Molière Comedy Expose
Molière’s Genius: How He Used Comedy to Expose Society’s Flaws
Few playwrights have had the audacity to turn society’s absurdities into theatrical gold quite like Molière. The 17th-century French dramatist mastered the art of satire, skewering hypocrisy, vanity, and moral pretension with such wit that his plays remain as sharp and relevant today as they were in the court of Louis XIV.
The Satirical Mastermind Behind the Curtain
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière (because let’s be honest, his real name lacked pizzazz), wasn’t just some playwright churning out period dramas. He was a comedic assassin, targeting the corrupt, the self-righteous, and the utterly ridiculous.
His weapon of choice? Biting humour.
While others were penning tragedies about noble suffering, Molière was busy writing plays that exposed religious hypocrisy (Tartuffe), mocked the medical profession (The Imaginary Invalid), and roasted the pretentious elite (The Bourgeois Gentleman). He used laughter as a Trojan horse, slipping his critiques past the censors while keeping audiences entertained.
Top Molière Plays That Roasted Society
- Tartuffe (1664) – Arguably his most controversial play, Tartuffe takes on religious hypocrisy with a title character so sanctimonious he makes modern social media influencers look humble. The play was banned (twice!) because the Church wasn’t thrilled about its portrayal of fake piety.
- The Misanthrope (1666) – Ever been annoyed by insincere flattery? Molière was too. In The Misanthrope, he explores the absurdity of politeness culture and the price of honesty in a world full of phonies.
- The Imaginary Invalid (1673) – A hypochondriac so obsessed with medicine that he’s practically a walking pharmacy? Molière’s final play skewers the medical profession’s greed and quackery. Ironically, he collapsed while performing the lead role and died soon after. Talk about method acting.
- The Bourgeois Gentleman (1670) – What happens when a middle-class man desperately tries to act like an aristocrat? A whole lot of embarrassment. This play hilariously ridicules social climbers and the absurdity of class pretensions.
Why Molière’s Comedy Still Works Today
Molière’s humour wasn’t just about making people laugh—it was about holding up a mirror to society. The arrogance of the elite? Still relevant. Religious hypocrisy? Yep, still a thing. Quack doctors? Ever Googled your symptoms and been convinced you’re dying? Exactly.
His ability to mix slapstick with biting social critique is why he’s still performed worldwide. Molière didn’t just poke fun at society—he exposed its deepest insecurities, and that kind of humour never goes out of style.
References:
- Gaines, James F. The Molière Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press, 2002.
- Scott, Virginia. Molière: A Theatrical Life. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
- Clarke, Jan. Molière in Context. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
