Le Misanthrope

Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux (June 4th 1666) is a 17th century comedy of manners written
by French playwright Molière.

This play, like Molière's Tartuffe and others, is a comedy. It satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic
society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the flaws which all humans possess. The
play differs from other farces at the time by employing dynamic characters like Alceste and Célimène as
opposed to the traditionally flat characters used by most satirists to criticize problems in society. It also
differs from most of Molière's other works by focusing more on character development and nuances than
on plot progression. The play, though not a commercial success in its time, survives as Molière's best
known work today.

Because both Tartuffe and Don Juan, two of Molière's previous plays, had already been banned by the
French government, Molière may have subdued his actual ideas to make his play more socially acceptable.
As a result, there is much uncertainty about whether the main character Alceste is supposed to be
perceived as a hero for his strong standards of honesty or whether he is supposed to be perceived as a fool
for having such idealistic and unrealistic views about society. Molière has received much criticism for Le
Misanthrope. One critic, French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, hated the play for depicting Alceste
as a fool on stage. He believed that the audience should be supporting Alceste and his views about society
rather than disregarding his idealistic notions and belittling him as a character.

Characters
Alceste- the protagonist and "misanthrope" of the title. He is quick to criticize the flaws of everyone
around him, including himself. He cannot help but love Célimène though he loathes her behavior.

Célimène- A young woman who is courted by Alceste, Oronte, Acaste, and Clitandre. She is playful and
flirtatious, and likes to point out the flaws of everyone she meets behind their backs. Célimène pays much
attention to social appearances.

Philinte- A polite man who genuinely cares for Alceste, and recognizes the importance of occasionally
veiling one's true opinions in a social context. He is mainly thought of as Alceste's foil.

Éliante- Love interest to Philinte and cousin to Célimène, who initially pines for Alceste. She possesses a
good balance between societal conformity and individual expression.

Oronte- An outgoing, seemingly confident man who also loves Célimène for a time. His insecurity is
revealed when he is unable to handle Alceste's criticism of his love sonnet.

Arsinoé- A highly moralistic older woman who is jealous of the attentions which Alceste pours onto
Célimène.

Acaste- A young, pompous marquis who believes he is deserving of Célimène's love.

Clitandre- Another marquis who attempts to woo Célimène and win her love, and enjoys gossiping with
her about notable social figures.
Du Bois- Alceste's farcically blundering manservant.

Basque- Célimène's loyal manservant.

Officer- A messenger of the Marshals of France who asks Alceste to answer for his criticism of Oronte's
poetry.

Plot summary
This work centers on the protagonist Alceste, whose wholesale rejection of his culture's polite social
conventions make him tremendously unpopular. In the first act of the play, he states: “…Mankind has
grown so base, / I mean to break with the whole human race”. However, this conviction manifests itself in
the primary conflict of the play, which consists of Alceste's intense love for Célimène, a flirtatious young
woman who pays great attention to social appearances and conventions. Alceste's determination to reject
society and its supposed dishonesty is countered by his desire to share a life with Célimène, whose actions
oppose all that he stands for. Alceste has other women pining for him, such as the moralistic Arsinoé and
the honest Eliante. Yet his preference lies in Célimène. His deep feelings for the latter primarily serve to
counter his negative expressions about mankind, since the fact that he has such feelings includes him
amongst those he so fiercely criticizes. Judging by his bold assertions, the reader may initially take him for
a strong, deliberate man who will let nothing stand in his way of implementing his decision. But his
reaction to Celimene’s treatment of him reveals his inherent frailty, and the reader learns that he may wish
to leave mankind behind, but mankind will not leave him so easily. The plot then thickens to involve a
court justice that results from Alceste's refusal to praise Oronte's paltry love poem. Alceste typically
refuses to dole out false compliments, and this practice lands him in court. Some of the most memorable
parts of the play are the constant plays on words and the extremely humorous jibes at society and its rules.

Philinte represents a foil for Alceste's moral extremism, and speaks throughout the first act of the play on
the necessity of self-censorship and polite flattery to smooth over the rougher textures of a complex
society. Alceste, on the other hand, believes that people should be completely honest and should not put on
pretenses just to be considered polite in society. Eventually, Alceste's inability to cope with society and its
inescapable affectations causes him to forsake Célimène, who ultimately agrees to marry him, and retreat
to a deserted land where he will no longer have to deal with other people. Philinte, for his part, marries
Eliante and the pair receives Alceste's blessing.