The Misanthrope

• Alceste, lover Célimène
• Philinte, his friend
• Oronte, lover Célimène
• Célimène, Alceste's beloved
• Arsinoé, her friend
• Eliante, Célimène cousin
• Acaste, Marquis
• Clitandre, Marquis
• Basque, servant of Célimène
• Du Bois, servant of Alceste
• Guard

The Misanthrope ( original title: Le Misanthrope ou l' amoureux Atrabilaire ) is a comedy by Molière, which premiered on June 4, 1666. The French title means: " The Misanthrope, or the amorous melancholy " and points to the fundamental cleavage of character of the protagonist, who was played as with many pieces of Molière, with the exception of Tartuffe, the author himself.

Summary

The idealist and " misanthrope " Alceste prides itself on claim to live without hypocrisy. Although he is noble, he celebrates its independence from the royal court and refuses to make in his speech and behavior compromises with the truth. On his friend Philinte which prompts him to exercise restraint and a certain adaptation, does not want to hear Alceste. So he pulls also equal the enmity of him visiting courtier and verses blacksmith Oronte, because he does not praise its bad poem, but slates. When he learns that Oronte is offended go to court, he feels justified in his negative view of humanity and expects enjoyable with losing the process because he, unlike his opponent does not want to try to take for the judges. His relationship with Célimène, a young coquettish widow who leaves his inclination not unrequited, leading to the comic contrast, comes in the complete original title expresses. Because Célimène enjoys socializing in their aristocratic surroundings and loves to flirt with many men. This leads to a small scandal when a letter from her emerges in which they several of her admirers - including Alceste - ridiculed. While away the others mocked her, offers Alceste to her that she could retire with him from society to one of his estates. But Célimène refuses - she feels too young for such a move and do not want to give up the society. So Alceste wants to go alone at the end. Whether his friend Philinte can dissuade him from this plan as announced in the last sentence of comedy, remains open.

A misunderstanding

Although Alceste has misanthropic sides, however encounters contrary to popular opinion entirely on understanding and friendship among men and women on love, even if the latter is not reciprocated by him. His friend Philinte witnessed him honest friendship, and a friend of Célimène ( Arsinoé ) and Célimène cousin ( Eliante ) are the " man of principle " from a good family quite fond of - only apparently he is not noticed. Alceste's setting comes up in conversation with one of these admirers perhaps most brilliantly expressed. In the fifth scene of the third act expresses the " Misanthrope " towards the outside prudish Arsinoé:

Loosely translated: "He who has not the gift to hide his thoughts, very little in this country to look for. "

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

The concept of " honnête homme " of the 17th century must not be taken literally. Although the bourgeois writers of the 18th century, this refers primarily a " righteous man ," says exist in the Misanthrope still appointed by La Rochefoucauld " devoirs de la politesse ", ie Politeness conventions that govern social interaction. The emphasis is on these rules of conduct more on aesthetics than ethics, because it 's mainly about the "bon goût ", ie the "good taste " can not miss. A supple adaptability is closer to this ideal than the self-confident, proud character of Alceste with a claim to absolute truth. Within society befitting conversations require polite adaptation as a stylistic principle, otherwise the harmony built up by the courtly etiquette would be endangered. Le vrai honnête homme est celui qui ne se pique de rien: To describe the society of the " honnêtes gens", fights against the Alceste, particularly a maxim of La Rochefoucauld is " The true man of honor is the one who does everything with a light hand. "

For the socio-historical mapping Alceste

Had Alceste, who also appears as a frustrated Marginal represented to contemporaries probably the type of nobleman, who or whose family at the end of the Fronde (1653) on the wrong side stood and therefore banished from court, or at least had been scared away ( so such as the above-mentioned La Rochefoucauld ). That Alceste be of his social status quite a courtier and court office could hold, it is clear from the speeches of Arsinoe, which promises to ask at the court of their friends that they put in a word for him with the King and give him a job.

At the same time (and this makes the inconsistency in the figure, also not quite got to the contemporary audience) carries Alceste Civil trains. The unconditional truthfulness that he tried to live, was then an ideal of the bourgeoisie, with which they stand out among the nobility tried its supple phrases and behaviors she perceived as insincere or hinstellte.

Autobiographical aspects

Le Misanthrope is probably the most autobiographical piece of its author. Thus, the refusal Alceste, adapted and diplomatically to behave, undoubtedly the displeasure (but also the inability ) of the reflected ultimately bourgeois remaining royal protégés Molière, at court and in the salons to practice him as too smooth appearing noble speech and behavior. The disappointment of the older Alceste by the coquettish younger Célimène clearly resembles that of the author himself through his 21 years younger wife Armande.

Adaptations, translations, interpretations and adaptations

• Fabre d' Églantine wrote the 1790 comedy Philinte, ou la suite du Misanthrope, in which the role of the drawn Philinte negative and the moral integrity personality precludes Alceste.
• Hans Magnus Enzensberger, translated 1979 misanthrope new and transferred the plot to the Schickeriagesellschaft the Bonn Republic: The Misanthrope ( Enzensberger )
• The director Jürgen Gosch and his dramaturg Wolfgang Wiens laid in 1983 an independent recast in rhyming verses before that served as a standard text for Gosch's production at the Schauspielhaus Cologne.
• Botho Strauss made ​​1987 a new translation in prose for the Berlin stage to: Molière's Misanthrope
• The French playwright Jacques Rampal wrote in the style of Molière 1993, a continuation of the story to Célimène and Alceste under the title Célimène and the cardinal.
• From Germanists Rainer Mayer carbon, there is a row- exact, rhymed verse translation from the year 2003.
• Jean Firges: Molière: " The Misanthrope ." Plea against a hypocritical society. Sonnenberg, Annweiler 2003. Exemplary series Literature and Philosophy, ISBN 3-933264-31-6 15 An interpretation. Appendix with zahlr. References; Biographical chronology; inflicted by Molière: Poem to François de La Mothe le Vayer on the death of his son (bilingual) and Mlle de Scudérys " Carte du Pays de Tendre ", with explanation.

Adaptations

• The Misanthrope. Director: William Roth bread, Contributors: Bernhard Minetti, Max Eckard, Gisela von Collande, Elisabeth Opitz, Hermann Pfeiffer, Elizabeth Flickenschildt, Heinz Drache, Paul Buerk, 89 min, NWDR 1953..