Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Le Misanthrope
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Le Misanthrope
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).
World Poetry Day
Discover
John F. Kennedy as a boy with his family
What Did We Call America’s Elite Before the “1 Percent”?
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?

Le Misanthrope

play by Molière
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Le-Misanthrope
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: “The Misanthrope”
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Le Misanthrope, satiric comedy in five acts by Molière, performed in 1666 and published the following year.

The play is a portrait of Alceste, a painfully forthright 17th-century gentleman utterly intolerant of polite society’s flatteries and hypocrisies. He is hopelessly in love with the coquettish Célimène, as are several other men. Célimène, bored with social niceties, proves cruel to her many suitors; all of them leave her except Alceste, who asks her to marry him. She would consent, except that he wishes to live a simple, quiet life apart from society, while she cannot abandon the gay, frivolous, false society she loves.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.