The Misanthrope by Molière (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Misanthrope with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Misanthrope by Molière, a comedy of manners which satirises the hypocrisy and falseness of 17th-century aristocratic society in France. Alceste, the misanthrope of the title, prides himself on his total honesty and frankness, but this puts him at odds with the play’s other characters and the woman he loves, the beautiful but hypocritical Célimène. Although the play features many humorous situations, it also stands out for its more poignant elements and close attention to character development. The Misanthrope is widely considered to be a masterpiece, and today is one of Molière’s best-known works.  Molière, who also wrote Dom Juan, Tartuffe and The Miser, among other works, is viewed as one of France’s greatest authors, and his plays are still performed today.

Find out everything you need to know about The Misanthrope in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Aug 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9782806295545

Book preview

French dramatist, actor and theatre troupe leader

Born in Paris in 1622.

Died in Paris in 1673.

Notable works:

Dom Juan (1665), comedy

The Miser (1668), comedy

The Bourgeois Gentleman (1670), comédie-ballet (play featuring interludes with music and dance)

Molière (real name Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) was born to a well-off middle-class family in Paris in 1622 and went on to become an author, director, theatre troupe leader and actor. He showed an early inclination for the theatre and founded a troupe called Illustre Théâtre with the actress Madeleine Béjart (1618-1672). After 12 years of travelling theatre in the provinces, he returned to Paris, where he caught the eye of Louis XIV (1638-1715), who took him into his service.

He mainly wrote comedies in which, under the cover of laughter, he exposed the flaws of his contemporaries (affectation, pedantry, greed, etc.) and criticised 17th-century society (authoritarian fathers, hypocritical religious devotees, fraudulent doctors, etc.). His many plays remain influential even today, and make Molière a key author of French classical theatre.

He died in Paris in 1673.

A criticism of court life

Genre: comedy

Reference edition: Molière (1965) The Misanthrope and Tartuffe. Trans. Wilbur,