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73-572: The theatre has also been known as the Théâtre de la République and popularly as "La Maison de Molière" (The House of Molière). It acquired the latter name from the troupe of the best-known playwright associated with the Comédie-Française, Molière . He was considered the patron of French actors. He died seven years before his troupe became known as the Comédie-Française, but the company continued to be known as "La Maison de Molière" even after

146-489: A tragédie et ballet , Psyché , written in collaboration with Pierre Corneille and Philippe Quinault . In 1672, Madeleine Béjart died, and Molière suffered from this loss and from the worsening of his own illness. Nevertheless, he wrote a successful Les Fourberies de Scapin ("Scapin's Deceits"), a farce and a comedy in five acts. His following play, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas , is considered one of his lesser works. Les Femmes savantes ( The Learned Ladies ) of 1672

219-574: A libretto by Gabriel Gilbert and music by Cambert, was performed in 1672. On 13 March 1672 the surintendant of the king's music, Jean-Baptiste Lully , acquired Perrin's rights to perform opera and named his company the Académie Royale de Musique, although it also continued to be called the Opéra. Because of legal difficulties Lully could not use the Salle de la Bouteille, and moved the Opéra to

292-466: A play and a ballet in the honor of Louis XIV and found that he did not have a big enough cast to meet these demands. Molière therefore decided to combine the ballet and the play so that his goal could be met while the performers catch their breath and change costume. The risky move paid off and Molière was asked to produce twelve more comédies-ballets before his death. During the comédies-ballets , Molière collaborated with Pierre Beauchamp . who codified

365-426: A position as one of the king's favourites and enjoyed his protection from the attacks of the court. The king allegedly suggested that Molière suspend performances of Tartuffe , and the author rapidly wrote Dom Juan ou le Festin de Pierre to replace it. It was a strange work, derived from a work by Tirso de Molina and rendered in a prose that still seems modern today. It describes the story of an atheist who becomes

438-411: A religious hypocrite and, for this, is punished by God. This work too was quickly suspended. The king, demonstrating his protection once again, became the new official sponsor of Molière's troupe. With music by Lully , Molière presented L'Amour médecin ( Love Doctor or Medical Love ). Subtitles on this occasion reported that the work was given "par ordre du Roi" (by order of the king) and this work

511-547: A royal grant of 12,000 livres per year; and seven years later they received their present designation. Thus the Comédie-Française may be said to have an unbroken tradition reaching back to the days of Molière. The company gave its first performance on 25 August 1680 at the Guénégaud. Its leading actors included Molière's widow, Armande Béjart , her husband, Guérin d'Estriché, La Grange , Mlle Champmeslé , Baron , Hauteroche , and Raymond Poisson . The repertoire consisted of

584-452: A satire against the official sciences. This was a success despite a moral treatise by the Prince of Conti, criticizing the theatre in general and Molière in particular. In several of his plays, Molière depicted the physicians of his day as pompous individuals who speak (poor) Latin to impress others with false erudition, and know only clysters and bleedings as (ineffective) remedies. After

657-682: A theatre built by Carlo Vigarani in the Bel-Air tennis court on the Rue de Vaugirard . In 1673, after the death of Molière , the Salle de la Bouteille became the home of the Guénégaud Theatre, a company formed from the remnants of the troupe of Molière and players from the Théâtre du Marais . In 1680, after merging with the troupe from the Hôtel de Bourgogne , the company became known as

730-474: A third arrived too late. The superstition that green brings bad luck to actors is said to originate from the colour of the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death. Under French law at the time, actors were not allowed to be buried in the sacred ground of a cemetery. However, Molière's widow, Armande, asked the King if her spouse could be granted a normal funeral at night. The King agreed and Molière's body

803-478: A tribute both to Commedia dell'arte and to his teacher. Its theme of marital relationships dramatizes Molière's pessimistic views on the falsity inherent in human relationships. This view is also evident in his later works and was a source of inspiration for many later authors, including (with different effect), 20th century Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello . It describes a kind of round dance where two couples believe that each of their partners has been betrayed by

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876-549: Is considered another of Molière's masterpieces. It was born from the termination of the legal use of music in theatre, since Lully had patented the opera in France (and taken most of the best available singers for his own performances), so Molière had to go back to his traditional genre. It was a great success, and it led to his last work, which is still held in high esteem. In his 14 years in Paris, Molière single-handedly wrote 31 of

949-655: Is considered the creator of modern French comedy. Many words or phrases introduced in Molière's plays are still used in current French: Molière plays a small part in Alexandre Dumas 's novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne , in which he is seen taking inspiration from the musketeer Porthos for his central character in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme . Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov wrote a semi-fictitious biography-tribute to Molière, titled Life of Mr. de Molière . It

1022-497: Is not documented that he ever qualified. So far he had followed his father's plans, which had served him well; he had mingled with nobility at the Collège de Clermont and seemed destined for a career in office. In June 1643, when Molière was 21, he decided to abandon his social class and pursue a career on the stage. Taking leave of his father, he joined the actress Madeleine Béjart , with whom he had crossed paths before, and founded

1095-549: Is played by Tchéky Karyo , shows his collaborations with Jean-Baptiste Lully , as well as his illness and on-stage death. The 2007 French film Molière was more loosely based on the life of Molière, starring Romain Duris , Fabrice Luchini and Ludivine Sagnier . David Hirson 's play La Bête , written in the style of Molière, includes the character Elomire as an anagrammatic parody of him. The 2023 musical Molière, l'Opéra Urbain , directed by Bruno Berberes and staged at

1168-490: Is such that the French language is often referred to as the "language of Molière". Born into a prosperous family and having studied at the Collège de Clermont (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand ), Molière was well suited to begin a life in the theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped him polish his comedic abilities while he began writing, combining Commedia dell'arte elements with the more refined French comedy. Through

1241-564: The Duke of Modena .) The same year, he premiered L'École des femmes ( The School for Wives ), subsequently regarded as a masterpiece. It poked fun at the limited education that was given to daughters of rich families and reflected Molière's own marriage. Both this work and his marriage attracted much criticism. The play sparked the protest called the "Quarrel of L'École des femmes". On the artistic side he responded with two lesser-known works: La Critique de "L'École des femmes" , in which he imagined

1314-488: The Dôme de Paris from November 11, 2023 to February 18, 2024, is a retelling of the life of Molière using a blend of historical costuming with contemporary artistic styles in staging and musical genres. Salle Gu%C3%A9n%C3%A9gaud The Salle de la Bouteille or Salle du Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille , later known as the Hôtel [de] Guénégaud or Guénégaud Theatre , was a 1671 theatre located in Paris, France, between

1387-504: The Illustre Théâtre with 630 livres. They were later joined by Madeleine's brother and sister. The theatre troupe went bankrupt in 1645. Molière had become head of the troupe, due in part, perhaps, to his acting prowess and his legal training. However, the troupe had acquired large debts, mostly for the rent of the theatre (a court for jeu de paume ), for which they owed 2000 livres. Historians differ as to whether his father or

1460-538: The Mélicerte and the Pastorale comique , he tried again to perform a revised Tartuffe in 1667, this time with the name of Panulphe or L'Imposteur . As soon as the King left Paris for a tour, Lamoignon and the archbishop banned the play. The King finally imposed respect for Tartuffe a few years later, after he had gained more power over the clergy. Molière, now ill, wrote less. Le Sicilien ou L'Amour peintre

1533-530: The Palace of Versailles . Tartuffe , ou L'Imposteur was also performed at Versailles, in 1664, and created the greatest scandal of Molière's artistic career. Its depiction of the hypocrisy of the dominant classes was taken as an outrage and violently contested. It also aroused the wrath of the Jansenists and the play was banned. Molière was always careful not to attack the institution of monarchy. He earned

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1606-589: The Parti des Dévots and the Compagnie de Saint Sacrement . In Lyon , Mademoiselle Du Parc , known as Marquise, joined the company. Marquise was courted, in vain, by Pierre Corneille and later became the lover of Jean Racine . Racine offered Molière his tragedy Théagène et Chariclée (one of the early works he wrote after he had abandoned his theology studies), but Molière would not perform it, though he encouraged Racine to pursue his artistic career. Molière

1679-461: The Pavillon des Singes on the rue Saint-Honoré , an affluent area of Paris. It is likely that his education commenced with studies at a Parisian elementary school, followed by his enrollment in the prestigious Jesuit Collège de Clermont , where he completed his studies in a strict academic environment and got a first taste of life on the stage. In 1631, his father Jean Poquelin purchased from

1752-432: The gags of contemporary Italian troupes, were successful as part of Madeleine Béjart and Molière's plans to win aristocratic patronage and, ultimately, move the troupe to a position in a Paris theater-venue. Later Molière concentrated on writing musical comedies, in which the drama is interrupted by songs and/or dances, but for years the fundamentals of numerous comedy-traditions would remain strong, especially Italian (e.g.

1825-535: The rue de Seine and the rue des Fossés de Nesle (now 42 rue Mazarine, at its intersection with the rue Jacques Callot). It was across from the rue Guénégaud, which ran behind the garden of a townhouse formerly known as the Hôtel de Guénégaud on the quai de Nevers. The theatre was the first home of the Paris Opera and in 1680 became the first theatre of the Comédie-Française . It closed in 1689 and

1898-523: The theatre in the royal palace of the Tuileries . In 1782, the company moved into the Salle du Faubourg Saint-Germain, designed by architects Marie-Joseph Peyre and Charles De Wailly and located on the site of today's Odéon . Since 1799, the Comédie-Française has been housed in the Salle Richelieu (architect Victor Louis ) at 2, rue de Richelieu . This theatre was enlarged and modified in

1971-438: The 1800s, then rebuilt in 1900 after a severe fire. The actress Jane Henriot was the only casualty of the fire. The membership of the theatrical troupe is divided into "sociétaires" and "pensionnaires". The former are regular members of the organisation and as such receive a pension after 20 years of service, while the latter are paid actors who may, after a certain length of service, become "sociétaires". The names of nearly all

2044-423: The 85 plays performed on his stage. In 1661, Molière introduced the comédies-ballets in conjunction with Les Fâcheux . These ballets were a transitional form of dance performance between the court ballets of Louis XIV and the art of professional theatre which was developing in the advent of the use of the proscenium stage . The comédies-ballets developed accidentally when Molière was enlisted to mount both

2117-498: The Illustre Théâtre, Molière became famous for his farces, which were generally in one act and performed after the tragedy. Some of these farces were only partly written, and were played in the style of Commedia dell'arte with improvisation over a canovaccio (a vague plot outline). He began to write full, five-act comedies in verse ( L'Étourdi (Lyon, 1654) and Le dépit amoureux (Béziers, 1656)), which although immersed in

2190-435: The King's amusements) because it was performed during a series of parties that Nicolas Fouquet gave in honor of the sovereign. These entertainments led Jean-Baptiste Colbert to demand the arrest of Fouquet for wasting public money, and he was condemned to life imprisonment. On 20 February 1662, Molière married Armande Béjart , whom he believed to be the sister of Madeleine. (She may have been her illegitimate daughter with

2263-530: The Petit-Bourbon on 18 November 1659. Les Précieuses Ridicules was the first of Molière's many attempts to satirize certain societal mannerisms and affectations then common in France. It is widely accepted that the plot was based on Samuel Chappuzeau 's Le Cercle des Femmes of 1656. He primarily mocks the Académie Française , a group created by Richelieu under a royal patent to establish

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2336-407: The action of the play and the style of continuity distinctly separated these performances from the court ballets of the time; additionally, the comédies-ballets demanded that both the dancers and the actors play an important role in advancing the story. Similar to the court ballets, both professionally trained dancers and courtiers socialized together at the comédies-ballets - Louis XIV even played

2409-531: The adulation of the court and Parisians, Molière's satires attracted criticism from other circles. For Tartuffe 's impiety, the Catholic Church in France denounced this study of religious hypocrisy , which was followed by a ban by the Parlement , while Dom Juan was withdrawn and never restaged by Molière. His hard work in so many theatrical capacities took its toll on his health and, by 1667, he

2482-415: The collection of theatrical works by Molière and Jean Racine , along with a few works by Pierre Corneille , Paul Scarron and Jean Rotrou . In the 18th century, the Comédie-Française was often enjoyed by the French nobility, since the price to watch at the theater was expensive. On the performance of Joseph Chénier 's anti-monarchical play Charles IX in 1789, violent political discussions arose among

2555-512: The court of Louis XIII the posts of " valet de chambre ordinaire et tapissier du Roi " ("valet of the King's chamber and keeper of carpets and upholstery"). His son assumed the same posts in 1641. The title required only three months' work and an initial cost of 1,200 livres; the title paid 300 livres a year and provided a number of lucrative contracts. Molière also studied as a provincial lawyer some time around 1642, probably in Orléans , but it

2628-548: The first French play to feature a cast made up of only women. On 3 September 1793, during the French Revolution , the Théâtre de la Nation was closed by order of the Committee of Public Safety for putting on the allegedly seditious play Pamela , and the actors were imprisoned though gradually released later. On 31 May 1799, the new government made the Salle Richelieu available and allowed the actors to reconstitute

2701-678: The first complete version in English, by Baker and Miller in 1739, remained "influential" and was long reprinted. The first to offer full translations of Molière's verse plays such as Tartuffe into English verse was Curtis Hidden Page , who produced blank verse versions of three of the plays in his 1908 translation. Since then, notable translations have been made by Richard Wilbur , Donald M. Frame , and many others. In his memoir A Terrible Liar , actor Hume Cronyn writes that, in 1962, celebrated actor Laurence Olivier criticized Molière. According to Cronyn, he mentioned to Olivier that he (Cronyn)

2774-575: The five balletic positions of the feet and arms and was partly responsible for the creation of the Beauchamp-Feuillet dance notation . Molière also collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Lully. Lully was a dancer, choreographer, and composer, whose dominant reign at the Paris Opéra lasted 15 years. Under his command, ballet and opera rightly became professional arts unto themselves. The comédies-ballets closely integrated dance with music and

2847-665: The great actors and dramatists of France have, at some time in their career, been associated with that of the Comédie-Française. The chief administrator of the Comédie-Française has been given the title administrateur général since Simonis ' term of 1850. Before that, a variety of titles were given. Moli%C3%A8re Jean-Baptiste Poquelin ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ batist pɔklɛ̃] ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière ( UK : / ˈ m ɒ l i ɛər , ˈ m oʊ l -/ , US : / m oʊ l ˈ j ɛər , ˌ m oʊ l i ˈ ɛər / , French: [mɔljɛʁ] ),

2920-456: The heavy influence of the Italian improvisational Commedia dell'arte , and displayed his talent for mockery. In the course of his travels he met Armand, Prince of Conti , the governor of Languedoc , who became his patron, and named his company after him. This friendship later ended when Armand, having contracted syphilis from a courtesan, turned toward religion and joined Molière's enemies in

2993-587: The honorific for the king's brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ). With the help of Monsieur, his company was allowed to share the theatre in the large hall of the Petit-Bourbon with the Italian Commedia dell'arte company of Tiberio Fiorillo , famous for the character of Scaramouche . (The two companies performed in the theatre on different nights.) The premiere of Molière's Les Précieuses Ridicules ( The Affected Young Ladies ) took place at

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3066-512: The king expressed support for the Moliere, granting him a pension and agreeing to be the godfather of Molière's first son. Boileau also supported him through statements that he included in his Art poétique . Molière's friendship with Jean-Baptiste Lully influenced him towards writing his Le Mariage forcé and La Princesse d'Élide (subtitled as Comédie galante mêlée de musique et d'entrées de ballet ), written for royal " divertissements " at

3139-442: The last play he had written, which had lavish ballets performed to the music of Marc-Antoine Charpentier and which ironically was titled Le Malade imaginaire ( The Imaginary Invalid ). Molière insisted on completing his performance. Afterwards he collapsed again with another, larger haemorrhage before being taken home, where he died a few hours later, without receiving the last rites because two priests refused to visit him while

3212-471: The lover of a member of his troupe paid his debts; either way, after a 24-hour stint in prison he returned to the acting circuit. It was at this time that he began to use the pseudonym Molière, possibly inspired by a small village of the same name in the Midi near Le Vigan . It was likely that he changed his name to spare his father the shame of having an actor in the family (actors, although no longer vilified by

3285-603: The managing director of the Comédie-Française, declared that 30% of the public of the online program never went to the Comédie-Française, and that they would continue this program even after the reopening. The Comédie-Française has had several homes since its inception in 1680 in the Salle Guénégaud . In 1689, it was established in a theatre across from the Café Procope . From 1770 to 1782, the Comédie performed in

3358-536: The official change of name. The Comédie-Française was founded on 8 August 1680 by a decree of Louis XIV merging the only two Parisian acting troupes of the time, the troupe of the Guénégaud Theatre and that of the Hôtel de Bourgogne . On the death of Molière in 1673, the troupe at the Guénégaud had been formed by a merger of the Théâtre du Marais and the Troupe de Molière . Two years later they received

3431-581: The other's and is the first in Molière's "Jealousy series", which includes Dom Garcie de Navarre , L'École des maris and L'École des femmes . In 1660, the Petit-Bourbon was demolished to make way for the eastern expansion of the Louvre, but Molière's company was allowed to move into the abandoned theatre in the east wing of the Palais-Royal . After a period of refurbishment they opened there on 20 January 1661. In order to please his patron, Monsieur, who

3504-445: The part of an Egyptian in Molière's Le Mariage forcé (1664) and also appeared as Neptune and Apollo in his retirement performance of Les Amants magnifiques (1670). Molière suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, possibly contracted when he was imprisoned for debt as a young man. The circumstances of Molière's death, on 17 February 1673, became legend. He collapsed on stage in a fit of coughing and haemorrhaging while performing in

3577-504: The patronage of aristocrats including Philippe I, Duke of Orléans —the brother of Louis XIV —Molière procured a command performance before the King at the Louvre . Performing a classic play by Pierre Corneille and a farce of his own, The Doctor in Love , Molière was granted the use of salle du Petit-Bourbon near the Louvre, a spacious room appointed for theatrical performances. Later, he

3650-622: The performers, and ultimately they split into two sections: the Republican party, under the young tragedian Talma , establishing a new theatre under the name "Théâtre de la République," on the site of the present building in the Rue de Richelieu; while the Royalist section took the title "Théâtre de la Nation". On 16 April 1790 the theatre presented the world premiere of Pierre Laujon 's Le Couvent, ou les Fruits du caractère et de l'éducation ;

3723-543: The public. Other playwrights and companies began to emulate his dramatic style in England and in France. Molière's works continued to garner positive feedback in 18th-century England, but they were not so warmly welcomed in France at this time. However, during the French Restoration of the 19th century, Molière's comedies became popular with both the French public and the critics. Romanticists admired his plays for

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3796-430: The purpose of filling out his lines. All these things are occasionally true, but they are trifles in comparison to the wealth of character he portrayed, to his brilliancy of wit, and to the resourcefulness of his technique. He was wary of sensibility or pathos; but in place of pathos he had "melancholy — a puissant and searching melancholy, which strangely sustains his inexhaustible mirth and his triumphant gaiety". Molière

3869-424: The rules of the fledgling French theatre. The Académie preached unity of time, action, and styles of verse. Molière is often associated with the claim that comedy castigat ridendo mores or "criticises customs through humour" (a phrase in fact coined by his contemporary Jean de Santeuil and sometimes mistaken for a classical Latin proverb ). Despite his own preference for tragedy, which he had tried to further with

3942-517: The semi-improvisatory style that in the 1750s writers started calling commedia dell'arte ), Spanish, and French plays, all also drawing on classical models (e.g. Plautus and Terence), especially the trope of the clever slave/servant. Les précieuses ridicules won Molière the attention and the criticism of many, but it was not a popular success. He then asked Fiorillo to teach him the techniques of Commedia dell'arte. His 1660 play Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire ( The Imaginary Cuckold ) seems to be

4015-486: The spectators of his previous work attending it. The piece mocks the people who had criticised L'École des femmes by showing them at dinner after watching the play; it addresses all the criticism raised about the piece by presenting the critics' arguments and then dismissing them. This was the so-called Guerre comique ( War of Comedy ), in which the opposite side was taken by writers like Donneau de Visé , Edmé Boursault , and Montfleury . However, more serious opposition

4088-703: The state under Louis XIV, were still not allowed to be buried in sacred ground). After his imprisonment, he and Madeleine began a theatrical circuit of the provinces with a new theatre troupe ; this life was to last about twelve years, during which he initially played in the company of Charles Dufresne, and subsequently created a company of his own, which had sufficient success and obtained the patronage of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans . Few plays survive from this period. The most noteworthy are L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps (The Bungler) and Le Docteur Amoureux (The Doctor in Love) ; with these two plays, Molière moved away from

4161-575: The troupe. The Comédie-Française today has a repertoire of 3,000 works and three theatres in Paris (Salle Richelieu, next to the Palais Royal ; théâtre du Vieux-Colombier ; Studio-Théâtre). Since October 2020, and because of the COVID-19 pandemic , the Comédie-Française had to close as it is the case for all other theaters in France. The Comédie-Française having a permanent troupe of actors, it

4234-445: The unconventional individualism they portrayed. 20th-century scholars have carried on this interest in Molière and his plays and have continued to study a wide array of issues relating to this playwright. Many critics now are shifting their attention from the philosophical, religious and moral implications in his comedies to the study of his comic technique. Molière's works were translated into English prose by John Ozell in 1714, but

4307-454: Was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world literature. His extant works include comedies , farces , tragicomedies , comédie-ballets , and more. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today. His influence

4380-484: Was about to play the title role in The Miser , and that Olivier then responded "Molière? Funny as a baby's open grave." Cronyn comments on the incident: "You may imagine how that made me feel. Fortunately, he was dead wrong." Author Martha Bellinger points out that: [Molière] has been accused of not having a consistent, organic style, of using faulty grammar, of mixing his metaphors, and of using unnecessary words for

4453-512: Was brewing, focusing on Molière's politics and his personal life. A so-called parti des Dévots arose in French high society, who protested against Molière's excessive " realism " and irreverence, which were causing some embarrassment. These people accused Molière of having married his daughter. The Prince of Conti, once Molière's friend, joined them. Molière had other enemies, too, among them the Jansenists and some traditional authors. However,

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4526-419: Was buried in the part of the cemetery reserved for unbaptised infants. In 1792, his remains were brought to the museum of French monuments , and in 1817, transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, close to those of La Fontaine . Though conventional thinkers, religious leaders and medical professionals in Molière's time criticised his work, their ideas did not really diminish his widespread success with

4599-406: Was decided to switch temporarily to an online program, including readings of the full text of In Search of Lost Time , and an online initiative called Théâtre à la table where actors of the troupe play works in the repertoire after a one week rehearsal. Online attendance for this initiative was unexpectedly high, including people outside of Paris and in other countries. In May 2021 Éric Ruf ,

4672-493: Was forced to reach Paris in stages, staying outside for a few weeks in order to promote himself with society gentlemen and allow his reputation to feed in to Paris. Molière reached Paris in 1658 and performed in front of the King at the Louvre (then for rent as a theatre) in Corneille's tragedy Nicomède and in the farce Le Docteur Amoureux with some success. He was awarded the title of Troupe de Monsieur ( Monsieur being

4745-452: Was forced to take a break from the stage. In 1673, during a production of his final play, The Imaginary Invalid , Molière, who suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, was seized by a coughing fit and a haemorrhage while playing the hypochondriac Argan; he finished the performance but collapsed again and died a few hours later. Molière was born in Paris shortly before his christening as Jean Poquelin on 15 January 1622. Known as Jean-Baptiste, he

4818-403: Was granted the use of the theatre in the Palais-Royal . In both locations, Molière found success among Parisians with plays such as The Affected Ladies , The School for Husbands , and The School for Wives . This royal favour brought a royal pension to his troupe and the title Troupe du Roi ("The King's Troupe"). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments. Despite

4891-441: Was later partially demolished and remodeled for other purposes. Originally a tennis court ( jeu de paume ) that was converted into a theatre, it was inaugurated in 1671 as the first home of Pierre Perrin 's Académie d'Opéra (see Paris Opera ). The first French opera, Robert Cambert 's Pomone with a libretto by Perrin, premiered there on 3 March of that year. A second lyric work, Les peines et les plaisirs de l'amour , with

4964-453: Was little appreciated, but success returned with L'Avare ( The Miser ), now very well known. With Lully, he again used music for Monsieur de Pourceaugnac , for Les Amants magnifiques , and finally for Le Bourgeois gentilhomme ( The Middle Class Gentleman ), another of his masterpieces. It is claimed to be particularly directed against Colbert, the minister who had condemned his old patron Fouquet. The collaboration with Lully ended with

5037-448: Was received much more warmly than its predecessors. In 1666, Le Misanthrope was produced. It is now widely regarded as Molière's most refined masterpiece, the one with the highest moral content, but it was little appreciated at the time. It caused the "conversion" of Donneau de Visé, who became fond of his theatre. But it was a commercial flop, forcing Molière to immediately write Le médecin malgré lui ( The Doctor Despite Himself ),

5110-465: Was so enthralled with entertainment and art that he was soon excluded from state affairs, Molière wrote and played Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince jaloux ( The Jealous Prince , 4 February 1661), a heroic comedy derived from a work of Cicognini. Two other comedies of the same year were the successful L'École des maris ( The School for Husbands ) and Les Fâcheux ( The Bores ), subtitled Comédie faite pour les divertissements du Roi (a comedy for

5183-477: Was the first son of Jean Poquelin and Marie Cressé, who had married on 27 April 1621. His mother was the daughter of a prosperous bourgeois family. Upon seeing him for the first time, a maid exclaimed, "Le nez!", a reference to the infant's large nose. Molière was called "Le Nez" by his family from that time. He lost his mother when he was 10, and he does not seem to have been particularly close to his father. After his mother's death, he lived with his father above

5256-402: Was written for festivities at the castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye , and was followed in 1668 by Amphitryon , inspired both by Plautus ' work of the same name and Jean Rotrou's successful reconfiguration of the drama. With some conjecture, Molière's play can be seen to allude to the love affairs of Louis XIV, then king of France. George Dandin, ou Le mari confondu ( The Confounded Husband )

5329-521: Was written in 1932–1933 and first published 1962. The French 1978 film simply titled Molière directed by Ariane Mnouchkine and starring Philippe Caubère presents his complete biography. It was in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1978. He is portrayed among other writers in The Blasphemers' Banquet (1989). The 2000 film Le Roi Danse ( The King Dances ), in which Molière

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