Knowra Molière Molière Molière (1622–1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a French playwright and actor whose comedies satirized hypocrisy, social pretension, and human folly.
Tartuffe : A comedy by Molière in which a religious impostor exploits the trust of a prosperous household. Its attack on religious hypocrisy provoked controversy and became one of his best-known plays.
Commedia dell'arte : An Italian theatrical tradition built around professional comic actors, stock characters, improvisation, and physical performance. Its performance conventions helped shape the comic energy of Molière’s troupe.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin : The birth name of Molière, the French playwright and actor of the seventeenth century. The name distinguishes his civil identity from the stage name under which he became famous.
Jean-Baptiste Lully : An Italian-born French composer who became a leading figure in the musical life of Louis XIV’s court. His collaborations with Molière produced influential comedy-ballets before their partnership broke down.
Académie française : A French institution founded in 1635 to regulate and cultivate the French language. Its members opposed Tartuffe, revealing tensions between literary authority and theatrical satire.
The Misanthrope : A comedy by Molière about Alceste, who condemns social dishonesty while struggling with his own rigid ideals. It makes the conflict between sincerity and social convention unusually complex.
Comedy of manners : A comedy that exposes the manners, pretensions, and social rules of a particular class or society. Molière’s plays use wit and social encounters to reveal status-seeking and hypocrisy.
Illustre Théâtre : A Parisian theatre company founded in 1643 by Molière and fellow actors. Its early financial failure pushed the company to tour the provinces.
Armande Béjart : A French actress who performed with Molière’s troupe and married Molière in 1662. Her stage career connected his household, company, and leading roles.
French language : A Romance language that developed from Latin and is spoken in France and across the world. Molière’s name became so closely associated with French that the language is sometimes nicknamed after him.
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