Jean Baptiste Poquelin Research Paper

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OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY

JEAN-BAPTISTE POQUELIN AND HIS IMPACT

HISTORY 127H
MR. DEL CORSO

BY LAIRD PERCIVAL

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
OCTOBER 9, 2015

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673) took up the name Molière in 1642 and set out to become one of the most influential actors and playwrights of all time. The popularity and reach of his creations rivals that of William Shakespeare and is easily as influential. His writings are relatable and understandable to all, and have even reached the point to which they are taught in high schools. Mary Shelly describes an occasion in which Louis XIV asked Boileau which writer he considered to be the most distinguished, and she goes on to describe how Boileau immediately answered with one name, “Molière.”
Poquelin was educated only in reading and writing, and Poquelin spent the remainder of his time working for his father. However, Poquelin was taken to view many shows with his grandfather and gained the desire to pursue theatre from these experiences. A former Clermont student, Molière founded the "Illustre Théâtre" …show more content…

Molière changed acting from what it had previously been by adding what many call “naturalness.” Prior to Molière many theatres focused on reusing characters and ideas, but Molière added individuality to every character he played and created, as well as adding amore show specific prop and scene elements. While in modern times we have greatly adapted our acting methods in recent years, the way that Molière changed theatre can still be seen today. In modern times shows have become so individualized that the same show can be completely different depending on those who bring it to life. This adds a great deal of diversity and allows people to tell stories the way they see them rather than just repeating what others have done before, and while this is not exclusively due to Molière, his impact is anything but a small