Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Molière
(1622-1673)
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About Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Molière (1622-1673)
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was born on January 15, 1622 in Paris, France. The son of a merchant to the king, he went on to become one of the greatest playwrights France has ever known. He is also acclaimed as a director, actor, and stage manager.
As a young man, Poquelin joined the theatrical troupe Béjart, a French family of actors who had an amateur company, Les Enfants de Famille. He acquired the stage name Molière and stayed with the Béjart family in their first professional endeavor, Illustre-Théatre. In 1645, after failure in Paris, the troupe traveled throughout French provinces for 13 years. Later, in 1658, they returned to France to perform for Louis the XIV, the Sun King, at the Palais Royal. The troupe enjoyed great success. In 1662, Molière married fellow performer Armande Grésinde Béjart. The Palais Royal eventually developed into the famous Comédie Française, the state theater of France or La Maison de Molière.
Molière himself was both famous and infamous for his satirical plays. He exposed the flaws he saw in society, such as religious hypocrisy and class stratification. Some of his work was highly controversial. For instance, the king banned the performance of Le Tartuffe (1664) until it was rewritten in a form acceptable to the court. The court was the primary audience for Molière's later work. Molière composed farces, comedies, masks, and ballets essentially on demand for the entertainment of the royal court.
Even after his passing in 1673, Molière was surrounded by controversy. Many believed it was inappropriate to bury an actor at a sacred place. After disagreement over the proper burial site, Molière was ultimately laid to rest in a parish cemetery under the permission of the Archbishop of Paris.
References:
Les Précieuses Ridicules
L'Ecole des Femmes
Les Fourberies de Scapin
Dom Juan
Tartuffe
L'Avare
Le Médicin Malgré Lui
Le Malade Imaginaire
La Jalousie du Barbeville
Monologues from Molière by Dick Dotterer
Molière Student Guide on Literature by Brian Masters
Molière: "Don Juan" by David Whitton
Molière by Hallam Walker
Molière as Ironic Contemplator by Alvin Eutis
Dynamisme de la Peur Chez Molière by Ralph Albanese
Eight Plays by Molière by Jean-Baptiste Moliere
Moliere a L'ecote Republicaine:De la Critique Universitaire Aux Manuens
Scholares (1870-1914) by Ralph Albanese
History of the Rheatre 8th edition by Oscar Brockett with Franklin J.
Hildy
The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama 2nd edition editied by W.B. Worthen
Another page
about Molière!
http://www.colby.edu/personal/djmaccar/moliere.html
http://www.honors.unr.edu/~nicolec/
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/08629.html
http://www.info.please.com
Molière's Works
Critical Resources
Sites to See
Discover Le Cercle Molière
Site for A Noise Within