Choose a scene or character from The Misanthrope that awakens "thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write a carefully organized essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Moliere's The Misanthrope is a play of exaggerations. Meant to satirize the pompous and aristocratic nature of the time in which it was written, it takes to task all those who take part in the social circus that was Louis XIV's court. However, Moliere's acid pen touches all, including and especially those who claimed to have removed themselves from the contemptible proceedings of upper-class French life, who are condensed into the character of Alceste, the titular misanthrope.
In Act IV, Scene 2, Alceste is confronting Celimene, the woman he loves, about her alleged infidelity. Oronte, another suitor seeking Celimene's hand, does the same, and the two jointly demand that Celimene declare in front of them which she prefers. She refuses, but the duo presses and insists for some time.
This scene is perhaps the most ironic in the whole of the play. Alceste despises Oronte, and holds no regard for the man, whom he views as pretentious and incompetent. However, in this scene, he and Oronte stand united, with a common antagonist and a common goal. But the irony does not stop there: not only is Alceste allied with his enemy, but that alliance comes in the pursuit of a person who embodies the social conventions of the day, which Alceste abhors.
This irony is Moliere's way of satirizing both parts of the system: those inside it and those who claim not to be. As demonstrated by this scene, those who try to set themselves apart from the social milieu often become entrenched in it all the more.
By making Alceste's words and actions each completely incongruent to the other, Moliere paints a caustic picture of those who place themselves above others.
dibs- Claire
ReplyDeletedibs- Michael
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