12 questions · Literature
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, born in Paris in 1622, the son of the royal upholsterer, was meant to inherit his father's lucrative office and chose instead the most disreputable profession of his day: the theatre. As 'Molière', the 21-year-old founded the 'Illustre Théâtre' with the Béjart family of actors, promptly went bankrupt and briefly sat in debtors' prison. Thirteen years of touring the provinces followed; the best schooling a comedian could have. In 1658 the troupe performed before the young Louis XIV, and the Sun King laughed: Molière got a Paris stage and later the hall of the Palais Royal; the king even stood godfather to his son. Now came the comedies that made Molière the father of modern comedy (comedies of character that render hypocrites, misers and pretentious fools of every kind immortally ridiculous: 'Tartuffe', the pious fraud who worms his way into a family) banned for years at the urging of devout circles; 'The Miser' with Harpagon wailing over his money box; 'The Misanthrope' Alceste, despairing at society's mendacity; 'The Bourgeois Gentleman', in which Monsieur Jourdain is delighted to learn he has been speaking prose all his life. Molière wrote, directed and played the leads himself: only the king's favour shielded him from the constant fire of church and offended classes. The irony of his death is bitter: in 1673 Molière collapsed on stage: in the title role of 'The Imaginary Invalid', his final comedy about a hypochondriac. He died a few hours later; as an actor denied a church burial, he was interred quietly by night. Did you know that the French still call their language 'the language of Molière' and the Comédie-Française 'the house of Molière'?
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comedy
His comedies of character render hypocrites, misers and pretentious fools immortally ridiculous.
💡 Did you know? Molière fused popular farce and subtle social satire into a new art form still performed today.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
The royal upholsterer's son probably chose the stage name to spare his family embarrassment.
💡 Did you know? Why Poquelin chose the name “Molière” remains unexplained: he never revealed it.
Tartuffe
Devout circles secured a years-long ban: 'tartuffe' became a word for hypocrite.
💡 Did you know? “Tartuffe” was banned for five years after its premiere: the Church felt targeted.
Harpagon
His lament over the stolen money box is one of world theatre's most famous scenes.
💡 Did you know? Harpagon loves his cash box more than his children: still the very image of pathological miserliness.
Louis XIV
He gave the troupe a Paris stage and stood godfather to Molière's son: protection against church and offended classes.
💡 Did you know? Louis XIV protected Molière and was even godfather to his son.
Alceste
He demands radical honesty and founders on the polite mendacity of the salons.
💡 Did you know? Alceste's uncompromising honesty makes him both tragic and comic: one of Molière's richest characters.
that he speaks prose
The nouveau-riche bourgeois wants to play the nobleman at any price, with music by Lully.
💡 Did you know? The social climber Jourdain delightedly discovers he has spoken “prose” all his life without knowing it.
The Imaginary Invalid
The bitter irony: the actor playing the hypochondriac was truly mortally ill: he died hours later.
💡 Did you know? Fittingly playing the “imaginary invalid,” Molière collapsed on stage and died a few hours later.
because he was an actor
Only the king's intercession secured the nocturnal burial, without ceremony.
💡 Did you know? The church regarded actors as excommunicate unless they renounced their profession.
Illustre Théâtre
It promptly went bankrupt: Molière briefly sat in debtors' prison, then came 13 years touring the provinces.
💡 Did you know? The first troupe went bankrupt; Molière briefly landed in debtors' prison before finding success touring the provinces.
the language of Molière
And the Comédie-Française is 'the house of Molière': though it was founded only after his death.
💡 Did you know? “The language of Molière” is still a common synonym for the French language itself.
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Molière
Molière (1622 to 1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a French actor and playwright. A master of comedy, he left a lasting mark on European theatre.
💡 Did you know? Because actors were then deemed disreputable, Molière was at first refused a church burial: only the king's intervention helped.
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