Molière facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Molière
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Portrait of Molière by Pierre Mignard (c. 1658)
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| Born | Jean-Baptiste Poquelin before 15 January 1622 Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 17 February 1673 (aged 51) Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Pen name | Molière |
| Occupation | Playwright, actor |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | University of Orléans |
| Period | 1645–1673 |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Notable works | Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, The Learned Women, The School for Wives, L'Avare |
| Spouse | Armande Béjart |
| Partner | Madeleine Béjart |
| Children | Louis (1664–1664) Marie Madeleine (1665–1723) Pierre (1672–1672) |
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (born January 15, 1622 – died February 17, 1673) was a famous French playwright, actor, and poet. He is better known by his stage name, Molière. Many people consider him one of the greatest writers in the French language and in world literature.
Molière wrote many types of plays, including comedies, farces, and musical comedies. His plays have been translated into almost every language. They are performed at the Comédie-Française theatre more often than plays by any other writer today. His influence is so strong that the French language is sometimes called the "language of Molière."
Molière came from a wealthy family and studied at a good school in Paris. He was ready for a life in the theatre. He spent 13 years traveling as an actor, which helped him become very good at comedy. During this time, he also started writing his own plays. He mixed elements from Italian street theatre (called Commedia dell'arte) with French comedy.
Important people, like Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (the brother of King Louis XIV), supported Molière. This support helped him perform for the King at the Louvre. Molière performed a classic play and one of his own comedies, The Doctor in Love. The King was impressed and gave Molière's group a theatre space near the Louvre. Later, they moved to another theatre. Molière became very popular in Paris with plays like The Affected Ladies and The School for Wives. The King even gave his acting group a special title: Troupe du Roi ("The King's Troupe").
Even though the King and Parisians loved Molière, his plays sometimes caused trouble. His play Tartuffe, which showed religious hypocrisy, was banned by the church. Another play, Don Juan, was also stopped. Molière worked very hard, which affected his health. In 1673, during a performance of his last play, The Imaginary Invalid, Molière, who had a lung illness, had a coughing fit and bleeding. He finished the show but died a few hours later.
On February 10, 2019, Google honored Molière with a special drawing (a Google Doodle). This was because his final play, Le Malade Imaginaire, premiered on that day in 1673.
Contents
Molière's Early Life and Career
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Molière was born in Paris and was christened Jean Poquelin on January 15, 1622. He was the first son of Jean Poquelin and Marie Cressé. His mother came from a wealthy middle-class family. When he was born, a maid noticed his large nose and called him "Le Nez" (The Nose). His family used this nickname for him.
Molière's mother died when he was 10. He lived with his father in a nice part of Paris. He likely went to an elementary school in Paris. Then, he attended the famous Jesuit Collège de Clermont. Here, he studied in a strict environment and got his first taste of acting.
In 1631, Molière's father bought a special job from King Louis XIII. He became the King's "valet de chambre" (chamber valet) and "keeper of carpets." Molière took on these same jobs in 1641. This job only required three months of work each year and paid well. Molière also studied to be a lawyer around 1642, probably in Orléans. He had followed his father's plans so far and seemed set for a career in law.
In June 1643, when Molière was 21, he decided to become an actor instead. He left his father's path and joined actress Madeleine Béjart. Together, they started a theatre company called the Illustre Théâtre. Madeleine's brother and sister also joined them.
The theatre company went bankrupt in 1645. Molière had become the leader of the group. They owed a lot of money, mostly for the theatre rent. After being in prison for 24 hours because of these debts, he returned to acting. Around this time, he started using the name Molière. He might have chosen it to protect his father from the shame of having an actor in the family. Actors were not allowed to be buried in sacred ground back then.
After his release, Molière and Madeleine started a new acting group. They traveled around France for about twelve years. At first, he acted with Charles Dufresne's company. Later, he created his own successful company. This group gained the support of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the King's brother. Not many plays from this time survive. The most famous are L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps (The Bungler) and Le Docteur Amoureux (The Doctor in Love). In these plays, Molière started to move away from Italian street theatre and showed his own comedic talent.
While traveling, he met Armand, Prince of Conti, who became his supporter. This friendship ended later when the Prince became very religious and joined Molière's critics.
In Lyon, an actress named Mademoiselle Du Parc joined the company. She was admired by other writers. Another writer, Jean Racine, offered Molière his play, but Molière didn't perform it. Later, Molière was upset when he found out Racine had secretly offered the same play to another theatre company.
Molière's Return to Paris
Molière returned to Paris in 1658. He performed for the King at the Louvre. He performed a serious play by Corneille and his own comedy, Le Docteur Amoureux. Both were successful. He was given the title Troupe de Monsieur, meaning his group was sponsored by the King's brother.
With the help of Monsieur, Molière's company shared a theatre with a famous Italian theatre group. Molière's play Les Précieuses Ridicules (The Affected Young Ladies) opened on November 18, 1659.
Les Précieuses Ridicules was one of Molière's first plays to make fun of certain social habits in France. He mostly mocked the Académie Française, a group that set rules for French theatre. Molière is known for the idea that comedy "criticizes customs through humor."
The Height of Molière's Fame
Molière preferred serious plays, but he became famous for his comedies. These were usually short and performed after a serious play. Some of them were partly improvised, like Italian street theatre. He later started writing longer, five-act comedies. These plays, like L'Étourdi and Le dépit amoureux, helped him gain support from important people. Molière also focused on writing musical comedies, where songs and dances were part of the story.
Les précieuses ridicules brought Molière attention, but it wasn't a huge hit. He then learned more about Italian street theatre techniques. His 1660 play Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire (The Imaginary Cuckold) showed his new skills. This play explored his sad view of how fake human relationships can be. This idea appeared in many of his later works.
In 1660, Molière's theatre was torn down. But his company was allowed to move to the Palais-Royal theatre. They opened there on January 20, 1661. To please his patron, Monsieur, Molière wrote Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince jaloux (The Jealous Prince). Two other successful comedies that year were L'École des maris (The School for Husbands) and Les Fâcheux (The Bores).
On February 20, 1662, Molière married Armande Béjart. She was believed to be Madeleine Béjart's sister. That same year, he premiered L'École des femmes (The School for Wives), which is now seen as a masterpiece. It made fun of the limited education given to daughters of rich families. This play and his marriage caused a lot of criticism. The play led to a big debate called the "Quarrel of L'École des femmes." Molière responded with another play, La Critique de "L'École des femmes", which mocked his critics.
More serious opposition grew against Molière. Some high-society groups protested his "realism" and disrespect. They even accused Molière of marrying his own daughter (which was not true). The Prince of Conti, who was once Molière's friend, joined these critics. Molière also had enemies among religious groups and some traditional writers. However, the King supported Molière. He gave him money and became the godfather of Molière's first son.
Molière's friendship with Jean-Baptiste Lully led him to write musical comedies. These included Le Mariage forcé and La Princesse d'Élide, written for royal parties.
Tartuffe, ou L'Imposteur was performed in 1664 and caused the biggest scandal of Molière's career. It showed the hypocrisy of powerful people and was strongly criticized. The play was banned.
Molière was careful not to attack the King. He was one of the King's favorites and had his protection from critics. The King suggested Molière stop performing Tartuffe. Molière quickly wrote Dom Juan ou le Festin de Pierre to replace it. This play was about an atheist who pretends to be religious and is punished by God. This play was also quickly stopped. The King then became the official sponsor of Molière's acting group.
With music by Lully, Molière presented L'Amour médecin (Love Doctor). This play was much better received.
In 1666, Le Misanthrope was produced. Many now see it as Molière's best work, with a strong moral message. But it wasn't very popular at the time. It was a commercial failure, so Molière quickly wrote Le médecin malgré lui (The Doctor Despite Himself). This play made fun of doctors and was a success. In many of his plays, Molière showed doctors as proud people who used bad Latin to impress others. They only knew a few ineffective treatments.
After a few more plays, Molière tried to perform a revised Tartuffe in 1667. But it was banned again. The King finally allowed Tartuffe to be performed a few years later.
Molière became ill and wrote less. Le Sicilien ou L'Amour peintre was written for parties at the castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. This was followed by Amphitryon in 1668. This play might have hinted at King Louis XIV's love life. George Dandin, ou Le mari confondu was not very popular. But success returned with L'Avare (The Miser), which is very well known today.
Molière again worked with Lully on musical plays like Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Les Amants magnifiques. Finally, they created Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (The Middle Class Gentleman), another of his masterpieces. His work with Lully ended with a musical tragedy called Psyché.
In 1672, Madeleine Béjart died, and Molière felt this loss deeply. His own illness also got worse. Still, he wrote a successful play called Les Fourberies de Scapin ("Scapin's Deceits"), which was a funny five-act comedy. His next play, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas, is considered one of his weaker works.
Les Femmes savantes (The Learned Ladies) from 1672 is another of Molière's masterpieces. He wrote it because music was no longer allowed in theatre plays. This was because Lully had patented opera in France and hired the best singers for his own shows. So, Molière went back to his usual style of comedy. It was a great success and led to his last play.
In his 14 years in Paris, Molière wrote 31 of the 85 plays performed on his stage.
Molière's Comédies-Ballets
In 1661, Molière started creating comédies-ballets with his play Les Fâcheux. These were special dance performances that mixed the King's court ballets with professional theatre. Molière came up with this idea by accident. He needed to put on both a play and a ballet for King Louis XIV, but he didn't have enough actors. So, he decided to combine them. This way, performers could rest and change costumes during the show. This risky idea worked, and Molière was asked to create twelve more comédies-ballets.
For these shows, Molière worked with Pierre Beauchamp. Beauchamp created the five basic positions for ballet dancing. Molière also worked with Jean-Baptiste Lully, who was a dancer, choreographer, and composer. Lully became very powerful in French opera.
The comédies-ballets blended dance, music, and the play's story very well. This made them different from other court ballets. Both professional dancers and members of the court danced in these shows. King Louis XIV even played roles, like an Egyptian in Molière's Le Mariage forcé (1664). He also appeared as Neptune and Apollo in his last performance in Les Amants magnifiques (1670).
Molière's Death and Legacy
Molière suffered from a lung illness called pulmonary tuberculosis. He might have gotten it when he was in prison for debt as a young man. The story of Molière's death on February 17, 1673, is famous. He collapsed on stage during a performance of his last play, Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid). Ironically, he was playing a character who pretends to be sick. Molière had a coughing fit and bleeding but insisted on finishing the show. After the performance, he collapsed again with more bleeding. He was taken home and died a few hours later. He did not receive the last religious rites because priests refused to visit him in time.
There's a superstition that wearing green brings bad luck to actors. This is said to come from the color of the clothes Molière was wearing when he died.
At that time, French law did not allow actors to be buried in the sacred ground of a cemetery. However, Molière's wife, Armande, asked the King for a normal funeral at night. The King agreed. Molière was buried in a part of the cemetery usually for unbaptized babies.
In 1792, his remains were moved to a museum. In 1817, they were moved again to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, near the tomb of another famous writer, Jean de La Fontaine.
Molière's Influence on French Culture
Molière is seen as the creator of modern French comedy. Many words and phrases from his plays are still used in French today:
- A tartuffe means a hypocrite, especially someone who pretends to be very moral or religious.
- A harpagon, named after a character in The Miser, describes a person who is extremely greedy and cheap.
- The phrase "to go into that galley" from Les Fourberies de Scapin is used to describe getting into unnecessary trouble.
- In Le médecin malgré lui, a character gives a confusing explanation for why a girl is mute. The phrase "and that's why your daughter is mute" is now used to mock a bad explanation.
- In Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, a character is surprised to learn he has been speaking prose (normal speech) his whole life without knowing it. The phrase "I speak prose without knowing it" is used when someone realizes they were more skilled or correct than they thought.
Portrayals of Molière in Media
Molière has appeared in many books and films:
- He has a small role in Alexandre Dumas's novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne.
- Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov wrote a book about Molière called Life of Mr. de Molière.
- The 1978 French film Molière shows his whole life story.
- He is shown with other writers in the 1989 film The Blasphemers' Banquet.
- The 2000 film Le Roi Danse (The King Dances) shows Molière's work with Jean-Baptiste Lully and his illness.
- The 2007 French film Molière is a fictional story based on his life.
- The play La Bête by David Hirson includes a character named Elomire, which is Molière's name spelled backward.
List of Molière's Major Works
- 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 (December 16, 1656)—The Love-Tiff
- Le Docteur amoureux (1658), the first play performed by Molière's troupe for Louis XIV (now lost)—The Doctor in Love
- Les Précieuses ridicules (November 18, 1659)—The Affected Young Ladies
- Sganarelle ou Le Cocu imaginaire (May 28, 1660)—Sganarelle, or the Imaginary Cuckold
- Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince jaloux (February 4, 1661)—Don Garcia of Navarre or the Jealous Prince
- L'École des maris (June 24, 1661)—The School for Husbands
- Les Fâcheux (August 17, 1661)—The Bores
- L'École des femmes (December 26, 1662)—The School for Wives
- La Jalousie du Gros-René (April 15, 1663; now lost)—The Jealousy of Gros-René
- La Critique de l'école des femmes (June 1, 1663)—Critique of the School for Wives
- L'Impromptu de Versailles (October 14, 1663)—The Versailles Impromptu
- Le Mariage forcé (January 29, 1664)—The Forced Marriage
- Gros-René, petit enfant (April 27, 1664; now lost)—Gros-René, Small Child
- La Princesse d'Élide (May 8, 1664)—The Princess of Elid
- Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur (May 12, 1664)—Tartuffe, or, the Impostor
- Dom Juan ou Le Festin de pierre (February 15, 1665)—Don Juan, or, The Stone Banquet
- L'Amour médecin (September 15, 1665)—Love Is the Doctor
- Le Misanthrope ou L'Atrabilaire amoureux (June 4, 1666)—The Misanthrope, or, the Cantankerous Lover
- Le Médecin malgré lui (August 6, 1666)—The Doctor in Spite of Himself
- Mélicerte (December 2, 1666)
- Pastorale comique (January 5, 1667)—Comic Pastoral
- Le Sicilien ou L'Amour peintre (February 14, 1667)—The Sicilian, or Love the Painter
- Amphitryon (January 13, 1668)
- George Dandin ou Le Mari confondu (July 18, 1668)—George Dandin, or the Abashed Husband
- L'Avare ou L'École du mensonge (September 9, 1668)—The Miser, or, the School for Lies
- Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (October 6, 1669)
- Les Amants magnifiques (February 4, 1670)—The Magnificent Lovers
- Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (October 14, 1670)—The Bourgeois Gentleman
- Psyché (January 17, 1671)—Psyche
- Les Fourberies de Scapin (May 24, 1671)—The Impostures of Scapin
- La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas (December 2, 1671)—The Countess of Escarbagnas
- Les Femmes savantes (March 11, 1672)—The Learned Ladies
- Le Malade imaginaire (February 10, 1673)—The Imaginary Invalid
See also
In Spanish: Molière para niños
