Moliere (Jean Baptist Poquelin)

French dramatist, writer, and an actor

Birth date: January 15, 1622

Place of birth: Paris, France

Death date: February 17, 1673

Place of death: Paris, France

Mother: Marie Cress

Father: Jean Poquelin

Siblings: Jean, Louis and Marie

Early Life, Education
Young Poquelin was educated in the College de Clermont, a Jesuit institution, where
he received a solid classical background. After finishing secondary education, he
studied law and was allowed to practice in 1641, and he was awarded his law degree in
1642. His mother died when he was 12 years old. His father soon remarried, but in
almost three years, the wife also passed away. Jean Baptist was alone with his father
and became an apprentice of their business.
Chooses Career in Theater
The Pont-Neuf and the Hotel de Bourgogne were the two theatrical sites who
have been an impact on the young Poquelin. In 1643, at the age of twenty-one, he
decided to dedicate his life to the theatre.
He then founded the dramatic troupe named The Illustrious Theater. This time
he changed his name to Moliere. Moliere and his troupe made their dramatic debut in
a converted tennis court. When they began to charge admission, the results proved
disastrous which continued over the next two years. This made them had an
unsuccessful career at first in Paris.
The troupe, then, forget Paris and for 12 years, they travel to different provinces
particularly in the southern France. It was during this period that Moliere began to write
plays for the company, which was then successful especially the The Blunderer.
On the evening of October 24, 1658, Moliere and his troupe performed for the
first time before Louis XIV. The Court was not impressed. Realizing their wrong step,
Moliere approached the King at the conclusion of the tragedy and asked permission to
perform again with one of his own plays, The Love-Sick Doctor. The King granted his
request and it was a success. Being successful with the play, the King, then, called
them Troupe de Monsieur and was granted use of the Hotel du Petit Bourbon. This
also made Moliere to have powerful enemies coming from the Kings followers primarily
Madame de Rambouillet. But over the course of the next thirteen years, Moliere worked
enthusiastically to make his company the most respected dramatic troupe in Paris and
awarded the title Troupe of the King.

Later Years
Moliere struggled with illness and depression. Still, during this period he wrote
and presented a work that shows his mastery and genius: Le Misanthrope, L'Avare,
and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. On February 17, 1673, Moliere suffered a
hemorrhage while playing the role of the hypochondriac Argan in The Imaginary
Invalid. He passed away later that night at his home on the Rue Richelieu.
Notable Works of Moliere
The Jealous Husband (1645)
La Jalousie du barbouill (1650)
The Doctor in Love (1658)
Sganarelle (1660)
The School for Wives (1662)
La Jalousie du Gros-Ren (1663)
Critique of the School for Wives (1663)
The Rehearsal at Versailles (1663)
The Forced Marriage (1664)

Gros-Ren, petit enfant (1664)

The Princess of Elid (1664)
Tartuffe (1664)
Don Juan (1665) Les Fourberies de
Scapin (1671)
La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas (1671)
The Learned Ladies (1672)
The Imaginary Invalid (1673)

Tartuffe (1664)
Orgon, the head of a prosperous family, has taken in and been taken in by
Tartuffe, a man who is really a fraud. Orgon and his mother are the only ones to have
fallen under the trickster's spell. Orgon tells his daughter Mariane that she will be
marrying Tartuffe instead of Valre, her longtime fianc. Tartuffe attempts to seduce
Orgon's wife, Elmire. Elmire shuts him down, then makes a deal with him: if he'll
convince Orgon to let Mariane marry Valre, she won't tell Orgon about the incident.
When Damis decides to tell Orgon what's happened, Orgon refuses to believe him
and disinherits him instead.
Tartuffe is made the sole heir to Orgon's fortune. Elmire decides that Orgon
needs to be shown the truth as quickly as possible. She makes Orgon hide under a
table while she "seduces" Tartuffe. Orgon is horrified by what he sees and confronts
Tartuffe. Orgon realizes he's in quite a pickle. He's already signed over all his
possessions to Tartuffe. Tartuffe's representative, Monsieur Loyal, shows up and tells
Orgon that he's being evicted and will have to leave the house by the next morning.
Valre rides in and convinces Orgon to flee the country immediately. Tartuffe shows up,
policeman in tow, to arrest Orgon. He's shown the damning documents to the King. The
policeman arrests Tartuffe instead, and explains that the wise King could see through
Tartuffe's ruse instantly. Orgon is given back his property and absolved of any
wrongdoing, Tartuffe is taken away, and Mariane and Valre are slated to be married.
Literary Style
Romantic Comedy. In the play, Moliere analyzed many aspects of his
contemporary society and penetrated into the essential characteristics of various types
of people.