The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by the King's Players.
Engraving from the 1719 edition
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world literature. His extant works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today. His influence is such that the French language is often referred to as the "language of Molière".
Portrait of Molière by Pierre Mignard (c. 1658)
Molière as Caesar in The Death of Pompey by Pierre Corneille, portrait by Nicolas Mignard
Illustration after Pierre Brissart for the printed text of L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps
First volume of a 1739 translation into English of all of Molière's plays, printed by John Watts.