Moliere's Obsession

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The School for Wives: Molière’s Obsession by Lawrence Henley Molière (a.k.a. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) was the preeminent writer of seventeenth century French stage comedy, acknowledged today as the prime force that advanced the genre beyond the unidimensional farce and commedia influences preceding him. Molière (1622–1673) brought his characters out of greyscale into full, living color. In his hands, the French stage became a vehicle for social commentary, examination of character (mostly flawed), and an intellectual look inside the shortcomings of human nature. Molière’s success vaulted French comedy to its apex. Now France possessed a comedic master to equal any of his European contemporaries. To avoid falling into disfavor with his royal patrons (most notably King Louis XIV), Molière primarily targeted the French upper classes as the object of his magnificent humor. The lead role in The School for Wives exemplifies his best characters: myopic males, mostly gentrified, that focus too heavily on belief in the very thing that will, ultimately, lead to their undoing. These characters are usually foiled in their obsessive attempts to manipulate the world, often through schemes that backfire. Because they adhere so firmly to their own narrow view of the world, a negative result is inevitable, and by play’s end they are made to look foolish. Mostly, the focal points of Molière plays attempt to victimize or control other characters through manipulative behavior, usually for personal gain. Due to an intense focus on the character’s “Achilles heel,” the audience’s field of vision expands, making the character’s capacity for ridiculous behavior seem as wide as a football field. In The Misanthrope, Molière portrays Alceste, a man who despises hypocrisy, and can do nothing but see all of society as corrupt. In Tartuffe, Molière’s best-known work (1664), Orgon can’t see
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