Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name, Molière, is one of the most influential classical playwrights, whose work is still widely celebrated and performed to this day. Born in Paris in 1622 to Jean Poquelin and his wife, Marie Cressé, Molière was raised in an affluent home. After his mother passed away when he was 10, Molière moved with his father to another part of Paris. There, he enrolled at Jesuit College de Clermont, where he not only had a rigorous education, but his first exposure to theater.

At 21, he abandoned his father’s plans for him and left his lavish lifestyle behind for a life on the stage. He founded the Illustre Théâtre with actress Madeline Bejart, but the company only lasted for two years, going bankrupt in 1645. After many years of acting and producing dramas, racking up debts, and performing alongside the Italian commedia dell’arte company of Tiberio Fillero, Molière finally found success nearly 10 years later. He began to write five-act comedies in verse, relying heavily on improvisation and the commedia dell’arte style of stock characters and a vague plot. When that structure was in place, he could fill the pages with timely jokes that poked fun at contemporary French social mores.