“The Misanthrope,” (or the Cantankerous Lover) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by the French playwright, Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal. The play satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the flaws that afflict all humans. The play differs from other farces of the time by employing dynamic characters like Alceste and Célimène as opposed to the flat caricatures of traditional social satire. It also differs from most of Molière's other works by focusing more on character development and nuances than on plot progression. The play, though not a commercial success in its time, survives as Molière's best known work today.
