Finished: The Misanthrope (Moliere). Another good play by Moliere. I had to look it up....a misanthrope is one who hates or mistrusts mankind. In this case, the misanthrope is the main character of the play, Alceste. Alceste believes that man should be honest to a fault...never sparing anyone's feelings with a false pleasantry. His best friend, Philinte, believes that there are exceptions to that rule...especially in society where you need to be pleasant to people you may not necessarily like. Alceste makes his point clear in the following blurb from a conversation with Philinte:

Philinte: But, seriously, what would you have people do?
Alceste: I would have people be sincere, and that, like men of honour, no word be spoken that comes not from the heart.
Philinte: When a man comes and embraces you warmly, you must pay him back in his own coin, respond as best you can to his show of feeling, and return offer for offer, vow for vow.
Alceste: Not so. I cannot bear so base a method which your fashionable people generally affect; there is nothing I detest so much as the contortions of these great time-and-lip servers, these affable dispensers of meaningless embraces, these obliging utterers of empty words, who view everyone in civilities, and treat the man of worth and the fop alike. What good does it do if a man heaps endearments on you, vows that he is your friend, that he believes in you, is full of zeal for you, esteems and loves you, and lauds you to the skies, when he rushes to do the same to the first rapscallion he meets? No, no, no heart with the least self-respect cares for esteem so prostituted; he will hardly relish it, even when openly expressed, when he finds that he shares it with the whole universe. Preference must be based on esteem, and to esteem everyone is to esteem no one. Since you abandon yourself to the vices of the times, zounds! you are not the man for me. I decline this over-complaisant kindness, which uses no discrimination. I like to be distinguished; and, to cut the matter short, the friend of all mankind is no friend of mine. 

Yet, despite his hefty proclamations, Alceste loves Celimene, a young woman who appears to love him, but is also very flirtatious and gossips terribly about other people behind their backs while being nice to their faces. This is exactly what Alceste detests, yet he loves Celimene. Celimene accepts callers and refuses to give up her friendships though Alceste is terribly jealous and insists she sees only him. She tell him she loves him, but will not give up her friends/suitors, Acaste, Oronte, and Clitandre, to name a few. Speaking of Oronte...he insists on getting Alceste's viewpoint of a verse of poetry he has written. Alceste tries several times to decline giving his opinion, because, he says, he will be brutally honest. Oronte insists this is what he wants, but he is very unhappy when Alceste gives his poetry a scathing review and says that Oronte should never attempt to write again. Oronte, a "friend of the court" actually takes Alceste to trial where he still will not retract what he has said...all in the name of honesty.

Meanwhile, Eliante, Celimene's cousin, is a delightful, balanced young woman who believes in both being honest and in showing some restraint....and...she happens to love Alceste and his honesty. Philinte, though, loves Eliante with all his heart. Philinte tells Eliante that if she ever gets over her love for Alceste, he will be right there waiting because he loves her....sigh. It comes to light that Celimene has written several love letters to all the gentlemen in which she bashes her other suitors pretty good behind their backs, even Alceste, while claiming she truly loves the one she's writing to. As this comes to Alceste's attention, he denounces Celimene and turns to Eliante and says he will vow to love her instead. Eliante, though, reaches her hand out to Philinte and declares her love for him. (yay!) Alceste stomps off and decides to go live by himself as a hermit in some little corner of the world.

A more quick-witted play than I can make it out to be by my small little recap. :-) I have enjoyed all the Moliere plays I've read so far!