|
By Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Known as Molière (1622-1673) A Study Guide cummings@cummingsstudyguides.net | ||
.. Study Guide Compiled by Michael J. Cummings..© 2010 Type
of Work and First Performance
The complete title of the play in the original French is Le misanthrope, ou l'atrabilaire amoureux (The Misanthrope, or the Irritable Lover). L'atrabilaire amoureux may also be translated as the disagreeable lover or the ill-tempered lover. Critics generally regard The Misanthrope as Molière's masterpiece. Charles A. Eggert, PhD, wrote the following in his introduction to the Molière text: No poet of the age of Louis XIV has so vividly painted that age as Molière. It lives in his comedies, and particularly in his Misanthrope. Eugène Despois, the distinguished editor of the works of Molière, calls this comedy the noblest of comic masterpieces. Goethe, the most illustrious of its readers, has said: "I am reading it again and again, as one of the pieces I like best in the world." (v)The Misanthrope continues to be popular in the twenty-first century. For example, in December 2009, the play drew packed houses at the Comedy Theatre in London in a modern version starring Keira Knightley, Damian Lewis, and Tara Fitzgerald. The play was scheduled to run for about four months. New York's Juilliard School of Dance, Drama, and Music staged another modern version, beginning in October 2008. Traditional versions were staged by the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Mass., in 2004 and by the Deep Dish Theater Company in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the same year. Work Cited Eggert, Charles A. Moliere's Le Misanthrope. Boston, D.C. Heath, 1889. Setting
Protagonist:
Alceste Alceste:
Young aristocrat
who continually bemoans the deceit and flattery
people use to make their
way in the world. Their hypocrisy has turned him
into a misanthrope, a
person who despises all humankind. Although quick to
point out flaws in
others, he fails to acknowledge his own flawed
behavior.
Persons Criticized in Conversations Adraste:
Excessively
proud man.
 The
Misanthrope centers more on character
development than on plot twists
and turns. Consequently, witty or revealing
dialogue is more important
than humorous situations involving mix-ups or
buffoonery.
Molière wrote most of the lines in The Misanthrope in one of the most popular literary formats of seventeenth-century France, Alexandrine verse. An Alexandrine line consists of twelve syllables. Syllables 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 are unaccented. Syllables 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 are accented. In the middle of the line, between syllables 6 and 7, is a brief pause called a caesura. Occasionally, an Alexandrine line contains 13 syllables, the last one unaccented. In English versification, an Alexandrine line is equivalent to iambic hexameter, iambic referring to the succession of unaccented/accented pairs and hexameter referring the total of six two-syllable pairs. Following is the forty-sixth line of The Misanthrope in the original French, demonstrating the Alexandrine scheme. The accented syllables are in boldfaced red. 1.....2..3.....4.........5....6.......7...8.9.10..11...12The Alexandrine format does not apply to lines with only a few syllables, such as the following: DU BOISMolière's Rhyme Scheme Molière wrote The Misanthrope in rhyming couplets. A couplet is a pair of lines with rhyming final syllables. Following are lines 41-46 in the original French, demonstrating this rhyming pattern. Alceste is the speaker. Non, je ne puis souffrir cette lâche méthodeEnglish Translations Most English translations of The Misanthrope render the play in prose instead of verse in order to make it more appealing to modern English speakers. However, good translations retain the spirit of the play and the subtleties of the dialogue.
Plot Summary By Michael J. Cummings...© 2010 Based on a Project Gutenberg Public-Domain Translation of the Play Note: All the scenes take place in the Paris home of an attractive young socialite, Célimène. Alceste
is grumpy because his friend Philinte treated
cordially a man he does not
admire and hardly even knows. Philinte says he sees
nothing wrong with
exhibiting kindness even to those who deserve
criticism. To get along in
this world, one must sometimes withhold his true
feelings.
“There is nothing I detest so much as . . . these affable dispensers of meaningless embraces, these obliging utterers of empty words, who view every one in civilities, and treat the man of worth and the fop alike” (1.1), Alceste says. In truth, nothing about the world pleases Alceste, who observes, “Everywhere I find nothing but base flattery, injustice, self-interest, deceit, roguery. I cannot bear it any longer; I am furious; and my intention is to break with all mankind” (1.1). Philinte tells Alceste he should spend less time railing against humankind and more time paying attention to his lawsuit against an influential opponent, who may use underhanded tactics to win. But Alceste says will not bother himself about the matter. He is in the right, he says, and that is all that matters. If the court finds against him, he says, “I shall see by this trial whether men have sufficient impudence, are wicked, villainous, and perverse enough to do me this injustice in the face of the whole world.” Philinte then asks why Alceste he chose to love Célimène. Her flirtatious nature and “malicious wit” (1.1), he says, are the very qualities that Alceste condemns. Why did he not choose the sincere Éliante, or the prudish Arsinoé, who likes him? Does he not recognize Célimène's faults? Alceste says he does see her faults but loves her in spite of them. He cannot help himself. He has come to Célimène's, he says, to express his feelings toward her. Oronte, one of Célimène's gentleman acquaintances, enters, saying he has heard that Éliante and Célimène were out shopping but that Alceste was within. He says he wishes to make the acquaintance of Alceste, noting that “a zealous friend, and of my standing, is not altogether to be rejected” (1.2). Oronte then lavishly praises Alceste as a man whom the entire kingdom admires for his extraordinary qualities. Alceste replies that the two of them should first get to know each other before committing themselves to friendship. Oronte then reads a sonnet he wrote, asking Alceste to evaluate it. As he reads it, After Oronte completes his recitation, Alceste severely criticizes it as “beside all good taste and truth” (1.2) with weak versification and an outdated style. He tells Oronte to go elsewhere if he wishes praise. Exchange
Insults When the two men trade insults, Alceste gets the better of him. Oronte leaves. Philinte then comments, “Well! you see. By being too sincere, you've got a nice affair on your hands . . .” (1.3). Later, after Alceste escorts Célimène home from shopping, he reproves her for her coquettish behavior with other men—in particular, Clitandre. "Are you, like all the rest of the fashionable world, fascinated by the dazzling merit of his fair wig?" (2.1) he says. Célimène notes that Clintandre and his friends back her in a lawsuit in which she is involved. After she and Alceste argue further, Célimène assures Alceste that she loves him but complains that he seems to love her only so that he can quarrel with her. Basque, Célimène's servant, announces the arrival of Acaste. After Célimène tells Basque to fetch Acaste, she and Alceste continue to quarrel. Moments later, Basque announces that Clitandre has also arrived. Shortly thereafter, Éliante, Célimène's cousin, and Philinte also come in. Célimène tells Basque to arrange chairs for everyone. Clitandre commences the conversation by criticizing an acquaintance, Cléonte, for exhibiting bad manners at the Louvre. Acaste then criticizes another man, Damon, for engaging him in conversation for a whole hour in the blazing sun. Célimène joins in the criticism. When Clitandre mentions Timante as “another original” (2.5), Célimène observes that Timante is always busy even though he has nothing to do and “quite oppresses people by his ceremonies.” Acaste then asks her opinion of Geralde. “A tiresome storyteller,” she says. When Clitandre notes that Geralde is fond of Bélise, Célimène refers to her as "the dreariest company" (2.5). Célimène gives her opinion of three others whose names Clitandre and Acaste bring up: Adraste (“What excessive pride!”), Cléon (“a very bad dish”), and Damis (“he pretends to too much wit”) (.2.5). Alceste interrupts to criticize Clitandre and Acaste, saying that if the persons under review were present the two men would be fawning all over them. He also chastises them for providing the fodder for Célimène's gibes. Célimène defends the right of the two men to speak their mind. Moments later, an official representing the king's police force (Maréchaussée) arrives with a summons for Alceste. It seems Oronte is suing him for criticizing his poetry. Alceste reluctantly agrees to answer the charge but vows that he will not be bullied into saying that the poetry has merit. After he leaves, Clitandre and Acaste make a gentlemanly agreement regarding Célimène. If one of them can prove that he has won her affections, the other will step aside. Basque enters and announces the arrival of Arsinoé. When Acaste observes that she has a reputation as a prude, Célimène says that in reality Arsinoé is just as carnal as any other woman. Her problem is that she cannot get a man. Consequently, to save face, she rails against the moral shortcomings of women with admirers. She is especially jealous of Célimène, who enjoys the attentions of the man Arsinoé wants: Alceste. Arsinoé enters just as Clitandre and Acaste are leaving. She says she has come to offer advice: Célimène must cease courting the attentions of young men, for people are talking about her. “Not that I believe that decency is in any way outraged," she says. "Heaven forbid that I should harbour such a thought! But the world is so ready to give credit to the faintest shadow of a crime. . ." (3.5). Célimène thanks her for the advice, then gives advice of her own. At a recent gathering, she says, people criticized Arsinoé's “prudishness and too fervent zeal . . . your eternal conversations on wisdom and honor, your mincings and mouthings at the slightest shadows of indecency . . . that lofty esteem in which you hold yourself, and those pitying glances which you cast upon all” (3.5). The people concluded that Arsinoé should pay less attention to the actions of others and more to her own. Arsinoé and Célimène exchange angry words. When Alceste enters, Célimène leaves, telling Alceste to entertain Arsinoé until her carriage arrives. Arsinoé expresses her pleasure at having Alceste to keep her company, then urges him to seek a place at a court. "If you will only give me a hint that you seriously think about it, a great many engines might be set in motion to serve you" (3.8), Arsinoé says. But Alceste says he has neither the disposition nor the desire to serve at court. "To be open and candid is my chief talent," he says. "I possess not the art of deceiving people in conversation" (3.8). Arsinoé then attempts to drive a wedge between Alceste and Célimène by saying that the latter is unworthy of Alceste's attentions. In fact, she says, if he goes with her to her house, “I will give you undeniable proof of the faithlessness of your fair one’s heart” (3.8). They leave immediately for her residence. At
the home of Célimène sometime later,
Philinte and Éliante
discuss Alceste's obstinacy before the marshals of
France. He absolutely
refused to retract his criticism of Éliante says she admires Alceste for refusing to compromise his values. What is more, she says, she believes Célimène may be wrong for him. If he ever decided to break with her and turn his attention to Éliante, “I could easily be prevailed upon to listen to his addresses” (4.1), she says. Philinte says he would likewise welcome the attentions of Éliante if Alceste remains committed to Célimène. Alceste
returns and angrily denounces Célimène
as unfaithful. The
proof, he says, is in his pocket—a letter in her
handwriting which he says
she addresses fond words to unnamed man. (Alceste
believes she wrote it
to Oronte. It is possible, of course, that she
intended to send to to Alceste.)
Éliante tries to calm him. Philinte tells him
that he may have misinterpreted
the letter. Alceste then declares that he is giving
his heart to Éliante
to gain revenge against Célimène.
Éliante
urges
him not to be rash; he could be wrong about
Célimène.
But Alceste says his resolve is firm. At that
moment, Célimène
comes in. Philinte and Éliante leave.
“[I]f it is a woman to whom this letter is addressed, how can it hurt you, or what is there culpable in it?" (4.3). Demands
Explanation Alceste demands an explanation. She refuses to give it and says he is free to believe what he wishes. Saying she has inflamed him with love for her, he pleads with her to prove the letter is not what it seems. She replies that she has already assured him of her love for him. This assurance should be enough for him. Why, she asks, should she have to defend herself? Dubois, Alceste's servant, arrives with a legal document and a note informing Alceste that he has lost his lost suit and that Oronte was among those who supported the opposition. Believing he has been dealt a grave injustice, Alceste tells Philinte that he renounces humankind as wicked and plans to withdraw from the world. Oronte and Célimène enter while Alceste is in a corner, unseen. Oronte asks Célimène for her love and ask her to choose between him and Alceste. The latter comes forth and says Oronte is right; she must choose. Célimène says there is no doubt in her mind whom she prefers, but she avoids saying which one. They press her further. When Éliante comes in, Célimène asks her for advice, but Éliante says only that she thinks people should speak the truth. Arsinoé, Philinte, Acaste, and Clitandre all enter. Arsinoé says she has come at the request of Acaste and Clitandre to witness Célimène's response to slanderous reports against her. Acaste produces a letter that Célimène wrote to Clitandre. Clitandre produces a letter that she wrote to Acaste. The
first letter (to Clitandre) says she is eager to
meet with Clitandre; it
ridicules all her other suitors. Acaste's “sole
merit consists in his cloak
and sword,” the letter says, and Alceste, “is the
greatest bore in the
world” (5.4). Of Oronte, she says, “[H]is prose
bores me as much as his
poetry.” The second letter (to Acaste) urges Acaste
to “come see me as
often as you can” and refers to Clitandre as “the
last man for whom I could
feel any affection” (5.4).
Arsinoé criticizes Célimène for her treatment of Alceste. Alceste, however, says he can manage his own affairs and adds that “if ever I intended to avenge myself by choosing some one else it would not be you whom I would select” (5.6). Arsinoé leaves in a huff. Célimène acknowledges that she has wronged Alceste and that he has every right to hate her. Alceste calls her a “perfidious creature” (5.7) but says he still loves her. Célimène says she is willing to marry Alceste, but he says he will marry her only if she agrees to join him in his withdrawal from the world. Doing so is the only way that “you can repair the harm done by your letters” (5.7), he says. She
refuses, saying she is too young to renounce the
world.
.Themes Hypocrisy
Alceste
counters the hypocrisy around him with candor.
However, his is a tactless
candor; he seems to enjoy criticizing others. When
Philinte points out
to him his overzealousness, Alceste rejects the
criticism.
A
man and woman in love are willing to make sacrifices
for each other; they
are willing to compromise or yield on occasion. But
neither Alceste nor
Célimène is willing to defer to the
other's wishes. Each
is stubbornly fixed in his or her own
pursuits—Alceste in his zealotry
and Célimène in her coquetry. In the
seventh scene of Act
5, Alceste says he is willing to overlook
Célimène's offenses
against him—but only if “you are determined to
follow me without delay
into the solitude in which I have made a vow to pass
my days.” Célimène
rejects him, saying, “What! I renounce the world
before I grow old, and
bury myself in your wilderness!” It is a reasonable
response, but its wording
and tone are hardly sympathetic. At the end of the
play, one is left wondering
whether Alceste and Célimène really
loved each other or were
merely infatuated with each other. As Éliante
says in the first
scene of Act 4, "How can we judge whether it be true
she loves? Her own
heart is not so very sure of what it feels."
Let us torment ourselves a little less about the vices of our age, and be a little more lenient to human nature. Let us not scrutinize it with the utmost severity, but look with some indulgence at its failings. In society, we need virtue to be more pliable. If we are too wise, we may be equally to blame. Good sense avoids all extremes, and requires us to be soberly rational. . . I, as well as yourself, notice a hundred things every day which might be better managed, differently enacted; but whatever I may discover at any moment, people do not see me in a rage like you. I take men quietly just as they are; I accustom my mind to bear with what they do. . . .Of course, Alceste ignores Philinte's advice and ends up withdrawing from society..
Climax
Marital and Courtship Conflict: Common Literary Motif Over
the centuries, writers have centered many tragic and
comedic works—or parts
of them—on spouses and wooers in conflict. Among
these works is The
Misanthrope. Others analyzed by Cummings
Study Guides include
Molière's
The Miser, Tartuffe,
and The Imaginary
Invalid; Shakespeare's
Much
Ado About Nothing,The
Taming of the Shrew,
and
Othello; Jane
Austen's Pride
and Prejudice, Euripides' Medea,
Virgil's
Aeneid (Dido
episode), Emily
Brontë's
Wuthering Heights,
Henrik Ibsen's A
Doll's House, Henrik
Ibsen's Hedda
Gabler, and
Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary.
.
|
.
