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77-709: The Dramatic Ramesseum Papyrus (also known simply as the Ramesseum Papyrus ) is the oldest known surviving illustrated papyrus roll. It contains a ceremonial play celebrating the coronation or the Sed festival performed for Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty . It is dated to around 1980 BC . It was discovered in the Ramesseum , from which it gets its name. The text of the roll is in linear hieroglyphs written in narrow, vertical columns. The text occupies

154-411: A dramatis personae : a list introducing the main characters of the play by name, accompanied by brief character descriptions (e.g., " Stephano , a drunken Butler"). In the context of a musical play ( opera , light opera , or musical ), the term " libretto " is commonly used instead of "script". A play is typically divided into acts , akin to chapters in a novel. A concise play may consist of only

231-426: A papyrus or papyrology is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Play (theatre) A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading . The creator of a play is known as a playwright . Plays are staged at various levels, ranging from London's West End and New York City's Broadway –

308-489: 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

385-465: A decline in the vibrancy and entertainment value of musicals. Entering the 1990s, the number of original Broadway musicals dwindled, with many productions adapting movies or novels. Musicals employ songs to advance the narrative and convey the play's themes, typically accompanied by choreography. Musical productions can be visually intricate, showcasing elaborate sets and actor performances. Examples of musical productions include Wicked and Fiddler on

462-534: A distinct and popular form of comedy, often considered a separate genre in themselves. Restoration comedy is a genre that explores relationships between men and women, often delving into risqué themes for its time. The characters in restoration comedies frequently embody various stereotypes, contributing to the genre's consistent themes. This similarity also led to a homogeneity of message and content across most plays in this genre. Despite this, restoration comedy's exploration of unspoken aspects of relationships fostered

539-406: A general concept or specifically denote a non-musical play. In contrast to a " musical ", which incorporates music , dance , and songs sung by characters, the term "straight play" can be used. For a brief play, the term "playlet" is occasionally employed. The term "script" pertains to the written text of a play. After the front matter , which includes the title and author, it usually begins with

616-488: A more intimate connection between the audience and the performance. Restoration comedy's origins are rooted in Molière 's theories of comedy, although they differ in tone and intention. The misalignment between the genre's morals and the prevailing ethics of its era is a point of interest when studying restoration comedy. This dissonance might explain why, despite its initial success, restoration comedy did not endure through

693-466: 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

770-755: A popular theatrical style of its time, marked the earliest form of musicals performed in the American colonies. The first indigenous American musical premiered in Philadelphia in 1767, titled "The Disappointment", which never progressed beyond its initial stages. Modern Western musical theatre gained prominence during the Victorian era, with key structural elements established by the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in Britain and Harrigan and Hart in America. By

847-426: 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

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924-415: A purpose. His aim was to symbolize the subconscious through bodily performances, as he believed language fell short. Artaud considered his plays enactments rather than re-enactments, indicating that he believed his actors were embodying reality, rather than reproducing it. His plays addressed weighty subjects such as patients in psychiatric wards and Nazi Germany. Through these performances, he aimed to "make

1001-411: 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

1078-452: 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

1155-443: A single act, known as a "one-acter". Acts are further divided into scenes . Acts and scenes are numbered, with scene numbering resetting to 1 at the start of each subsequent act (e.g., Act 4, Scene 3 might be followed by Act 5, Scene 1 ). Each scene takes place in a specified location, indicated at the scene's outset in the script (e.g., " Scene 1 . Before the cell of Prospero .") Changing locations usually requires adjusting

1232-474: 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

1309-478: 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

1386-549: 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

1463-655: 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

1540-497: 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

1617-549: 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

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1694-604: Is the Latin plural of exit, meaning "[they] leave"). Additional stage directions may dictate how lines should be delivered, such as "[Aside]" or "[Sings]", or specify sounds to be produced off-stage, like "[Thunder]". Moli%C3%A8re 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

1771-564: 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

1848-504: 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

1925-538: 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

2002-530: 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

2079-589: 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

2156-461: 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

2233-432: 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.

2310-409: The scenery , which takes time – even if it's just a painted backdrop – and can only occur between scenes. Aside from the text spoken by actors, a script includes "stage directions" (distinct from the term's use in blocking , which involves arranging actors on stage). Common stage directions include the entrances and exits of actors, e.g., "[ Exeunt Caliban, Stephano , and Trinculo .]" ( Exeunt

2387-434: The 17th century. Nonetheless, contemporary theatre theorists have been increasingly intrigued by restoration comedy as they explore performance styles with unique conventions. Tragedies delve into darker themes such as death and disaster. The central character, or protagonist , often possesses a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Tragic plays encompass a wide range of emotions and emphasize intense conflicts. Tragedy

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2464-421: The 1920s, theatre styles began to crystallize, granting composers the autonomy to create every song within a play. These new musicals adhered to specific conventions, often featuring thirty-two-bar songs. The Great Depression prompted many artists to transition from Broadway to Hollywood, transforming the essence of Broadway musicals. A similar shift occurred in the 1960s, characterized by a scarcity of composers and

2541-423: 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

2618-498: 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

2695-435: 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

2772-530: 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

2849-613: The Roof . This theatrical style originated in the 1940s when Antonin Artaud hypothesized about the effects of expressing through the body rather than "by socially conditioned thought". In 1946, he wrote a preface to his works in which he explained how he came to write as he did. Foremost, Artaud lacked trust in language as an effective means of communication. Plays within the theatre of cruelty genre exhibit abstract conventions and content. Artaud intended his plays to have an impact and achieve

2926-407: 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

3003-531: 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

3080-419: The audience could personally connect the words they heard with their own bodies. This approach made his work more intimate and individualized, which he believed would enhance its effectiveness in conveying the experience of suffering. This genre typically presents metaphysical portrayals of existential questions and dilemmas. Theatre of the absurd rejects rationality, embracing the inevitability of plunging into

3157-414: The causes of suffering audible". Audiences who were taken aback by what they saw initially responded negatively. Much of his work was even banned in France during that time. Artaud dismissed the notion that conventional theatre of his era could provide audiences with a cathartic experience that would aid the healing process after World War II. For this reason, he gravitated towards radio-based theatre, where

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3234-512: 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

3311-581: The depths of the human condition. Rather than explicitly discussing these issues, theatre of the absurd embodies them. This leaves the audience to engage in personal discussion and contemplation of the play's content. A central aspect of theatre of the absurd is the deliberate contradiction between language and action. Often, the dialogue between characters starkly contrasts with their actions. Prominent playwrights within this genre include Samuel Beckett , Jean-Paul Sartre , Eugène Ionesco , Arthur Adamov , and Jean Genet . The term "play" can encompass either

3388-678: 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)

3465-575: 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

3542-456: 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

3619-575: The highest echelons of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world – to regional theatre , community theatre , and academic productions at universities and schools. A stage play is specifically crafted for performance on stage, distinct from works meant for broadcast or cinematic adaptation. They are presented on a stage before a live audience. Some dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw , have shown little preference for whether their plays are performed or read. The term "play" encompasses

3696-587: 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

3773-512: 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

3850-442: 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

3927-471: 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

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4004-607: The modern day, The Book of Mormon . Farces constitute a nonsensical subgenre of comedy that frequently involve humour. They often rely on exaggerated situations and slapstick comedy. An example of a farce is William Shakespeare 's play The Comedy of Errors , or Mark Twain 's work Is He Dead? . Satirical plays provide a comic perspective on contemporary events while also making political or social commentary, often highlighting issues such as corruption. Examples of satirical plays are Nikolai Gogol 's The Government Inspector and Aristophanes ' Lysistrata . Satire plays are

4081-600: The more refined French comedy. Through 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

4158-528: 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

4235-445: 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

4312-596: 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

4389-430: 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

4466-424: 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

4543-517: 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

4620-486: 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

4697-703: 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

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4774-593: The top four-fifths of the scroll and the illustrations the bottom. The scenes are arranged in a manner similar to a modern comic strip with the Pharaoh, in the role of Horus , appearing multiple times. Scenes are divided from each other by vertical lines. The papyrus is now preserved at the British Museum . Weitzmann, Kurt. Illustrations in Roll and Codex . Princeton University Press, 1970. This article about

4851-445: 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

4928-430: The written texts of playwrights and their complete theatrical renditions. Comedies are plays designed to elicit humor and often feature witty dialogue, eccentric characters, and unusual situations. Comedies cater to diverse age groups. Comedies were one of the original two genres of Ancient Greek drama, the other being tragedies. Examples of comedies include William Shakespeare 's A Midsummer Night's Dream , and in

5005-484: 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

5082-512: 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,

5159-419: 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

5236-493: 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

5313-452: 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

5390-403: 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

5467-453: 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

5544-448: 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 ),

5621-465: 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

5698-477: 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

5775-535: Was the other original genre of Ancient Greek drama alongside comedy. Examples of tragedies include William Shakespeare's Hamlet , and John Webster 's play The Duchess of Malfi . Historical plays center on real historical events. They can be tragedies or comedies, though often they defy these classifications. History emerged as a distinct genre largely due to the influence of William Shakespeare. Examples of historical plays include Friedrich Schiller 's Demetrius and Shakespeare's King John . Ballad opera,

5852-402: 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 )

5929-521: 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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