Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, bekannt unter seinem Künstlernamen Molière (Januar Februar 15,1622 - 17,1673) war ein französischer Dramatiker und Schauspieler, der als einer der größten Meister der Komödie in der westlichen Literatur gilt. Geboren in eine wohlhabende Familie und mit st

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière (January 15,1622 - February 17,1673) was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Born into a prosperous family and having studied at the Collège de Clermont (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand), he was well suited to begin a life in the theater. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped him polish his comic abilities while he began writing, combining Commedia dell'arte elements with the more refined French comedy. Though he received the adulation of the court and Parisians, Molière's satires attracted criticism from moralists and the Catholic Church. Tartuffe and its attack on perceived religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations from the Church, while Don Juan was banned from performance. Molière's hard work in so many theatrical capacities took its toll on his health and, by 1667, he was forced to take a break from the stage. In 1673, during a production of his final play, The Imaginary Invalid, Molière, who suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, was seized by a coughing fit and a hemorrhage while playing the hypochondriac Argan. He finished the performance, but collapsed again, and died a few hours later, at the age of 51. Among his best-known works are The Misanthrope, The School for Wives, Tartuffe, The Miser, The Imaginary Invalid, and The Bourgeois Gentleman.