The Misanthrope and Other Plays

Why did it take me 27 years to get around to reading Moliere? Perhaps, the first memorable reference to Moliere from “The Breakfast Club” seemed awfully highbrow. But, what does an 11 year old know?

I first read “The Misanthrope” in preparation for “The School for Lies” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater back in 2012. If you love Moliere, then I highly recommend seeing this update, which captures the rollicking spirit of the original French farces.

In 2016, I re-read the play for my Great Books Book Club meeting. There are funny moments in this 350+ year-old work, although the translation in the Penguin edition feels a bit dry. However, there were others in today's meeting carrying the Richard Wilbur translation; that version is presented in the form of rhyming couplets, which is true to the original in French, but quite clunky in English. I recognize the effort it must have taken to stay close to the translation and rhyme in a different language (done by a Poet Laureate, no less), but it still was rough going for some folks. If only I had the chops to read it in French!

The first Act seemed to drag, after which the pacing picks up and ends quite abruptly. The second time around, I'm not sure if I enjoyed the play as much. But, there were sections that I found quite funny, such as the scene in which Oronte begs Alceste, a stranger, but whose opinion is celestial, for an opinion on his poem, and in which Alceste provides his full-throated review (although, to his credit, attempts to avoid having to opine). I also quite enjoyed the barbed back-and-forth between Celimene and Clitandre.

After finishing the play, I picked up two movies, which aren't adaptations of “The Misanthrope,” but I provide additional color and food for thought. I watched the 2013 moving “Bicycling with Moliere,” which is about two older French actors who begin rehearsing “The Misanthrope.” I won't say too much, but the movie cleverly uses the play to weave in and out of the actor's modern life and has a rather different ending; it is a lovely homage to Moliere's play. Next, I watched “Moliere” from 2007, which is basically “Moliere in Love” and also a nice companion to “The Misanthrope,” although much more about Moliere's banned play, “Tartuffe.” After watching these two movies, and thinking back to “School for Lies,” I think that “The Misanthrope” is quite enjoyable and hope to see a live version at some point.

Here are the discussion questions used in today's meeting, which were either inspired by the introduction to the Penguin edition (excellent!) or a few other question sets I found online.

1. Do you think the characters are caricatures or do any of them seem like more fully-fleshed out? Does Moliere want us to find any of the characters worth of admiration?
2. Does the play carry a moral behind the social satire? Do you think Moliere wanted us to learn anything from “The Misanthrope” and, if so, what?
3. Do you consider “The Misanthrope” humorous? If so, which parts particularly tickled you?
4. Many of Moliere's play exposed hypocrisy of various social groups. What examples do you find in this play?
5. What is the author's attitude towards religion and how is that attitude displayed by Arsinoe?
6. Do you think Célimène can truly love?
7. Can you think of a literary precedent for Alceste?
8. Many characters mention active court cases, one which even takes Alceste out of the action in the middle of the play. What is the purpose of references to court cases?
9. What really happens in “The Misanthrope?” Does the abruptness of the dénouement really settle anything?
10. Much like Shakespeare, there isn't much known about Moliere's life. In fact, there is some speculation, again like Shakespeare, about the true author of the works attributed to him. Is this the work of a son of a wealthy upholstery merchant turned prolific author of farces, or, was Moliere a stage manager and actor who lent his name to these works?