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The Misanthrope
For everyone who's ever been told they're 'too honest': Alceste, 1666, refused to lie about a bad poem and made enemies. Relatable? 🎭
Who it's for
Alceste says out loud what many people privately think: that flattery is dishonest, small talk is empty and society runs on lies.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Molière's verse comedy of manners, first performed in Paris in 1666, centres on Alceste, a man who rejects the flattery and polite falsehoods of aristocratic society. He argues with his pragmatic friend Philinte, makes an enemy of the nobleman Oronte by criticising his sonnet, and loves the flirtatious Célimène despite despising her courtly ways.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US in older prose translations (e.g., Henri Van Laun's, on Project Gutenberg); Wilbur's verse translation is in copyright, in print and in libraries.
Before you start
Age: Ages 12+
This above all: to thine own self be true,William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3
