Molière

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright, actor, and poet. He is regarded as a major figure in both French and world literature. His surviving works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, and comédie-ballets. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today. His cultural impact is so significant that French is sometimes called the "language of Molière."

Molière was born in Paris, baptized on 15 January 1622 as Jean Poquelin, the first son of Jean Poquelin and Marie Cressé. His mother came from a wealthy bourgeois family. When he was born, a maid remarked on his large nose, exclaiming "Le nez!", and his family nicknamed him "Le Nez." His mother died when he was ten, and he does not appear to have been close to his father. After her death, he lived with his father above the Pavillon des Singes on rue Saint-Honoré in a prosperous part of Paris. He likely began his education at a local elementary school before attending the prestigious Jesuit Collège de Clermont, where he completed his studies and first encountered the stage. In 1631, his father bought the positions of "valet de chambre ordinaire et tapissier du Roi" from the court of Louis XIII, and Molière took over these roles in 1641. The job required only three months of work per year, cost 1,200 livres initially, paid 300 livres annually, and came with valuable contracts. Around 1642, Molière studied law in the provinces, probably in Orléans, though there is no record he ever qualified. Up to this point, he followed his father’s plans, mingling with nobility at school and seeming set for an office career.

In June 1643, at age 21, Molière abandoned his social class to become an actor. He left his father, joined actress Madeleine Béjart (whom he had met before), and founded the Illustre Théâtre with 630 livres. Madeleine’s brother and sister later joined. The troupe went bankrupt in 1645. Molière became its head, possibly due to his acting skill and legal training, but the group owed 2000 livres, mostly for theatre rent. Historians disagree on whether his father or a troupe member’s lover paid the debts; in any case, after spending 24 hours in prison, he returned to acting. Around this time, he adopted the pseudonym Molière, perhaps inspired by a small village in the Midi near Le Vigan. He likely changed his name to protect his father from the shame of having an actor in the family, since actors, though no longer condemned by the state under Louis XIV, could not be buried in consecrated ground.

After his imprisonment, Molière and Madeleine toured the provinces with a new troupe for about twelve years. He first performed with Charles Dufresne’s company, then formed his own, which succeeded and gained the patronage of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Few plays from this period survive; the most notable are *L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps* (The Bungler) and *Le Docteur Amoureux* (The Doctor in Love). With these, Molière moved away from the heavy influence of Italian Commedia dell’arte and showed his talent for mockery. Through aristocratic patrons, including Philippe I, he secured a command performance for Louis XIV at the Louvre. He performed a classic play by Pierre Corneille and his own farce, *The Doctor in Love*, and was granted use of the grande salle of the Petit-Bourbon near the Louvre. Later, he received the theatre in the Palais-Royal. In both venues, he found success with Parisian audiences through plays like *The Affected Ladies*, *The School for Husbands*, and *The School for Wives*. Royal favor brought his troupe a pension and the title Troupe du Roi ("The King's Troupe"), and Molière became the official author of court entertainments.

Despite his popularity at court and in Paris, Molière’s satires drew criticism. The Catholic Church denounced *Tartuffe* for its impiety, and the Parlement banned it; *Dom Juan* was withdrawn and never restaged by Molière. His heavy workload across many theatrical roles harmed his health, and by 1667 he had to take a break from the stage. In 1673, during a performance of his final play, *The Imaginary Invalid*, Molière—who had pulmonary tuberculosis—suffered a coughing fit and hemorrhage while playing the hypochondriac Argan. He finished the show but collapsed again and died a few hours later.