Moliere
Moliere, considered by many critics to be the greatest comic dramatist of all time, was also a leading French comic actor, stage director, and dramatic theoretician of the seventeenth century. He was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in Paris on January 14 or 15, 1622, to an old family of successful furniture merchants. Upholsterers to the royal family, the Poquelins were also connected to a group of musicians attached to the court of France.
Marie Cresse, Moliere's mother, died when he was ten, but she had been an educated woman (she owned Plutarch's Lives, which her son read), and Jean-Baptiste was given a good education. He attended the Jesuit College de Clermont, where he studied a liberal arts curriculum: philosophy, humanities, classical languages. In addition to more traditional studies, the Jesuits had their students take part in ballets; later in life, Moliere was a master of this sort of entertainment.
At fifteen, Jean-Baptiste was apprenticed to his father's upholstery business, and then he studied law at the university in Orleans. He received his law degree at the age of nineteen, and was expected to enter the family business. Documents show that his father arranged for him to be the king's "furniture valet," the person who arranged the furniture in the royal apartments when the king was traveling. Though Moliere's life took another direction, he always maintained his family connection to the king and his family.
At this point, however, Moliere shocked his family by joining a group of strolling players. Jean-Baptiste had attended various theatrical performances as a youth, but in the 17th century, actors were held in very low esteem, and were often considered to be tricksters and charlatans. It is believed that the young man chose to use the pseudonym, "Moliere," in order to distance himself from his respectable family and to spare them embarrassment. Whatever the reason, he never used any other name professionally.
In conjunction with the theatrical Bejart family, Moliere founded the Illustre Theatre in 1643. The oldest Bejart daughter, Madeleine, reportedly became his mistress and leading lady. The troupe lasted three years, but eventually went bankrupt and moved to the provinces of France, where Moliere spent twelve years polishing his skills. It was during this time that he gained insight into the lifestyles of France and became a comedian of great ability. The company briefly benefited from the patronage of the Prince of Conti, but lost it when the nobleman renounced the theatre for a more devout life.
After 15 years, Moliere and the Bejarts gained the patronage of Phillippe d'Orleans, the younger brother of Louis XIV. They returned to Paris and organized a regular theatre in which Moliere wrote, directed and acted lead roles. From this point on, the comic playwright used shrewd business practices to make the company a success. He performed for the king in 1658 and the troupe was appointed official providers of entertainment for the Sun King.
Though some of the company's early efforts were not particularly popular, the public eventually responded well. In 1659, The Precious Maidens Ridiculed established Moliere as the most popular playwright of the day, and the first of his masterpieces, The School for Wives was produced in 1662. Thus, by age forty, he was professionally successful and prosperous.
In his personal life, Moliere floated with a distinguished crowd. Among his friends were the young poet, Chapelle; the poet, philosopher, fabulist and opera composer, Jean de la Fontaine; and the great French tragedian, Jean Racine. Moliere produced some of the latter's tragedies, with mixed results.
In his marriage, Moliere was not so lucky. In 1622, he married Armande Bejart, a much younger woman who is alternatively cited as the sister/daughter of Madeleine Bejart. Armande didn't share er husband's background and standards; she was not particularly intelligent or discreet, and antagonized most of her husband's friends. By all reports, Moliere was a jealous husband, and the marriage was characterized by several separations and reconciliations. Some of the playwright's more satiric comedies are said to be based on his marital difficulties.
Moliere made some enemies along his road to success. His royal patronage was resented by others, and he struggled with the clergy about some of his plays, which they considered attacks on the church. In 1664, for example, Tartuffe offended the Jansenists and was banned. Later in his life, the playwright concentrated on musical comedy.
Throughout his life, Moliere's life was complicated by his hypochondria, marital difficulties, the tragic death of his son, and constant attack from various sources. In the late 1660s, he developed a lung ailment from which he never really recovered, though he continued to write, act, direct, and manage the troupe. On February 17, 1673, he collapsed while performing the lead role in his last play, The Imaginary Invalid, and he died at home at 10 that evening. No priest was present at his death, so the church refused him a religious burial, but the King intervened, and he was buried in sanctified ground, but at night, with no funeral mass. His tomb was later moved to another cemetery where other French dignitaries are interred.
To find a list of Moliere's literary output, go to http://www.site-moliere.com/pieces/index.html
For more information on Moliere's life, see: http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc35.html and http://www.2020site.org/moliere/
