Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology of Plays Discussed
- List of Illustrations
- Act One The Back Story
- Act Two The Agon
- V Into the Mouth of the Wolf
- VI “Go Saddle Yon Braying Ass!”
- VII Entrances…
- VIII …And Exits
- IX She Loves Me… She Loves Me…
- X …Not!
- Act Three The Comic Relief
- Act Four And Leave 'em Laughin'
- Notes
- Works Cited and Consulted
- Index
X - …Not!
from Act Two - The Agon
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology of Plays Discussed
- List of Illustrations
- Act One The Back Story
- Act Two The Agon
- V Into the Mouth of the Wolf
- VI “Go Saddle Yon Braying Ass!”
- VII Entrances…
- VIII …And Exits
- IX She Loves Me… She Loves Me…
- X …Not!
- Act Three The Comic Relief
- Act Four And Leave 'em Laughin'
- Notes
- Works Cited and Consulted
- Index
Summary
Le Misanthrope; ou, L'Atrabilaire Amoureux
as conceived by Molière
as translated by Richard Wilbur
as translated by Neil Bartlett
as directed by Robert Falls
as directed by Pierre Dux
Le Misanthrope stands at the exact center of Molière's life's work. He was in the middle of his journey – “in a dark wood where the straightway was lost.” This chapter will deal with that dark wood, that lost straightway, that is the subtext behind this magnificent play.
In March 1665, Don Juan closed at the Palais-Royal after only fifteen performances, in spite of a very strong box office. No reason has ever been given as “the” reason. There are many guesses, among them that Molière was ill or that La Grange had an uncontrollable cough. Some more likely reasons are: pressure put upon the king by the French nobility who didn't like seeing even a Spanish aristocrat going down in flames; or by the clergy who were outraged by the blasphemy in the Poor Man scene; or quite probably, both. A clue may have been given a few months after the second forced closure in a year of a major play: Molière was summoned by the king to Versailles and was told a new title had been created for the company, “La Troupe du Roi,” which would bring with it a handsome stipend and the king's protection. Maybe that was the “deal” the king made to compensate for the closing of two controversial plays in a row because they roused the indignation of highly placed members of the church and the nobility.
- Type
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- Information
- Molière on StageWhat's So Funny?, pp. 93 - 108Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2012