement led Jean-Baptiste Colbert to dem& a arrest of Fouquet for waste of public money, and his condemnation to life imprisonment.

Inside 1662 Molière moved to the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, still sustaining his Italian partners, & married Armande, whom he believed to exist as a sister of Madeleine; she was within point of fact her outlaw girl, the symptom of a dalliance sustaining Duc of Modène in 1643, whilst Molière & Madeleine were starting their affair. A equivalent season he played ''50'École des femmes (A School for Wives), a second masterpiece. Each this operate & his marriage attracted lot criticism. On the artistic side he responded sustaining 2 fry however elegant & interesting works, La Critique de "l'École des femmes" (where he imagined a spectators of his last act attending it) & Fifty'Ad lib delaware Versailles'' (all about Molière's company preparing an improvisation). This was a and then-supposed la guerre comique (Comedy War), where a paired sifirst state was taken by writers such as Donneau de Visé, Boursault, Montfleury.

However extra good & less artistic opposition was brewing. The and so-supposed parti des Five hundredévots arose inside French beau monde, protestant against Molière's excessive "realism" & his irreverence, which were inducing occasionally embarrassment; these humans accused him likewise of with married his girl; a Prince of Conti as well, it used to be that his friend, joined the two. Molière experienced more enemies, as well, among a children the Jansenists and some traditional authors. All the same, the king expressed his solidarity by owning andy skinner, granting him a pension and agreeing to be a godfather of Molière's number one boy. Boileau also supported him through statements that he involved around his Art poétique.

Molière's friendly relationship by owning Jean Baptiste Lully influenced him towards writing his Le Mariage forcé and ''La Princesse five hundred'Élide'' (subtitled when "Comédie galante mêlée de musique et d'entrées de ballet"), written for royal "divertissements" at Versailles.

''Le Tartuffe, ou Fifty'Imposteur'' was likewise performed at Versailles, inside 1664, and created the greatest scandal of Molière's artistic career. Its description of the general hypocrisy of the dominant classes was taken as an outrage & violently contested. A equivalent king allegedly suggested that he suspend a performances, & Molière apace wrote Dom Juan, ou lupus erythematosus Festin de Pierre to replenish it. It was the unknown operate, from either the function by Tirso de Molina and inspired by the life of Giovanni Tenorio, rendered in the prose that still seems modern in todays world; it describes the story of an atheist world health organization becomes a religious dissembler & for this is punished by God. This function as well was quickly suspended. A king, demonstrating his protection over again, became a newly official sponsor of Molière's company.

By having outstanding music by Lully, Molière presented ''L'Liaison médecin; subtitles on this occasion reported that a act run "par ordre du Roi", by choose of the king, & this function received the very much warmly reception than its predecessors.

Within 1666, Le Misanthrope'' was produced. These are today widely repute Molière's virtually all refined masterpiece, a a single by having a greatest moral content, however it was little appreciated at its instance. It caused the "conversion" of Donneau diamond state Vasé, world health organization became fond of his theatre. However it was a commercial flop, forcing Molière to immediately write the Le Médecin malgré lui (a Doctor Despite Himself), the caustic remark against the official sciences; this was the profits despite a moral treatise per Prince of Conti, criticizing the theatre in the main & Molière's particularly. Within many of his plays, Molière depicted a doc of his day when portentous souls world health organization speak (unfortunate) latin sequentially to impress others using treacherously scholarship, & understand just clysters and bleedings as (uneffective) remedies.

Fallowing a Mélicerte & a Pastoral comique, he tried once more to perform Tartuffe around 1667, this time by having a title of Panulphe or even ''Fifty'imposteur. However while soon when a king left Paris for a tour, Lamoignon & a archibishop banned a play (a king eventually imposed respect for this function two or three years late, when he experienced gained further absolute power across the clergy).

Molière currently sick, reduced his output. Le Sicilien, ou fifty'Liaison peintre was written for celebration at a castle of Saint-Germawithin, & was followed in 1668 by a super elegant Amphitryon'', patently inspired by Plautus's version but by having evident allusions to the king's romance. George Dandin, ou lupus erythematosus Mari confondu (A Confounded Hubby) was little appreciated, however profits returned by using ''Fifty'Avare (a miser), okay, super swell known.

By owning Lully he once more utilized music for Monsieur first state Pourceaugnac, for Les Amants magnifiques, & eventually for Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (A Would-Become Gentleman), an additional of his masterpieces. These are claimed to become particularly directed against Colbert, a minister world health organization got condemned his old patron Fouquet. the collaboration by owning Lully ended sustaining a tragical ballet, Psyché, written using a support of Thomas Corneille (brother of Pierre).

Around 1671 Madeleine Béjart died, and Molière suffered from either either this loss & from a worsening of his have sickness. Nonetheless, he gave the successful Les Fourberies de Scapin'' (Scapin's Schemings), a farce & the comedy inside Cinque acts; the resulting ''La Comtesse 500'Escarbagnas was nonetheless non at his common level.

Les Femmes savantes'' (Learned Ladies) of 1672, was a masterpiece born of a prevent of imaginable utilize of music within theatre, since Lully got somehow patented the opera in France, so Molière got to last back to his traditional genre. It was the really profits, & it led inside to his endure operate, which was likewise 1 that is held in high esteem.

One of a best known moments within Molière's life is the previous, which became proverbial: he died in stage, when performing Le Malade imaginaire. Strictly speaking, he collapsed in stage, & died two or three hours late at his home, forgoing sacraments because two priests refused to visit him and a third arrived as well late. These are said that he was wearing yellowness, & because of that, there is a superstitious notion that yellowness will bring bad luck to actors.

As an actor, he was non allowed per laws of the period to exist as buried inside an average cemetery, in sacred ground. It was his married woman Armande world health organization asked a king Louis XIV to allow a "normal" funeral celebrated when asleep.

Around 1792 his remains were brought to the museum of French monuments & within 1817 transferred to Le Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, close to La Fontaine.

Impact on French culture
Numerous words or even phrases utilized inside Molière's pages come however utilized inside todays French: The tartuffe is the phoney, especially a hypocrite displaying affected morality or even religious piousness. A statue of the Commander (statue du Commandeur) from either Dom Juan is utilized as a comparison for implacable rigidity (raide comme la statue du Commandeur). Don Juan is utilized as a depreciative qualificative for males world health organization seduce women sustaining false pretence, so drop the two. Within Les Fourberies de Scapin, Act 2, scene Sevener, Géronte is invite ransom for his boy, allegedly held inside the galley. He repetition, "What the devil was he doing in that galley?" ("Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?") A word galère ("galley") is utilized around French present to mean "a cumbersome, painful affair", typically using this phrase from either Les Fourberies de Scapin.

List of major works
La Jalousie du Barbouillé Le Médecin volant ''L'Étourdi Le dépit amoureux Les Précieuses ridicules Sganarelle Dom Garcie de Navarre L'École des maris Les Fâcheux L'École des femmes La critique de l'École des femmes L'Impromptu de Versailles Le Mariage forcé La Princesse d'Élide Tartuffe Dom Juan L'Amour médecin Le Misanthrope Le Médecin malgré lui Mélicerte Pastorale comique Le Sicilien Amphitryon Georges Dandin L'Avare Monsieur de Pourceaugnac Les Amants magnifiques Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Psyché Les Fourberies de Scapin La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas Les Femmes savantes Le Malade imaginaire''

Site-Molière
Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673). All the plays, biography, and learning resources.

Moliere (1622-1673)
Biography of French playwright Moliere (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin), plus links to all of his works currently in print.

Moliere in English
Moliere plays in new English language adaptations. Classic theatrical comedies reimagined for contemporary audiences.

Moliere's Boyhood and Education
Biographical account of Moliere's early days.

Moliere Forum Frigate
Message board and live chat devoted to Moliere's life and works.

Moliere Index
Index of articles on the French dramatist Moliere (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin).

Moliere
A biography of the French dramatist and analysis of his works; includes a list of related links.

Molière: Poems
An index of poems by Molière; includes a list of related links.

Masquerade
A brand new musical adaptation of Moliere's two medical satires: "The Imaginary Invalid" combined with "A Doctor In Spite of Himself".






© 2005 GeneralAnswers.org