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After ''Tartuffe'', Moliere continued a prolific career in theatre. Other plays he wrote include ''Dom Juan'' (''Don Juan''), ''Le misanthrope'' (''The Misanthrope''), ''L'avare'' (''The Miser''), and his last work, ''Le malade imaginaire'' (''The Imaginary Invalid''). During a production of ''Le malade imaginaire'', Moliere had already become extremely ill. It was during his fourth performance that he suddenly coughed up blood onstage and later died of pulmonary embolism. | After ''Tartuffe'', Moliere continued a prolific career in theatre. Other plays he wrote include ''Dom Juan'' (''Don Juan''), ''Le misanthrope'' (''The Misanthrope''), ''L'avare'' (''The Miser''), and his last work, ''Le malade imaginaire'' (''The Imaginary Invalid''). During a production of ''Le malade imaginaire'', Moliere had already become extremely ill. It was during his fourth performance that he suddenly coughed up blood onstage and later died of pulmonary embolism. | ||
Influences on Moliere | |||
'''Background''' | '''Background''' | ||
Moliere, born Jean Baptiste | Moliere, was born Jean Baptiste Poqulinin the year 1622 in Paris, France. He was raised by his father who was a furniture upholsterer for King Louis XIII. Jean Polqulinin’s interest in drama and acting was first sparked by his grandfather who “took him to see productions at the famous Hotel de Bourgogne” (Seidel p5). He received an extremely good education at the Jesuit College de Clermont and went on to graduate from law school. “In 1642 he met and became romantically involved with Madeline Bejart a young actress” (Seidel p5). Jean Polqulin renounced his royal appointment to the court offered because of his father’s position and instead pursed an acting career, then changing his name to Moliere. Although in 1645 he spent time in debtors’ prison after the collapse of his acting troupe called the l’Illustre Theatre (Seidel 5), he continued traveling and performing for the next 13 years. He landed in front of King Louis XIV who became one of his patrons (Seidel p5). | ||
'''Style''' | |||
Moliere writing was influenced by a style called commedia dell’arte also called “comedy of art or comedy of the profession”. Commedia dell’arte is an Italian theater style which is improvised and unwritten. It is up to the actors to make the play and its concepts come together in a comedic way as this style focuses on subject rather than a structured set of lines (Bellinger 1). Moliere used this style in an enhanced version. His first plays are “all short adaptions of Italian farces in the tradition of commedia dell’arte” (Seidel 5). He also used a writing technique called a fabliau which is a short comedic two line verse that rhymes (Columbia). An example of this technique can be seen in his play Tartuff. | |||
''' | '''Time Period''' | ||
Moliere lived from 1622-1673 in Europe during a time refered to as the Age of Reason or Neoclassical period. A theory known as Deism became very popular during this period. Deism suggests that God is likened unto a clockmaker and the universe is likened unto a clock. Once the creation was finished the Clockmaker went on to another project and left the clock to run on its own. This time period emphasized reason, truth and logic, over emotions stating that “reason is a faculty that properly developed can control unruly passions” (Gordon p3). “The main focus of Neoclassical writers was not the inner workings of the mind as with later Romantic writers, but on the behavior of humankind in general” (Gordon p3). The neoclassic period is also characterized by challenges to established religion, government, and social hierarchy. | |||
Work Cited | |||
“Fabliau.” Columbia Encyclopedia. 2005 edition. | |||
<http://www.encyclopedia.com/htmlfl/fabliau.asp.> | |||
Bellinger, Martha. A short history of Drama. New York : Henry Holt and Company, | |||
1927 pp153-157. | |||
<http://www.theatrehistory.com/italian/commedia_dell_arte_001.html> | |||
http://www. | |||
I.R.F. Gordon, Emiertus Angelia Polytechnic University, “Neo-classicism, | |||
Neoclassicism.” The Literary Encyclopedia. 11 Apr. 2005. The Literary Dictionary Company. | |||
http:// | <http://litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=767> | ||
Seidel, Micheal. “European Authors.” Moliere Vol 3 pages 101-124. Literature Resource Center. GALILEO. Georgia Perimeter College Library, Clarkston,GA. | |||
30 Jan 2006. | |||
<http://www.galileo.usg.edu.> | |||
==Links to other sites concerning Molière== | ==Links to other sites concerning Molière== |
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