Poquelin

Poquelin is a French surname. The best-known bearer is Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622–1673), who is better known by his stage name Molière. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights and actors in 17th-century French theatre and a central figure in the development of modern Western comedy.

Born in Paris to a family connected with the royal court, Poquelin’s father, Jean Poquelin, served as the king’s upholsterer. He left family expectations to pursue theatre, founding the company L’Illustre Théâtre in 1643. After a period of hardship, he and his troupe found success in Paris and adopted the stage name Molière. With collaborators such as Madeleine Béjart, he produced works that fused sharp social observation with theatrical innovation and wit.

His best-known plays include Tartuffe (1664), a satirical critique of religious hypocrisy; Le Misanthrope (1666), a portrait of social pretense; L’École des femmes (The School for Wives, 1662); L’Avare (The Miser, 1668); Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1670); and Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid, 1673). These and other works helped solidify French comedy's emphasis on character psychology, social critique, and license with form, while often adhering to or bending classical theatrical norms.

Molière’s influence on theatre endures; his plays remain widely performed and studied for their inventive use of satire, dialogue, and staging. The surname Poquelin continues to be associated primarily with him in cultural and literary contexts.

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