Synopsis

The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope $13

Jean Baptiste Moliere trans into English verse by Richard Wilbur

Published by Dramatists Play Service

8 Male 3 Female

Outraged and disheartened by the vain flattery and calculated duplicity of his fellow men, Alceste declares that henceforth he will speak only the truth-no matter what offense this might give

His philosophic friend Philinte counsels him to temper his rashness, but Alceste claims that he can no longer tolerate the conventions of saying one thing to a person's face and another behind his back

Ironically, Alceste is enamored of the young widow Celimene, whose malicious tongue and unceasing coquetry make her the embodiment of the very situation he professes to detest

Ultimately Alceste's directness involves him in a lawsuit, and then a showdown with Celimene

But in the end it is Alceste who rejects the match when confidential letters are disclosed in which Celimene has set down scathing remarks about all her would-be lovers, Alceste included. Self-righteously he declares that he will renounce the world and seek a place where honesty can still flourish

As the curtain falls, however, the unruffled Philinte steps forward once more, taking Alceste in hand and urging him to accept things as they are and for what they are, pointing to the cynical moral that it is the wiser course to accept for the best what cannot be changed for the better

Browse Library

About Stageplays

Stageplays offers you the largest collection of Plays & Musicals in the world.

Based in the UK and the USA, we’ve been serving the online theatre community since the last century. We’re primarily a family-run business and several of us also work in professional theatre.

But we’re all passionate about theatre and we all work hard to share that passion with you and the world’s online community.

Subscribe to our theatre newsletter

We'll email you regular details of new plays and half-price special offers on a broad range of theatre titles.

Shipping

We can deliver any play in print to any country in the world - and we ship from both the US and the UK.

© 2010 - 2024 Stageplays, Inc.