Molière was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622–1673), son of a Paris upholsterer to the royal household. He abandoned law to found a theatre company, toured the provinces for thirteen years, and returned to Paris under the patronage of Louis XIV. As actor, manager and playwright he created the great French comedies of character. He collapsed while playing the hypochondriac Argan in The Imaginary Invalid and died hours later.
1666 (The Misanthrope) · Renaissance Early Modern · Drama
The Misanthrope and Other Plays collects several of Molière's comedies; the edition translated by John Wood and David Coward includes The Misanthrope, The Sicilian, Tartuffe, A Doctor in Spite of Himself and The Imaginary Invalid. Together they show the range of Molière's art, from the verse comedy of character to farce, and his satire of hypocrisy, pretension and medicine.
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