Le Misanthrope All Quotes

Question 1

Alceste - exaggeration but also honesty. He’d hang himself if he wasn’t sincere. (I)

Answer 1

Je m’irais, de regret, pendre tout à l’instant

Question 2

Alceste - describing how he wants to get angry and not listen (I)

Answer 2

Je veux me fâcher et ne veux point entendre

Question 3

Alceste on honesty and ‘homme d’honneur’ (I)

Answer 3

Je veux qu’on… on ne lâche aucun mot qui ne parte du cœur

Question 4

Alceste’s vanity (I)

Answer 4

Je veux qu’on me distingue

Question 5

Alceste says people always just express their feelings as… (society, honesty) (I)

Answer 5

Vains compliments

Question 6

Philinte’s opposition to Alceste, shows his conforming nature (raisonneur) but recognition of society’s imperfection (I)

Answer 6

Quand on est du monde, il faut bien qu’on le rende quelques dehors civils que l’usage demande

Question 7

Alceste’s vanity and hatred of society (I)

Answer 7

Que je serais fâché d’être sage à leurs yeux

Question 8

Alceste’s miasantrhopy (I)

Answer 8

Je hais tous les hommes

Question 9

Philinte’s opposition to Alceste about human nature (I)

Answer 9

Faisons un peu grâce à la nature humaine

Question 10

Alceste to Oronte, friendship and that we should only say we’re friends when we mean it (I)

Answer 10

Profaner le nom que de vouloir le mettre à toute occasion

Question 11

Oronte wants Alceste’s truthfulness… (I)

Answer 11

C’est que je demande

Question 12

Alceste not fully committing to the truth when dealing with Oronte - hypocrisy. Repetition three times for comedy. (I)

Answer 12

Je ne dis pas cela

Question 13

Finally Alceste tells Oronte what he thinks of the sonnet (I)

Answer 13

Il est bon à mettre au cabinet

Question 14

Alceste asking C to give a show of love (II)

Answer 14

Faire expliquer votre âme

Question 15

Célimène needs to impress Acaste and Clitandre for her court case (II)

Answer 15

Il m’a promis, il peut intéresser tout ce qu’il a d’amis

Question 16

Célimène identifies Alceste’s jealousy (II)

Answer 16

De tous l’univers vous devenez jaloux

Question 17

Alceste complains that she sees too many men (II)

Answer 17

C’est que tous l’univers est bien reçu de vous

Question 18

Alceste doesn’t want to love Célimène (against his nature) (II)

Answer 18

Faut-il que je vous aime?

Question 19

Alceste swearing, crude

Answer 19

Parbleu; non, madame, non; O Ciel

Question 20

C snappy to Alceste (II)

Answer 20

Taisez-vous

Question 21

Clitandre encourages Celimene in the Scène de Portraits (II)

Answer 21

Timante encor, Madame, est un bon caractère

Question 22

Celimene’s portrait of Alceste - accurate. She’s canny (II)

Answer 22

Il prend toujours en main l’opinion contraire

Question 23

C says that Alceste is a contrarian in her portrait - childish

Answer 23

L’esprit contrariant

Question 24

Alceste: Love is being truthful (II)

Answer 24

Plus on aime quelqu’un, moins il faut qu’on le flatte

Question 25

Éliante: Love is loving other's imperfections

Answer 25

Dans l'objet aimé tout devient aimable

Question 26

Alceste won’t leave until C+A have - childish, controlling, obnoxious (II)

Answer 26

Je ne sors qu’après que vous serez sortis

Question 27

Acaste is arrogant and in a high position (III)

Answer 27

Fort aimé du beau sexe, et bien auprès du maître

Question 28

Exaggeration, contrasts Acaste’s arrogance and happiness. About Celimene’s rejection. (III)

Answer 28

Il faut que je me pende

Question 29

C on Arsinoe (III)

Answer 29

Abandonné de tous

Question 30

Comic bathos in Arsinoe’s entrance from C (III)

Answer 30

Elle est impertinente au suprême degré (Enter Arsionoe) Quel heureux sort en ce lieu vous amène

Question 31

Arsinoe attacking Celimene in a passive aggressive way (III)

Answer 31

Il est des choses dans la vie qu’on ne peut excuser

Question 31

Arsinoe attacking Celimene in a passive aggressive way (III)

Answer 31

Il est des choses dans la vie qu’on ne peut excuser

Question 32

Celimene responds to Arsinoe, being truthful - like Alceste? (III)

Answer 32

Votre pruderie et vos éclats de zéle

Question 33

Alceste has secret charms according to Arsinoe (as a result of his sincerity?) (III)

Answer 33

Des charmes secrets

Question 34

Alceste dismisses Arsinoe’s offers saying he won’t be good in court since his greatest talent is being sincere and frank (III)

Answer 34

Être franc et sincère est mon plus grand talent

Question 35

Arsinoe claims to have evidence of Celimene’s infidelity (III)

Answer 35

Je vous ferai voir une preuve fidèle de l’infidélité

Question 36

Alceste’s honesty is noble and heroic for Eliante. She also has feelings for him. (IV)

Answer 36

De noble et d’héroïque

Question 37

Eliante tells Philinte that she is interested in Alceste (IV)

Answer 37

Mon coeur pour elle [his ‘tendresse’] s’intéresse

Question 38

Philinte tells Eliante that he’s interested in her and would want her if he gets with Celimene (IV)

Answer 38

J’attends l’occasion de m’offrir

Question 39

Alceste's exaggeration at reading Celimene’s letter (IV)

Answer 39

Je suis assassiné

Question 40

Alceste offers to marry Eliante as revenge for Celimene (IV)

Answer 40

Je peux prendre vengeance d’elle

Question 41

Following Alceste’s tirade of insults Celiemene’s witty (IV)

Answer 41

Voilà certainement des douceurs que j’admire

Question 42

The fact that Celimene kept pretending to be inerested in Alceste makes the letter to Oronte worse - if she’d just rejected him straight off it would have been better. (IV)

Answer 42

Mais d’un aveu trompeur voir ma flamme applaudie, c’est une trahison, c’est une perfidie

Question 43

C's honesty to Alceste (similar to him). Also turns his anger against him. (IV)

Answer 43

Vous êtes, sans mentir, un grand extravagant

Question 44

Alceste wants to stop loving Celimene but can’t (IV)

Answer 44

[My heart is too cowardly] pour ne pouvoir briser la chaîne qui l’attache

Question 45

Alceste wishes Celimene was ugly and hated so he could redeem her (IV)

Answer 45

Afin que de mon coeur l’éclatant sacrifice vous pût d’un pareil sort réparer l’injustice

Question 46

Oronte is Alceste’s enemy. (V)

Answer 46

Mon plus grand adversaire

Question 47

Philinte appreciates society’s corruption but gives a positive solution to it - raisonneur. (V)

Answer 47

Tous ces défauts humains nous donnent dans la vie des moyens d’exercer notre philosophie

Question 48

Alceste compares society to wolves - Hobbesian idea. (V)

Answer 48

(Live) en vrais loups

Question 49

Oronte mirrors Alceste in his complaints to C - are they therefore justified? (V)

Answer 49

Il me faut de votre âme une pleine assurance

Question 50

Celimene is vain and diplomatic when they demand a confession of her love (V)

Answer 50

[Expressions of love] Ne se doivent point dire en présence des gens

Question 51

Eliante likes honest people - is she conforming to Alceste or is she just agreeing with him. (V)

Answer 51

Je suis pour les gens qui disent leur pensée

Question 52

Celimene finds Alceste amusing but irritating a lot of the time. (V)

Answer 52

Il me divertit quelquefois avec ses brusqueries… (but often) je le trouve le plus fâcheux du monde

Question 53

Acaste and Clitandre are upset and will ruin Celimene’s reputation (Clitandre's line) (V)

Answer 53

[Go everywhere and] montrer de votre coeur le portrait glorieux

Question 54

Oronte, Acaste and Clitandre all give up Celimene. Even a hint of camaraderie among them? (Oronte's line) (V)

Answer 54

Je ne fais plus d'obstacle à votre flamme

Question 55

Celimene accepts she’s wrong and is humbled - contrast to when Oronte’s letter is revealed (V)

Answer 55

J’ai tort, je le confesse… vous avez sujet de me haïr

Question 56

Alceste is willing to blame her actions on the vice of the day and her youth (perhaps she was indoctrinated?) (V)

Answer 56

Le vice du temps porte votre jeunesse

Question 57

Celimene rejects Alceste’s offer to go to the desert but offers her hand in marriage (V)

Answer 57

La solitude effraye une âme de vingt ans… si le don de ma main peut contenter vos voeux

Question 58

Alceste rejects Celimene (V)

Answer 58

Je vous refuse

Question 59

Eliante asks for Philinte (V)

Answer 59

[Philinte] la pourrait accepter [hand in marriage]