Jean-Baptiste Molière was a celebrated French playwright known for his witty comedies. His works, including Tartuffe and The Misanthrope, humorously exposed human follies and social pretensions, securing his place among classical theater's greatest figures.
If you enjoy reading books by Jean-Baptiste Moliere then you might also like the following authors:
Pierre Corneille is a French playwright known for his powerful tragedies and complex moral dilemmas. Like Molière, he wrote for the French stage in the 17th century, but his themes lean heavily toward duty, honor, and the struggles of personal conscience.
His most famous work, Le Cid, explores difficult personal choices and conflicts between love, honor, and social expectation, told through elegant yet accessible verse.
William Shakespeare's plays include witty comedies, powerful tragedies, and sharply observed human follies.
Fans of Molière's wit and social satire are likely to appreciate Shakespeare's comedic side—particularly his ability to capture humor from mistaken identities and human vanity.
One great example is Twelfth Night, a comedy packed with humor, confusion, and sharp observations about love and self-deception.
Ben Jonson was an English playwright who specialized in sharp satire and careful observation of human foolishness. His comedy is strongly character-driven and often mocks greed, vanity, and pretension—similar to the satirical comedies by Molière.
His play Volpone, as funny as it is cutting, hilariously captures human greed and deceitful schemes gone wrong.
Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright, wrote comedy that mixed social criticism, political satire, and humor. If you like how Molière pokes fun at pretentiousness and hypocrisy, Aristophanes' comedies might resonate strongly.
The Clouds, one of his best-known works, skewers intellectual pretension in Athens, humorously exposing absurd ideas and arrogance.
Plautus was a Roman comedic playwright whose lively, farcical style and clever plotting inspired many later stage comedies, including those by Molière. Plautus' plays typically feature mistaken identities, tricksters, and comedic misunderstandings—as well as sharp dialogue.
His most famous work, Miles Gloriosus (The Braggart Soldier), humorously mocks bravado and vanity, themes Molière fans will certainly enjoy.
Terence was a Roman playwright known for his witty comedies and well-defined characters. His plays often poke gentle fun at society's flaws and misunderstandings, using clever dialogue and subtle humor.
In The Brothers (Adelphoe), Terence humorously examines contrasting parenting styles and the consequences of indulgence versus discipline, showing that human nature remains consistent across centuries.
Carlo Goldoni brought fresh life to Italian drama by steering away from exaggerated farce toward a more realistic comedy of manners. His plays reflect everyday life, gently mocking society and highlighting human quirks with warmth and sincerity.
The Servant of Two Masters is one of his best-known plays, full of lively characters and clever scenarios that showcase Goldoni's humorous yet compassionate view of humanity.
Pierre de Marivaux specialized in clever romantic comedies filled with charm, wit, and insightful observation of human relationships. His dialogues sparkle with subtlety and sophistication, often depicting love's complexities with playful clarity.
In The Game of Love and Chance (Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard), Marivaux explores social roles and romantic misunderstandings through disguise and delightful confusion, giving readers plenty to think about as well as smile over.
Beaumarchais was an energetic French dramatist who sharply critiqued society and politics through clever dialogue and memorable characters.
He skillfully mixed comedy and satire to challenge social conventions and authority, creating plays that were both entertaining and thought-provoking.
His best-known work, The Marriage of Figaro, humorously spotlights the tensions between social classes and questions traditional authority, providing comedy alongside sharp social commentary.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish playwright who captured audiences with his comedic plays about the absurdities and pretensions of high society. His plays are filled with clever banter, humorous misunderstandings, and sharply drawn characters.
In The School for Scandal, Sheridan shows his mastery of witty dialogue while also humorously criticizing society's obsession with appearances and gossip, creating comedy that feels timeless and lively.
Oscar Wilde is celebrated for his clever wit and sharp social satire. Much like Moliere, Wilde exposes human folly and hypocrisy through sparkling, humorous dialogue.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, he pokes fun at upper-class society and its shallow morals, delivering comedy that feels effortlessly entertaining yet sharp beneath the surface.
George Bernard Shaw writes intelligent and lively plays that focus on social and moral issues. Similar to Moliere, Shaw uses humor and sharply drawn characters to question accepted values and conventions.
His play Pygmalion humorously examines class distinctions and social mobility, highlighting how language shapes identity and social status.
Nikolai Gogol employs absurd humor and sharp satire to highlight the flaws and absurdity of society. Like Moliere, his comedies expose hypocrisy and vanity, often through exaggerated scenarios.
Gogol's play The Government Inspector brilliantly satirizes corruption and incompetence in local government, showing people's ridiculous attempts at deception and their self-serving behavior.
Ludvig Holberg, often called the father of Scandinavian theater, offers sharp satire with comic situations and lively characters. His writing shows similarities to Moliere in his focus on human weaknesses, foolishness, and pretensions.
Jeppe of the Hill is one notable comedy, illustrating how circumstances and power can transform human character in humorous and revealing ways.
Jean de La Fontaine's style is playful, satirical, and insightful. He uses fables featuring animals acting like people to comment on human vices and virtues, a method related to Moliere's clever exposure of human folly.
La Fontaine's collection, Fables, entertains readers with humor and subtle lessons about moral conduct and human behavior.