Jean-Baptiste Poquelin

Moliere (real name - Jean Baptiste Poklen) - an outstanding French comedy man, theater figure, actor, stage art reformer, creator of classic comedy. His father was a royal upholsterer and valet, the family lived very well. From 1636, Jean-Baptiste was educated at a prestigious educational institution — the Jesuit College of Clermont; in 1639, after graduation, he became a licentiate of rights; however, the theater preferred artisan or lawyer to work. In 1643, Moliere organized the "Brilliant Theater". The troupe, despite the name, was far from brilliant, because of debts in 1645, Moliere was even twice in prison. Due to problems with the repertoire of the “Brilliant Theater”, Jean Baptiste himself began to compose plays. In 1656, the troupe showed the play “The Doctor in Love” at the Royal Theater, based on the play by Moliere to Louis XIV, which came from her delight. After that, the troupe played until 1661 in the court theater of Petit-Bourbon provided by the monarch (later, until the death of the comedian, the place of its work was the Palais-Royal theater). The comedy “Funny Peasants”, staged in 1659, was the first success with the general public. After Moliere’s position in Paris was established, a period of intense dramatic, directorial work begins, which will last until his death. For a decade and a half (1658-1673) Moliere wrote plays that are considered the best in his creative heritage. The turning points were the comedies “School of Men” (1661) and “School of Women” (1662), which demonstrate the author's departure from the farce and his appeal to social-psychological comedies of education. Moliere's plays enjoyed a staggering success with rare exceptions - when the works became the object of harsh criticism of certain social groups that were hostile to the author. This was due to the fact that Molière, who had previously hardly resorted to social satire, in mature writings created images of representatives of the higher strata of society, falling on their vices with all the power of his talent. In particular, after the appearance of “Tartuffe” in 1663, a scandal broke out in the society. The influential "Society of Holy Gifts" banned the play. And only in 1669, when reconciliation came between Louis XIV and the Church, the comedy saw the light, and in the first year the performance was shown more than 60 times. The staging of “Don Juan” in 1663 also caused a huge resonance, but through the efforts of the enemies, Moliere’s creation was no longer made during his lifetime. In February 1673, Moliere's troupe put on the “Imaginary Patient”, in which he played the main role, despite the illness that tormented him (most likely, he suffered from tuberculosis). Right on the show, he lost consciousness and died on the night of February 18-18 without confession and repentance. Funeral religious canons took place only thanks to the petition of his widow before the monarch. In order not to break out the scandal, they buried an outstanding playwright at night. Moliere is credited with creating the classic comedy genre. In one only, "Comedy Francaise" on the plays of Jean-Baptiste Poklen was shown more than thirty thousand performances. Until now, his immortal comedies - “The Bourgeois in the Nobility,” “The Miser,” “The Misanthropus,” “The School of Women,” “The Imaginary Sick,” “The Scapen's Tricks,” and many others. others - are included in the repertoire of various theaters of the world, without losing relevance and causing applause.