The Misanthrope and Other Plays: A New Selection (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Jean-Baptiste Moliere (Author), David Coward (Editor, Translator, Introduction), John Wood (Translator) "Such Foolish Affected Ladies, the first play Moliere wrote after his return to Paris, was staged as an end-piece to an undistinguished royal command performance..." (more)
Key Phrases: philosophy master, fair countess, learned ladies, Monsieur Jourdain, Madame Jourdain, Grand Turk (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Misanthrope, Moliere's richly sophisticated comic drama is accompanied in this volume by The Would--be Gentleman, another tale of a dangerously deluded and obsessive hero. Tartuffe dares to take on the subject of religious hypocrisy. Also included are Such Foolish Affected Ladies and Those Learned Ladies, both newly translated for this edition. Finally, The Doctor Despite Himself is a hilarious example of Moliere's long-standing vendetta against the medical profession.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; 2nd edition (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044730X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447309
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Misanthrope is the ultimate in theatrical comedy, April 25, 1999

By	[e-mail] or Brandon Dunn "dravedun" (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Misanthrope (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Moliere's "The Misanthrope" is the most humorous play written in any language. It centers around the character Alceste, who has a firm beleif in being brutally honest all the time. The habit of others to speak harshly behind other's backs and hypocritically praise them to their faces drives him to the brink of insanity. It irks him so much that his only wish would be to become a hermit in the mountains. If it weren't for his love of the beautiful Celimene. However, to make things more complicated, she happens to be the queen of duplicitous thought. Alceste hates himself for loving a woman who behaves in the manner that irritates him the most, but cannot bring himself to confront what troubles him. That, paired with the remarkably written exchanges between Alceste, his friend Philinte, the pompous Oronte, and the many social courtiers and French aristocracy make this the ideal story to bring you to tears with laughter. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of theater, humor, and excellent writing. It truly deserves all 5 stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent version of the "Shakespeare of France", April 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Misanthrope and Other Plays (Signet classics) (Paperback)

Donald M. Frame's translations of fourteen Moliere comedies (seven in this volume and another seven in *Tartuffe and Other Plays*) are delightful. Not that Moliere's plays have lacked for translators; some versions have made the comedies leaden and dull, while others have added their own luster to the text in a way that distorts Moliere's intentions. Frame is more faithful to the original text than some earlier translators, while his verse does an admirable job of conveying the comic "thrust" that Moliere must have envisioned.

Any translation of this playwright must be compared against the sparkling verse renditions of Richard Wilbur. I personally find Frame to more than hold his own here, and in fact in *The Misanthrope* to do better in giving us the sense of the author stylishly, but without the translator "stealing the spotlight" as much as happens in Wilbur's brilliant version. Frame's version is excellent throughout and augmented by informative introductions and notes

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical, May 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Misanthrope and Other Plays (Signet classics) (Paperback)

You might not think a play in verse written in the 17th century would be accessible and entertaining today, but this one's hilarious. Somehow the formal rhyming couplets make everything funnier. Get the Donald Frame translation - I've seen some others that weren't nearly as good.