Portrait de Molière, by Charles-Antoine Coypel ©Bibliothèque de Marseille
Molière is considered one of the greatest writers in history, akin to France's Shakespeare.
The son of a court upholsterer, Molière (1622- 1673) was a bright child with an overactive imagination, who attended the Jesuit-run College de Clermont. After he left Clermont, Molière decided his true calling was the stage, and he went on to form L’Illustre Théâtre. The early years of the troupe were fraught with problems; however, as Molière grew in favor with the King, he and his company moved up to the Théâtre Palais-Royal, when he wrote most of his famous comedies. His final years were spent in sickness. He suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, likely contracted while spending a night in debtor’s prison. During the premiere performance of The Imaginary Invalid, Molière (as Argan) suffered a coughing fit, which ruptured a vessel and caused severe hemorrhaging. He managed to finish the performance, but collapsed backstage. He was taken home, where he died several hours later without receiving last rites (two priests refused and the third was late). Because of this and the fact that he was an actor, he was denied permission to be buried or given a proper funeral, but the King ended up giving him a “secret” funeral at night, attended by 800 people.
Since there are many biographies of Molière, we decided to share with you some scandalous (humorous?) facts about Molière so that you can truly impress your snootiest friends at trivia. Because what is French comedy, really, if not emphasizing one's superiority through knowledge of inane facts? We're just warming you up for the follies of the season.
Molière dressed as Sganarelle, by Claude Simonin ©Bibliothèque nationale de France
Molière was born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. However, he changed his name when he became an actor, most likely to avoid shaming the family name. Acting at this time was frowned upon and actors were still frequently excommunicated from the Catholic Church. It is thought that he adopted the stage name Molière in homage to the novelist François de Molière d’Essertines, a notorious libertine, who was assassinated in 1624.
It is rumored that when Molière was a young man, he spent time working for a “Snake-Oil” salesman, pretending to be a patient that had been cured by the “miracle elixir.” Perhaps this gave him the experience with fake doctors he needed to write The Imaginary Invalid.
Molière and Madeline Béjart, a cofounder of the L’Illustre Théâtre, were intimate for a number of years. However, Molière later went on to marry Armande Béjart, who was 20 years his junior. Rumors claimed that she was Madeline’s sister or daughter, though in 1821 a marriage certificate was found stating that Armande's parents were Joseph Béjart and Marie Hervé.
Legend has it that, during the performance of The Imaginary Invalid that would prove to be his last, his fellow actors begged him at intermission to see a doctor. He refused, however, saying something to the effect of, “The show must go on,” finishing the show and dying by the end of the night.
During his lifetime, Molière was known as the "God of Laughter.”