The misanthropist

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Data
Title: The misanthropist
Original title: Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux
Genus: comedy
Original language: French
Author: Molière
Publishing year: 1667
Premiere: June 4, 1666
Place of premiere: Palais Royal, Paris
Place and time of the action: Paris in the 17th century
people
  • Alceste , Beloved Célimènes
  • Philinte , his friend
  • Oronte , Beloved Célimènes
  • Célimène , Alcestes lover
  • Arsinoé , her friend
  • Éliante , Célimène's cousin
  • Acaste , marquis
  • Clitandre , marquis
  • Basque , servant of Célimène
  • Du Bois , servant of Alceste
  • Guard

The misanthrope (original title: Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux ) is a comedy by Molière , which was premiered on June 4, 1666 . The French title translates as: “The misanthropist or the melancholic in love ” and indicates the fundamental split in character of the protagonist , who, as in many of Molière's pieces, with the exception of Tartuffe , was played by the author himself.

Table of contents

The idealist and “misanthropist” Alceste claims to live without hypocrisy . Although he is of aristocratic descent, he celebrates his independence from the royal court and refuses to compromise truthfulness in his speech and behavior . Alceste refuses to listen to his friend Philinte, who asks him to be moderate and to adapt to a certain extent. So he immediately incurs the hostility of the visiting courtier and verse Oronte, because he does not praise his bad poem, but rather tears it up. When he learns that Oronte will go to court in an offended manner, he feels confirmed in his negative image of man and enjoys losing the trial because, unlike his opponent, he does not want to try to win over the judges for himself. His relationship with Célimène, a young flirtatious widow who does not leave his affection unrequited, leads to the comical contrast expressed in the full original title. Because Célimène enjoys socializing in her aristocratic environment and loves to flirt with many men. This leads to a minor scandal when a letter from her emerges in which she mocks several of her admirers, including Alceste. While the other mocked people turn away from her, Alceste offers her to retire with him from society to one of his country estates. But Célimène refuses - she feels too young for such a step and does not want to do without society. So in the end Alceste wants to go alone. Whether his friend Philinte can dissuade him from this plan, as he announced in the last sentence of the comedy, remains open.

continuation

In 1993 the sequel Célimène and the Cardinal of the playwright Jacques Rampal appeared , which - written in Alexandrians - continues the story of Célimène and Alceste 20 years later. In 1993 the play received three Molières , the highest theater award in France.

A misunderstanding

Alceste has misanthropic sides, but contrary to popular opinion, he does come across understanding and friendship with men and love with women, even if he does not reciprocate the latter. His friend Philinte shows him an honest friendship, and a friend of Célimène (Arsinoé) and Célimène's cousin (Éliante) are very fond of the "man with principles" from a good family - only he apparently does not notice any of it. Alceste's attitude is perhaps most brilliantly expressed in a conversation with one of these suitors. In the fifth scene of the third act, the “misanthropist” expresses the outwardly prudish Arsinoé:

Et qui n'a pas le don de cacher ce qu'il pense
doit faire en ce pays fort peu de residence.

Freely translated: "Those who do not have the gift to hide their thoughts have very little business in this country."

Alceste's point of attack: "L'honnête homme"

The 17th century concept of “ honnête homme ” should not be taken literally. Even if the bourgeois writers of the 18th century understood this to mean a “righteous man” , the “devoirs de la politesse” named by La Rochefoucauld still exist in the Misanthrope . H. Courtesy conventions that regulate social interaction. With these rules of conduct, the emphasis is more on aesthetics than on ethics , because it is mainly about maintaining the “bon goût”, ie. H. not to miss the "good taste". A supple adaptability corresponds more to this ideal than the self-confident, proud peculiarity of an Alceste with a claim to unconditional truthfulness. Within society, conversations commensurate with one's status require polite adaptation as a stylistic principle, as otherwise the harmony established by courtly etiquette would be jeopardized. A maxim from La Rochefoucauld is particularly suitable to describe the society of the “honnêtes gens” against which Alceste fights: Le vrai honnête homme est celui qui ne se pique de rien : “The real man of honor is one who does everything with a light hand . "

On the socio-historical classification of Alcestes

Alceste, who also appears as a frustrated marginal, probably embodied the type of aristocrat who or whose family had been on the wrong side at the end of the Fronde (1653) and was therefore banned from the court or at least pissed off (see above) such as the above-mentioned La Rochefoucauld). The fact that Alceste could be a courtier and hold a court office in terms of his social status is evident from Arsinoé's speeches, which her friends at court promise to ask to put in a word with the king for him and get him a post.

At the same time (and that makes up the contradiction of the figure, which did not really appeal to contemporary audiences) Alceste has bourgeois traits. The unconditional truthfulness that he tried to live was at that time an ideal of the bourgeoisie , with which they tried to differentiate themselves from the nobility, whose supple ways of speaking and behavior they felt to be insincere.

Autobiographical Aspects

Le Misanthrope is probably the most autobiographical piece by its author. Alcestes' refusal to behave in a conformist and diplomatic manner undoubtedly reflects the reluctance of the royal protégé Molière, who ultimately remained a bourgeoisie, to practice aristocratic speech and behavior at court and in the salons, which he considered too smooth. The older Alceste's disappointment with the coquettish younger Célimène is visibly similar to that of the author himself with his wife Armande, who is 21 years his junior.

Edits, translations, interpretations and revisions

Adaptations

Radio play:

Movie

TV movie

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Le Misanthrope. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Accessed August 4, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Comments by the translator Rainer Kohlmayer
  3. ↑ inner title:… Plaidoyer…!