In the comedy “The Miser” Molière makes fun of greed, in “Tartuffe” he scoffs at religious hypocrites and in the play “The bourgeois as nobleman” he mocks the desire to be more than one is. With Molière, one of the most important poets in France was born 400 years ago – and internationally one of the most played and most read authors worldwide. Because in his works he makes fun of people’s weaknesses and vices. And they have hardly changed since then.
Molière was born in January 1622 in Paris. January 15 is generally considered the birth date of the actor, theater director and playwright. According to some biographers, he was only baptized that day in the Saint-Eustache church in Paris. Whether he saw the light of day on January 15 as the son of a Tapissier du Roi, a royal decorator, or received the religious ablution as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin: the Paris theater Comédie-Française begins the Molière year on January 15. January with “Tartuffe” about hypocritical bigots and ideologues.
France’s most traditional theater
It is France’s most traditional theater, which is also called the house of Molières, although the all-round talent – he wrote the works, directed and played the leading roles – died seven years before it was founded. The theater was created in 1680 at the request of Louis XIV by the union of two troops, including that of the playwright who died on February 17, 1673.
In France, Molière is something of a national hero. As a synonym for French, the term Molière’s language became commonplace in the 18th century. Even then, his works were performed far beyond the borders of France. He made comedy, which was considered a minor genre, equal to tragedy. However, Molière’s goal of enlightening people through irony and wit also earned him many enemies.
Why do Molière’s comedies work with viewers of all backgrounds and from all eras? Molière is the coolest classic ever, claims Didier Sénécal. For the writer, historian and literary critic, Molière not only makes people laugh. His pieces would not have to be adapted to a temporal context either. Everyone understands his language and the irony of his dialogue, he says in an analysis of the importance of Molière today. And: hypocrites and those greedy for power and money have existed for as long as there have been people.
The psychiatrist Prosper Despine was of the same opinion more than 100 years ago. For the medic, Molière was a psychologist. As he wrote in his 1884 treatise The Science of the Human Heart, or the Psychology of Emotions and Passions According to the Works of Molière, he drew his lessons from close observation of human beings and popularized them through originality and ingenuity. Despine (1812-1892) studied Molière’s works in detail, including “The Misanthrope” and “The Doctor Against His Will”.
Mirror of the society of the time
Molière’s works are world famous. Little is known about him personally, starting with his date of birth. His work is not only interpreted as a mirror of the society of the time, but also in parts as autobiographical.
In the comedy “Die Schule der Frauen” from 1662, he advocates the right of young women to have a love marriage. coincidence or not? On February 20 of the same year, at the age of 40, he married Armande Béjart, who was around 20 years his junior. The connection was considered scandalous not only because of the age difference. Armande was the sister of Madeleine Béjart, Molière’s mistress. Malicious tongues even claimed that she was his own daughter.
Molière was to enter the royal service like his father. But that interested him just as little as his law studies and his admission to the bar. In 1643 he founded his own theater company with the actress Madeleine Béjart and shortly afterwards took the name Molière. In the past, comedians often used pseudonyms to spare their families shame. At the time, the Catholic Church was excommunicating actors whom it considered «degenerate».
Molière toured France with his troupe for more than twelve years. In 1658 he returned to Paris. It was there that King Louis XIV took notice of him – and became his patron.
With “The Imaginary Invalid”, Molière wrote his last play, which premiered on February 10, 1673 in Paris. Irony of fate: In it he played the main role of the hypochondriac Argan, who imagines that he is sick. Only: Molière was really ill. He suffered from tuberculosis. At the fourth performance on February 17, he suffered a hemorrhage from which he died shortly thereafter.
Because Molière was excommunicated from the church as an actor, his body should have been buried in a mass grave. However, with the king’s help, Molière’s body was buried secretly without ceremony in the darkness of February 21 in the Saint-Joseph cemetery. In 1817 the remains were moved to the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, laid out in 1804.
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