Molière

Molière was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, born in Paris in January 1622 and dead in February 1673. He was the son of a well-off upholsterer, but he chose the theatre, founded a troupe, and spent years touring the French provinces before winning the favour of Louis XIV in Paris. As actor, manager and playwright, he wrote comedies that mixed farce, sharp observation and, often, music and dance. His targets were hypocrisy, greed, vanity, pedantry and the self-deception of ordinary people, from pious frauds to doctors and social climbers. Several of his plays caused fierce controversy and were attacked by religious and professional groups. Molière died in Paris after collapsing during a performance of his last play, according to the traditional account. His work remains central to French theatre, which is still often called the language of Molière, and his comic characters are staged and read around the world.