Table of Contents
Misanthrope Author- Moliere
- First performed- 1666
- Original Language- French
- Moliere (1622-73)
- He was a French playwright, considered one of the MOST INFLUENTIAL MASTERS of comedy
- Raised near wealthy society, HIS KEEN observational skills allowed him to satirize the hypocrisy of the ARISTOCRATIC culture around him
- Moliere’s critiques offended the church and some of his works were banned
Alceste= the proclaimed misanthrope
- Alceste does his best to point out the flaws of aristocrats including himself
- His courtship of Celimene reveals the hypocrisies of French Society with its FALSE flattery + reluctance to speak the truth openly
- Alceste, a French aristocrat has a conversation with his friend PHILINTE about the corruption and hypocrisy of the French society
- Alceste’s comment seems especially extreme juxtaposed with Philinte’s rational defense of the practice of occasionally bending the truth
Alceste preaches truthfulness (the case with ORONTE)
- This is evident when Alceste gives an apt and honest feedback to ORONTE about his sonnet He tells Oronte to banish his dreams of being a poet as his sonnet is not well written
- Alceste also rebukes Philinte for flattering Oronte unnecessarily
- Later in the play a lawsuit is filed against Alceste by ORONTE
- Oronte wants retribution for Alceste’s comments about his poem
- Alceste loses the court battle and now runs the risk of arrest Alceste refuses to counter the verdict and he wants the verdict to stand as an example of HUMAN CORRUPTION
- Alceste announces that he will isolate himself from society forever
- Before leaving he tests Celimene’s love by asking her to retire with him For
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