Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin

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Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a French playwright and actor who some say is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western Literature. Some of his best known plays are The Imaginary Invalid, The School for Wives, and The Miser as well as many others. Moliere spent thirteen years as a traveling actor which helped him polish his comic abilities while he began writing refined French comedy. Moliere’s acting was believed to be both a disappointment and a blessing. He wanted to be a tragic actor, but that was not popular at the time and to be able to make it he’d have to change his ways. Moliere was pretty much born to be a comedic actor. Off stage he was completely different. He didn’t talk much and he definitely was not very cheery. “Moliere never tired of acting and he was always venturing out. He would even give the character he was playing at the time a certain cough and another, certain moods. He actually made a play out of rehearsals. Many say it was quite appropriate that he should die while playing the part of the sick man that he really was.”-(Moore. Britannica.com) Moliere’s acting definitely influenced his writing, as he wrote what he could most naturally act. When he acted, Moliere gave himself parts like servants, needy husbands, etc…. What is at the heart of Molière's dramatic style, and what was it that made his plays unique for their time? Was it their brilliant understanding, sharp wit, and strong sense of what the dramatist himself viewed as morals? Molière became a master of comedy so much that in the process of making his audiences laugh, he also made enemies. He first wrote for King Louis XIV, and he also pleased the popular Parisian audience who attended the public theater. However,... ... middle of paper ... ...ves. Much of the play’s action focuses on Harpagon’s stinginess. Valère and Mariane are revealed to be Anselme’s long-lost children, and they are happily paired with the miser’s son and daughter by the play’s end, after Harpagon insists that Anselme pay for both weddings.” -(Miser. Brittanica.com) One of Moliere’s talents is being able to take a single trait and place it at the center of the action, which makes the entire play revolve around that characteristic. The acting styles of Moliere are very similar in all of his plays. He was a realist and most of his plays show that. I’d say that all his plays relate to each other in some way or another. In describing the plays stated above everyone can see that they have the same stories wrapped into each other. The Imaginary Invalid is a play full of exciting characters, as well as The School for Wives, and The Miser.

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