Molière

The son of a court upholsterer and one of the King’s valets du chambre, Molière (1622- 1673) was a bright child with an overactive imagination. His family was rich enough to send him to study at the Jesuit-run College de Clermont, where he was educated in ballet, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.

After he left Clermont, Molière decided his true calling was the stage, and he went on to form L’Illustre Théâtre. The early years of the troupe were fraught with problems; however, as Molière grew in favor with the King, he and his company moved up to the Théâtre Palais-Royal.

His final years were spent in sickness. He suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, likely contracted while spending a night in debtor’s prison. During the premiere performance of The Imaginary Invalid, Molière Molière (as Argan) suffered a coughing fit, which ruptured a vessel and caused severe hemorrhaging. He managed to finish the performance, but collapsed backstage with another coughing fit and more hemorrhaging. He was taken home, where he died several hours later without receiving last rites (two priests refused and the third was late).

Because of this and the fact that he was an actor, he was denied permission to be buried or given a proper funeral, but the King ended up giving him a “secret” funeral at night, attended by 800 people. He was buried in a corner of a cemetery reserved for unbaptized babies.

In 1792 his remains were taken to the French museum, and in 1817 he was reburied in Père Lachaise, a famous Parisian cemetery. Molière. Image taken from: www.biografiasyvidas.com

MOLIÈRE TRIVIA

• Molière was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. However, he changed his name when he became an actor, most likely to avoid shaming the family name. Acting at this time was frowned upon and actors were still frequently excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

• It is rumored that when Molière was a young man, he spent time working for a “Snake-Oil” salesman, pretending to be a patient that had been cured by the “miracle elixir.” Perhaps this gave him the experience with fake doctors he needed to write The Imaginary Invalid.

• Molière lived a rather scandalous personal life as well. Madeline Bejart, a cofounder of the L’Illustre Théâtre, and Molière were intimate for a number of years; however, Molière went on to marry Amanda Bejart, who was either Madeline’s sister or daughter. Molière enthusiasts (“Molièrists”) have gone so far as accusing him of incest, even though evidence of this is inconclusive.

• Legend has it that, during the performance of The Imaginary Invalid that would prove to be his last, his fellow actors begged him at intermission to see a doctor. He refused, however, saying something to the effect of, “The show must go on,” finishing the show and dying by the end of the night.

French Theater in Molière's Time

Under the reign of Louis XIV, France became the most powerful and influential country in Europe. To give theater a certain nobility, the neoclassicists formulated guidelines that would reflect the order, logic, and refined emotion of the ancient classical models: verse was to be used in tragedy and comedy; plays were to exhibit “decorum” (no violence or battle scenes or mix of registers); the three unities of time, place and action were to be observed (i.e. all action must unfold within a single day, in the same place, with no subplots). Molière was able to use these limitations to his advantage, focusing on the willpower and selfmastery of his characters to construct a theater of exceptional clarity