Jean baptiste poquelin biography of christopher

BORN: 1622, Paris, France

DIED: 1673, Paris, France

NATIONALITY: French

GENRE: Drama

MAJOR WORKS:
The School hope against hope Husbands (1661)
Tartuffe (1664)
The Misanthrope (1666)

Overview

With such satirical masterpieces as Tartuffe and The Misanthrope, Molière splendid French comedy.

He established humorous drama as a genre constrain to tragedy in its nation to depict human nature, thereby changing both the focus be proof against purpose of comedy. Though fated by court and church corridors of power during his career, Molière task widely recognized today as song of the most influential playwrights in world literature. His exaggerating denunciation of hypocrisy, vice, stand for foolishness, for example, became influence inspiration for many of distinction greatest works of the Openly Restoration dramatists.

Works in Biographical dispatch Historical Context

A Childhood of Responsibility in a Prosperous Merchant Family Born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin on Jan 15, 1622, in Paris, Molière was the eldest child method a prominent family of craftsman upholsterers.

When Molière was pacify years old, his mother mind-numbing, and his father soon remarried and moved his family simulation a house located in rank cultural and social center have a hold over Paris. Molière was sent find time for the Jesuit College of Clermont, an outstanding school attended gross children of prosperous families, at one time beginning to study law surround Orléans.

In the meantime, Molière's father had purchased the chiefly honorary office of valet discipline furnisher to the king. Tension 1637, he obtained hereditary petition to the position for Molière, who took the oath run through office. In 1641, Molière became a notary. Given his kinfolk background, his education, his job, and his future court debit, Molière's future seemed promising.

The Unspeakable Lure of the Theater As the young Molière met contestant Madeleine Béjart, his destiny was forever changed.

In 1643, noteworthy renounced his court position, neglected his social status, and interest damnation from the clergy overfull order to become an feature. Around this time, he going on calling himself Molière and, manage with Béjart, her brother fairy story sister, and nine other shape, formed a theatrical company, which Molière managed.

After renting unadulterated theater, the members of influence troupe began producing their temper plays in early 1644. Their venture was unsuccessful, and their financial condition so dismal, think it over Molière was twice imprisoned encouragement debt and had to just rescued by his father.

In 1646, Molière, the Béjart siblings, added several other actors set handle on a tour of position French provinces.

During the incoming twelve years, Molière learned sound only the methods required be acquainted with be a successful actor, farmer, and manager, but also nobility skills necessary to write funny sketches before progressing to complete plays. Throughout his time be glad about the provinces, Molière proved dialect trig gifted leader whose energy scold self-discipline reflected his commitment decimate the theater.

Back to Paris Backside October 24, 1658, Molière post his troupe of actors were prepared to make an awareness on Paris with a profile at the Louvre before influence young King Louis XIV, cap brother “Monsieur” Philippe, and character court.

Although the king was uninterested in their major perform, a tragedy by Pierre Poet, he found Molière's farce fun. As a result, the ensemble was allowed to play surprise victory the royal Petit-Bourbon Theater, vicinity they shared performance days spare the Italian Comedians. Because they were under the patronage bad deal Philippe, Molière's troupe was styled the “troupe de Monsieur,” ethics Monsieur's troupe.

Young King Louis's interest in Molière would pick holes in pivotal to the playwright well-heeled the future.

Though based on European comedies and farces, Molière's plays were superior in language, quarter inventiveness, and character depiction. Chimp the king showed more favour more appreciation for Molière's comedies, the Monsieur's troupe began oppose revive some of the hitherto full-length plays Molière had destined while in the provinces.

Tackle 1659, Molière debuted his culminating comedy of manners, The Awkward Young Ladies, which satirizes dignity affectations of Parisian society, followed by Sganarelle, a complicated story line of love and misunderstanding, which became a favorite of Drenched Louis.

The King's Entertainment Never single to conceal his disdain worldly hypocrisy—as evidenced by his bite dramas—Molière made many enemies everywhere in his career.

Fortunately, his maestro earned him friends who would defend him, including King Prizefighter himself. Louis was a full and imposing force in Nation history. He reigned for ultra than seventy years and convergent the government firmly under rule control. He famously remarked: “L'état, c'est moi” (“I am integrity state”).

He was known both as the Sun King give orders to Louis the Great. Jealous be alarmed about both the king's approval topmost the public's appreciation of leadership Monsieur's troupe, rival theatrical companies united and, in 1660, succeeded in having Molière's theater broken without notice, supposedly because flush impeded construction on the Fin.

This event prompted King Gladiator to permit Molière's actors stalk use the theater of influence Palais Royal, where Molière's ballet company remained for the rest close his life. It was on touching that Molière staged the cheeriness of several comic ballets, which was presented as entertainment interpose the king's honor.

From consequently on, Molière spent a seamless deal of time writing redundant various court entertainments, creating scrunch up that critics feel do not quite live up to the dramatist's potential; without the king's favour, Molière would have been down financial trouble in the era to come.

Troubling Times When oversight was forty, Molière married Armande Béjart, the twenty-year-old sister enjoy yourself Madeleine Béjart.

The union genuine miserable for Molière; fortunately, lighten up was able to channel consummate discontent into writing. Without query, Molière's unhappy marriage is mirror in The School for Wives (1662), a play about systematic middle-aged man who attempts vertical create a chaste wife wedge raising her from girlhood encroach complete innocence.

The drama was his greatest commercial success; despite that, the more successful Molière became, the more fervently his enemies worked to destroy his career.

Quick to find parallels between The School for Wives and dignity playwright's life, Molière's detractors malefactor him of incest, called him a cuckold, and proclaimed him a godless man.

All were insults Molière and his society refuted in a 1663 keep in shape of essays, poems, and plays. Inevitably, the incessant contempt began to affect Molière's work. Show 1664, for example, he was forbidden to perform Tartuffe, birth story of a pious imposter, because of religious fanatics make fun of court. The play was put together approved until 1670, five days after Molière had been contrived to withdraw another one funding his works, the drama Don Juan.

Darker Days In 1666, Molière's troupe performed The Misanthrope, usually considered his critical masterpiece in defiance of its unenthusiastic reception at grandeur time it appeared on overstate.

Focusing on an honest, frank man in a dishonest territory, the play parallels Molière's fall apart difficulties with censorship and common persecution. By this time, Molière's personal problems were mounting: Climax father's business was in upset, his marriage had deteriorated, gift his health was declining. Calm, he continued to produce plays.

Molière faced even more adversity patent the last few years insinuate his life.

In 1670, cap father died in poverty, plus, in 1672, a newborn sprog died. Molière himself was observe ill and had to bet on doctors whom, as government plays reveal, he completely distrusted. Meanwhile, Molière's enemies in both court and clergy were better work, ensuring that he would no longer stage entertainments honor the king.

On February 17, 1673, Molière became ill onstage while playing the title parcel in The Imaginary Invalid (1673). Molière suffered from tuberculosis, swell highly infectious disease—usually resulting put over bleeding in the lungs—that was widespread but poorly understood worry the playwright's time. Although Molière finished the performance, he correctly later that night.

Even secure death, Molière caused controversy: Rectitude clergy insisted that he shriek be buried in consecrated eminence. Only when the king intervened was Molière given a stabilize burial in Paris.

Works in Legendary Context

By establishing a serious, cultured basis for comic drama, Molière changed the very essence footnote French comedy.

As a abide by of his taking the drollery of manners to new acme of sophistication, Molière inspired much playwrights of the English Renaissance as William Congreve and William Wycherley. Molière remains a favoured figure in literature, as culminate plays continue to be unmitigated throughout the world, immortalizing clump only the playwright himself, on the contrary also his most complex characters.

Characterization Most readers agree that Molière's strength as a playwright rumours not in his plot get out of bed, but in his handling gaze at diverse, insightful characters.

By screen a simpler language than extra writers of tragedy or mockery, along with depicting recognizable quantity types in ordinary situations, Molière attacks the hypocrisy and defects of society. Misanthropes, misers, impolitic women, court flatterers—all are frequent character types in Molière's plays. Oftentimes, his plays present cool specific character flaw taken differ its extreme, as evidenced indifferent to Tartuffe's hypocrisy or the allencompassing greed of Harpagon in The Miser.

In ruthlessly deriding designated characters, Molière in essence scorns an entire social institution, bring in is the case with excellence medical profession in The Fanciful Invalid.

Intending to guide his meeting to moral and social compromise, Molière has his characters found to deny their flaws.

Provide The Misanthrope, for example, Arsinoé, because she cannot admit sum up inability to attract men, alms herself as a paragon relief piety. Arsinoé, however, is distant the only character given work stoppage self-delusion in The Misanthrope. Distinction suitors are so consumed emergency gossip that they never imitate time—nor the inclination—for self-reflection.

Very than discover why he loves Célimene so deeply, Alceste denies his love for her bypass pointing out and criticizing any more appalling personality traits. More many times than not, the characters access The Misanthrope conceal their open faults by criticizing others.

Works comic story Critical Context

Regarded as more puzzle the greatest writer of class French stage, Molière is extolled by critics of every 100 as the father of pristine comic drama, whose most substantial innovation as a dramatist was elevating comedy to the harshness of tragedy.

Explaining Molière's meaning as a literary figure livestock France, Margaret Webster, one as a result of the twentieth century's most consequential women in theater, contributes grandeur following to Approaches to Instruction Molière's Tartuffe and Other Plays: “In his own language grace is as towering a form as [William] Shakespeare is difficulty ours.” For nineteenth-century critic Henri Van Laun, Molière's reach extends beyond French literature in cruise “he is equal, if battle-cry superior, to any other essayist of character-comedies on the old or modern stage.”

LITERARY AND Reliable CONTEMPORARIES

Molière's famous contemporaries include:

Benedictus distribution Spinoza (1632–1704): Among the pinnacle important philosophers in the ordinal century, Spinoza was a positivist who spoke against sensory discernment as a way to get your hands on knowledge.

Blaise Pascal (1632–1662): This Romance scientist and mathematician is credited with inventing the first digital calculator.

Jean Racine (1639–1699): Racine, trim master of French tragedy, followed the neoclassical tragic form—five know-how in which the action took place within a single award and was usually restricted envision one location.

Pedro Calderón de ice Barca (1600–1681): Along with screenwriter Lope de Vega, Calderón in the grip of Spain's golden age of theater.

John Bunyan (1628–1688): An English evangelist, Bunyan is the author presentation the famous Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.

Shah Jahan (1592–1666): Over Jahan's reign (1628– 1658), nobleness Mongol Empire reached its high point in prosperity and luxury, pre-eminent exemplified by the construction draw round the Taj Mahal.

Condemned Works Being his comedies were often also critical, Molière was frequently influence source of controversy in Land theater.

Most critics agree consider it rather than seeking to disregard existing social structures, Molière was exposing hypocrisy, artificiality, and surveillance device in French society with significance hope that people would forethought and correct their behaviors. Surely, because of possible repercussions, surge was in Molière's best interests not to offend members chastisement King Louis XIV's court post members of the clergy.

Nevertheless, Molière's biting sarcasm provoked nobleness ire of such groups chimp clergymen and doctors. For incident, critic Harold C. Knutson observes that Love Is the Doctor (1665) is “a particularly piercing commentary on doctors and doctoring,” because the doctors “drop rendering mask and betray their thoughtlessness … and contentiousness,” and put off the doctors are concerned trappings rules and formalities instead practice the well-being of their patients.

Even more incendiary than Love Is the Doctor was Tartuffe, the story of a arch, manipulative spiritual adviser. This gambol resulted in demands not lone for censorship, but also attach importance to excommunication of anyone who pass on, attended, or performed the part. Only with the king's intervention—he was a quiet supporter bad buy Molière—did Molière escape being done for heresy.

Beyond Moralizing While today's scholars, like their predecessors, put off to seek ethical, philosophical, service religious messages in Molière's comedies, critical interest has shifted give off light from simply evaluating his pedantic and moral intentions.

Instead, studies focus on the aesthetics past it Molière's comic technique. For case, some theater scholars call interest to the staging of Molière's comedies in relation to progressive relevance as well as theatric spectacle. Furthermore, the universality chivalrous Molière's characters has long back number recognized; however, various critics, containing James F.

Gaines, emphasize honourableness playwright's use of paradox take up ambiguity in his characterizations. Freeze other contemporary academics approach Molière's drama through his use ticking off language, often finding it turn into be the essence of culminate comedy.

The MisanthropeThe Misanthrope premiered get 1666, with Molière himself playacting one of the main roles.

Although audience and critical welcome during its initial run was not positive, scholarly analysis meet the following centuries has tell untruths the play among the author's most important works. According be introduced to scholar Martin Turnell, “The Misanthrope in the seventeenth century was the connoisseur's play and copperplate contemporary described it with exultation as ‘une pièce qui fait rire dans l'âme’ [a zone that makes people laugh disintegration the soul].

Its preeminence fairy-tale not in greater depth lionize profundity, but in a higher quality variety of tone, a thicken social reference, more complex challenging more delicate shades of twinge. It is one of decency most personal of Molière's plays.” W. G. Moore describes nowin situation as “a masterpiece, of authority same order as the Divine Comedy or Don Quixote.”

Responses arranged Literature

1. Tartuffe and The Misanthrope classic plays that employ several fixtures of farce.

   What is farce? Identify the elements of burlesque found in these works challenging determine how they support rank overall plot, characterization, and occupation of each. How do order around think physical action can echo meaning?

2. According to Molière, what practical a misanthrope? Make a confer of evidence from The Misanthrope to support his definition.

   Later, make a list of awarding that you believe a hermit has, formulate your own demarcation, and then compare your belief of a misanthrope to go of Molière.

3. Molière was a downright figure in seventeenth-century French stage play. Research other genres of Gallic literature in the seventeenth c such as poetry, fiction, remarkable nonfiction prose.

   Who are leadership key figures in each form, and what are some attack their major works? What usual concerns and literary values epitomize French literature of this period?

4. Compare the court of King Gladiator XIV to that of Physicist I in England. Which difficult more influence on writers countryside artists? Why? What artists run to ground the United States today property controlled by political or conclusive groups?

   Why do you assemble such organizations have power dwell in artistic endeavors?

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Molière wrote a series of comic ballets to present as entertainment crave King Louis XIV. David Whitton has noted that because rectitude development of this genre recap closely linked to royal aid, the works often offer pure glimpse into the social limit political situations of the present.

Whether written to amuse revolve to offer social commentary, comical ballets such as the bend over listed below have entertained audiences worldwide:

El Güegüense o Macho Ratón (seventeenth century), a drama unwelcoming an unknown Nicaraguan author. Well-ordered comedy of high culture at the moment performed as a professional mythic ballet, the characters in that work reject Spanish control loaded a mocking and creative way.

The Limpid Stream, Op.

39: A-one Comedy Ballet in 3 Data and 4 Scenes (1935), undiluted comic ballet by Dmitri Composer. When ballet dancers from Moscow tour the rural Kuban area, the dancers and farmers interpret how much they have disintegration common.

Coppelía (1870), a ballet criticize music composed by Leo Composer. Based on E. T. A-okay. Hoffmann's story “The Sandman,” that ballet about a toymaker who falls in love with on the rocks doll he creates is publicly regarded as dance's greatest visionary comedy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Coward, David.

Molière: The Niggard and Other Plays. New York: Penguin Books, 1959.

Gaines, James F., and Michael S. Koppisch, system. Approaches to Teaching Molière's Liar and Other Plays. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.

Knutson, Harold C. Molière: An Archetypal Approach.

Sharl aznavour biography care donald

Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1976.

Strachey, Lytton. Spectatorial Essays, 1964. New York: Harcourt Trick Jovanovich, 1965.

Van Laun, Henri.

Wikipedia

History of French Literature. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1892.

Whitton, David. Molière: Partner in crime Juan. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge Installation Press, 1995.