The Misanthrope Essay -- wyl.p6.t7 Aashrita Mangu

In The Misanthrope by Moliere, the characterizing scene where Oronte meets Alceste to extend friendship, warmth, and unsuccessful poetry provokes “thoughtful” laughter by satirizing the situation.

Oronte, an important marquis of the Court, comes to seek friendship with Alceste. Alceste, however, is a man of principle; he stands by commitment to naked truth, and suggests that they get to know each other before becoming friends. In this short time, Oronte asks Alceste to critique a sonnet he has written. Alceste warns him of his resolute frankness, but Oronte decides that he would rather appreciate the pure critique. By this point, it can be foreshadowed that this will not end well – Alceste is man who finds faults in other easily, and is largely unhappy due to this inherent inability to accept the imperfection of human nature. Though not a terrible person, his brutal honesty is offensive to others at times. The wait for this character flaw to take over the situation provokes some “thoughtful anticipation,” as this trait continues to become more prevalent in the scene.

Oronte begins his sonnet, which seems to be little clusters of pretentious words and phrases – signs of irritation to the critical Alceste. As Philinte praises Oronte’s butterflies of figurative language, the frustrated Alceste scolds Philinte for being so naïve and unnecessarily polite to hideous poetry. His asides are humorous, as the poetry is not as terrible as he makes it seem. At the same time, it is understood why Alceste chooses to be so foul in his disposition – his character is simply of that nature (critical and a believer in genuineness)! Similarly, Philinte’s appreciation of the mediocre sonnet contributes to the thoughtful humor because of his almost opposite personality; Philinte is a polite, controlled, drier man who embodies “normality”. He does not quibble like Alceste, but neither does he offer quick wit; instead, he serves to provide an equilibrium, or basic line of normalness, in comparison to the other characters or crazy criticisms that Alceste drowns himself in. In this overall sense, the scene becomes satirized: Alceste is the antithesis to Philinte, who provides normal, expected reaction to another’s efforts at poetry. Alceste himself is the source of satire as he thrusts himself into every situation he finds repulsive.

The scene ends with Alceste providing examples of quality poetry, trifling Oronte’s sonnet. This end conversation also closes the confrontation in a consistent tone of subtle tension and impatience with thoughtful humor. Alceste’s chosen poems are, again, very characteristic of himself! He finds pieces that reflect what he wants to see in society. The language is straightforward and not flowery, but the message is clear and heartfelt. It is genuine, and this is the trait Alceste strives for society to embrace. However, when Alceste refuses to produce a better sonnet for Oronte and tells him to give up poetry for good, Oronte is displeased and leaves, insulted. He seems to be an insecure man in the face of criticism, though he is outwardly very confident and outspoken. He asks for honesty and truth, but is unable to handle it to some degree. This character flaw is one which Alceste especially despises, in turn contributing to the subtle, thoughtful humor of the scene.

It is the total of all of these parts comprising character flaws and traits which creates the underlying satire in this piece. The combination of what is foreshadowed and what ultimately happens is, in part, the route to discovering each character. Thus, in Moliere’s Misanthrope, characterization of various characters coupled with witty dialogue produces the desired satirical effect in criticizing society’s pretentious and untruthful ways.