Molière (2007) Plot Summary Explained

Monsieur Jourdain, a wealthy but socially ambitious commoner, agrees to pay Molière's debts because he wants to learn acting. His ultimate goal is to win the affection of Célimène, a recently widowed aristocrat he has become obsessed with. He plans to perform a play he has written to impress her, and he needs Molière's theatrical expertise to pull off this social scheme.

• jourdain
• moliere
• debt
• prison
• acting lessons
• célimène

Molière is introduced to the Jourdain family as Tartuffe, a fictional pious priest, so he can serve as a tutor for the younger daughter while maintaining his cover. This deception allows him to live in the household and teach acting lessons to Jourdain without revealing the true arrangement. The name Tartuffe would later become the title of one of Molière's most famous plays about a religious hypocrite.

Foreshadowing: The film later stages scenes from Molière's actual play Tartuffe, connecting the fictional deception to his real artistic creation.

• tartuffe
• deception
• tutor
• jourdain family
• hypocrisy

Molière falls in love with Elmire, Jourdain's wife, because she is neglected and overlooked by her husband who is too busy pursuing Célimène. As Molière spends time in the household tutoring the family, he develops a genuine emotional connection with Elmire, creating a dangerous personal conflict with the professional deception he must maintain.

• elmire
• moliere
• love affair
• jourdain wife
• neglect

Célimène is a recently widowed aristocrat whom Jourdain is obsessed with winning over. She represents his social aspirations - by attracting a noblewoman, he would elevate his status in French society. This obsession drives his entire arrangement with Molière and his willingness to invest in learning acting, making her central to his character motivation throughout the film.

• célimène
• jourdain
• aristocrat
• social ambition
• obsession

Dorante is a penniless and cynical aristocrat who manipulates situations to profit from Jourdain's gullibility and social ambition. He schemes at court and in high society, taking advantage of Jourdain's desire to be accepted by the nobility. His maneuvers expose the fragility of social pretensions and add another layer of deception to the complex social web surrounding Molière.

• dorante
• scheme
• aristocrat
• jourdain
• gullibility
• deception

The film implies that Molière's experiences with Jourdain - the social pretensions, the deception, the romantic entanglements, and the hypocrisy he witnesses - directly fed into his mature works. The character of Jourdain in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme shares the name of his patron, and moments from Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, and Le Malade imaginaire are staged throughout, suggesting his real-life experiences shaped his satirical masterpieces.

Foreshadowing: The film intermittently stages scenes from Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, and Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, connecting Molière's life to his works.

• moliere
• plays
• inspiration
• tartuffe
• le misanthrope
• le bourgeois gentilhomme
• legacy

In 1658, Molière returns to Paris with his theatrical troupe to perform in a theatre granted to him by the king's brother. This marks a triumphant return to the stage and signals the start of his public career. The film uses this present-day setting to frame the flashback narrative, showing how his earlier struggles with Jourdain led to his eventual success.

• moliere
• paris
• 1658
• return
• troupe
• theatre career

The deception serves multiple purposes - it allows Jourdain to pursue Célimène while maintaining his family obligations, it provides Molière access to the household and acting lessons, and it creates the comedic tension that drives the plot. More importantly, the film uses these deceptions to explore themes of truth, power, and theater that would become central to Molière's satirical works about hypocrisy.

• deception
• tartuffe
• hypocrisy
• truth
• theater
• society

Jourdain neglects his wife Elmire because he is entirely consumed by his obsession with Célimène. Rather than investing in his existing marriage, he spends his energy pursuing the aristocratic widow, believing that winning her favor would elevate his social standing. His neglect creates the emotional vacuum that allows Molière to develop feelings for Elmire.

• elmire
• jourdain
• neglect
• célimène
• marriage
• social ambition

The older Jourdain daughter's budding romance serves as a parallel subplot that adds social pressure and dramatic irony to the main narrative. Her pursuit of love intersects with her father's ambitions and Molière's precarious position in the household, enriching the film's exploration of social relationships and deception in 17th-century France.

• older daughter
• jourdain
• romance
• subplot
• social pressure