780 Molière
(9). From a dialogue among aristocrats in act 2, we
also learn that two things cannot be forgiven within
the microcosm of 17th-century mundane society:
boredom and ridiculousness. For example, speaking
of absent people, they say: “That stupid creature—
she is such a bore! . . . She has no conversation,
not a word” (32), and “His self-conceit exceeds all
measure” (32). Although they are not referring to
him—for he is present there—Alceste feels person-
ally concerned, because he knows he is both boring
and ridiculous to these people.
This difficult relation between individual and
society is condensed in the complicated relationship
of love and hate existing between Alceste, the can-
tankerous hermit, and Célimène, the obliging soci-
ety woman. It is very difficult to explain why Alceste
falls so helplessly in love with a woman whose
behavior is so different from his. Moreover, he has
an alternative to Célimène, the chaste Arsinoé, who
openly shows her feelings for Alceste. Not even his
wise friend Philinte can understand Alceste’s love
for Célimène, for he asks him: “This rigid moral
stance you have taken up—have you by any chance
observed the same in her whom you adore?” (11).
Although the reader can perceive the mutual love
between the two characters from their dialogues,
Alceste hates that society so much that his own love
is overshadowed. For example, he goes as far as tell-
ing Célimène: “You’re constantly besieged by men,
and really, that’s too much for me” (24).
The perfect example of the falseness of society
and the truth of the individual human being, almost
tragic in his isolation, is the fact that everybody is
described through indirect portraits. Human beings
cannot entertain sincere relationships among
themselves; Alceste is the only one who makes an
effort at being sincere, but his uncompromising
soul denies any constructive dialogue. For example,
when asked to give a judgment on a very bad poem
written by a lord, at first he tries not to say what he
really thinks, but in the end he expresses his opin-
ion so ardently, that he will eventually be sued. In
any case, there are no chances for constructive dia-
logues between Célimène and Arsinoé. As Arsinoé
says—“a free and frank exchange of views should
be more common. We might disabuse ourselves,
in that event, of such a wealth of self-deception,
bad for moral health” (50)—the dialogue becomes
a fervent quarrel.
The society described by Molière needs blind
individuals, entertaining no real dialogue among
them. That’s probably the main reason why Alceste
refuses Arsinoé’s invitation to enter the court, that
is to say, “the” society: “what would I do at court,
Madame? You know I haven’t got that sort of temper-
ament” (55). Alceste’s bad temper is indeed his great-
est problem: He is a misanthrope from the beginning
to the end of the play: “twenty thousand francs assure. . . my might to fulminate against human race, and
nurse my hatred of its ugly face” (79).
Tania Collani
iSolation in The Misanthrope
A misanthrope is defined as a person who avoids
other people and feels an intense desire for isola-
tion. The play strongly confirms this meaning, since
Alceste, the main character, does his best to be
isolated from society, in particular from the friends
and women around him. From the beginning of the
play, Alceste wants to be left alone and refuses a
constructive dialogue with his confident, Philinte:
“Let me be! . . . Leave me, sir, I beg you—go away!”
(3), he haughtily tells him. Alceste has a bad temper
and he is aware of it. Nonetheless, he is unwilling to
negotiate it: From his point of view, people have to
accept him as is or leave him alone.
All or nothing: This is the basic rule of Alceste’s
character, which is applied to every field of his life,
above all to relationships with other people. Either
a sincere relationship based on esteem and mutual
confidence exists, or any exchange becomes impos-
sible. “I wish no further part / In friendship with a
man so base at heart” (3), he says to the poor Phil-
inte, who tries to make him understand the good
side of being benevolent to the rest of mankind.
Alceste’s desperate search for transparency clashes
with the aristocratic and well-mannered society of
the Sun King’s court: Not only does Alceste want to
be left alone, but also others are not particularly fond
of sharing their time with him. He has a peculiar
power of embarrassing people, making them feel
guilty. Even with his closest friends, he acts like a
censor. Philinte is the first to feel guilty: “So then,
Alceste, you think that I’m to blame?” (3). And then