The Misanthrope Timed Essay

Emily Teraoka

Wylie

01/16/’12

A.P. English Literature–Period 5

The Misanthrope Timed Essay

In his comedy "The Misanthrope," Moliere satirically addresses themes of truthfulness and the need to climb the social ladder through a medley of verbal duels nonfat noble characters. In Act 3, he delves into the silly situation of two women fighting for one man.

Alceste, the central character of the play, is a very frank man. An ardent believer in honesty, he goes to all lengths to prove it's importance in a lying, cheating, dog-eat-dog society. Ironically, he is in love with Celimene, who is the very epitome of untruthful societal behavior and who enjoys flirting with other suitors. In Scene 3 of Act 3, Celimene reveals that another woman, Arsinoe, who makes herself less popular among the men by way of favoring Alceste's way of thinking, is in love with Alceste. Celimene enjoys laughing at Arsinoe because, while Arsinoe strives to embody Alceste's principles and consequently making herself less desirable, Arsinoe has, as a result, been unable to attain Alceste's affections in return. For this reason, Arsinoe (to Celimene's pleasure) is jealous of Celimene, who easily captures Alceste's attention. They confront each other about the other woman's flaws in Scene 5, with Arsinoe calling Celimene a coquettish hussy and Celimene responding with a remark about Arsinoe being an old, prudish bore. Their catfight becomes one of the funniest scenes in the play, as they childishly jab at the other's flaws.Moliere further makes their dialogue comical by using words to resemble a polite compliment, but underlining them with a darker, mischievous tone. The women are also guilty of exaggerating their comments as way of adding dramatic effect (example: Arsinoe is actually not much older than Celimene, but in her early to mid-twenties). However as superfluous as their argument may seem on the surface, its Writer's wit reveals quite a bit about society.

Celimene and Arsinoe's argument is a vivid example of members of society competing for dignity, respect, and favorability from their target, Alceste. As their lady-like facades crumble, they are exposed as juvenile and bloodthirsty in their attempt to climb the social ladder. Their attitudes simply prove the obsession over labels in society, and the identification of is the "right" or "wrong" sort of person. However, Moliere shows that, in their stove to point out the dirty truth of others, they show their own foibles.

While Moliere's characters fight to prove their nobility, his play poses a theme of identification and truthfulness. Who is she? What does everyone think he is? Are they being honest? Does it matter? While the nobles in "The Misanthrope" wear masks in society, their behavior (behind closed doors) reveal their true character in an ironic turn of events.