Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Misanthrope Study Guide." Course Hero. 25 Oct. 2017. Web. 8 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Misanthrope/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2017, October 25). The Misanthrope Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Misanthrope/
In text
(Course Hero, 2017)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Misanthrope Study Guide." October 25, 2017. Accessed June 8, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Misanthrope/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "The Misanthrope Study Guide," October 25, 2017, accessed June 8, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Misanthrope/.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Alceste | Alceste is the play's protagonist. He has a passion for sincerity and regards all concessions to the norms of polite society as hypocritical. Molière himself is recorded to have acted the role of Alceste when the play was first produced in 1666. Read More |
| Philinte | Philinte is portrayed as a foil, or contrasting character, to Alceste. Sensible and philosophical, Philinte believes in "forgetting the follies of the times" for the sake of peace of mind and social harmony. At the end of the play, Philinte will be married to Éliante, a suitable union because Éliante's approach to society closely matches his own. Read More |
| Oronte | Oronte is a pretentious, social-climbing courtier. He epitomizes the hypocrisy and malice of the court that Alceste so hotly detests. Oronte's pompous presentation of a poorly written sonnet in Act 1, Scene 2 for Alceste's critique is the first concrete example of the hypocrisy and vanity that Alceste detests in human society. Read More |
| Célimène | Célimène, 20 years old, is a socially prominent widow with whom Alceste is in love. Several other noble suitors pay court to her during the play, including Oronte, Acaste, and Clitandre. Célimène expertly juggles these competing noblemen, allowing none of them to establish a definitive claim. Her manipulation of her suitors greatly annoys Alceste. Read More |
| Arsinoé | Arsinoé is an aging, prudish aristocrat who is attracted to Alceste. She is portrayed as a rival and critic of Célimène. Outwardly polite but repellently hypocritical, Arsinoé is ill-suited for Alceste, as he bluntly reminds her on several occasions. Célimène easily sums up Arsinoé's character in the speech "It's all an act" in Act 3, Scene 3. Read More |
| Acaste | Acaste is a noble courtier (a marquis) who competes for the favor of Célimène. He is portrayed as very smug and complacent. |
| Basque | Basque is the valet, or servant, of Célimène. |
| Clitandre | Clitandre is another marquis who is in love with Célimène. |
| Dubois | Dubois is Alceste's valet. |
| Éliante | Éliante is the cousin of Célimène. She is portrayed as sensible and sincere. In the end, she marries Philinte as a sort of compensation. |
| Guard | The guard serves the Marshals, who are court officials. |
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