Asher per. 2 Misanthrope Essay [Mei Chung]

Throughout The Misanthrope the focus of the play is on Alceste, his character's development, and his reactions in the face of conflict. He is quickly established as one of the most witty characters of the play, and yet his irrational devotion to Celimene, who is unfaithful to him, make that reader question the origins of his wit along with his rationale and lack thereof. This odd dynamic between Alceste's sharp words and conflicted actions causes the audience to find humor in his role, but this humor is not unrefined; because Alceste contradicts his apparent scorn and harsh words with his love for Celimene, the audience considers the humor of his appearances onstage with thoughtfulness, and does not value Alceste's witty remarks for surface worth alone.

When confronted with new and different scenarios Alceste seem to treat circumstances and people with a certain amount of default snappiness. When Oronte presents his sonnet to Alceste, Alceste and Philinte have a fast-paced side conversation in which Philinte praises the sonnet and Alceste responds with distaste. Alceste's responses are immediate and unrestrained and, often, true to the rhyme scheme set by Philinte's lines. This onstage interaction is funny and exhibits Alceste's quick, harsh thinking. However, though Alceste is adamant in his dislike of Oronte's overly emotional and superficial-sounding poem, Alceste himself later waxes poetic in his attempts to gain Celimene's exclusive favor in a way very reminiscent of Oronte's poem-emotionally and in an unsophisticated matter. This causes the harsh words Alceste used to address Oronte to become even more comical, but only after some thought; the humor of the situation is not meant to be regarded at face value alone, but meant to be both subtle and thought-provoking as the play continues.

The effect of this sophisticated sort of humor on the play and its audience is that both become more sophisticated- the shall or humor and comical characters of The Misanthrope are looked upon with more consideration, and the members of the audience, those of which who take the time and mental effort anyway, become enriched by dwelling on the play's hidden humors. This make The Misanthrope favorable to a more intelligent audience and in turn allows its author to distribute his underlying messages to a more refined audience- these messages in question include the satirical nature of the lawsuits in the play and the irrationality of love, which are better suited to more intelligent people

The laughter of the audience witnessing the words of Alceste and other characters onstage may be immediate, but the laughter that requires thought is meant to be savored and to leave a lasting impression. This is the intent of The Misanthrope and a goal accomplished quite effectively by the character Alceste.