Characters
Who is Alceste’s best friend.
Philinte
Analyze and explain the following:
Let the heart speak, and let our sentiments
Not mask themselves in silly compliments.
Mean what you say.
What is a split-rhymed verse?
When one character speaks a line and then the next character speaks finishing the rhyme?
Why does Oronte file a lawsuit against Alceste?
Because of Alceste's harsh criticism of Oronte's poem.
Define the following word:
melancholy
sad, gloomy, somber
Who said, "The friend of mankind is no friend of mine."
Alceste
Analyze and explain the following:
To honor all men is to honor none.
If everybody is great then 'great' ceases to have meaning.
What is satire?
The use of humor to criticize people, policies, or institutions.
Why is Alceste mad at Philinte in the beginning of the play?
Because Alceste thinks Philinte is fake. Al hates insincerity.
Define the following word:
surmise
infer, figure out, take a guess
Who are all of Celimene's suitors?
Clitandre, Alceste, Oronte, Acaste
Alceste:
The dog now seeks to ruin me by stating
That I composed a book now circulating,
A book so wholly criminal and vicious
That even to speak its title is seditious!
Alceste lost his case because it is believed that he made a “Burn Book” that is now spreading.
What are Heroic Couplets?
Rhyming couples of iambic pentameter.
Why is Philinte surprised that Alceste is in love with Celimene?
Because she contains all the qualities Alceste hates in a person.
Define the following word:
claque
a group of sycophants (followers)
Alceste lost his case. Who helped the opposing side?
Oronte
If all hearts beat according to your measure,
The dawn of love would be the end of pleasure;
And love would find its perfect consummation
In ecstasies of rage and reprobation.
If all people loved the same way, love would be miserable and meaningless.
What is farce?
A type of comedy (often satirical) in which a series of events becomes more and more improbable.
Why does Celimene flatter Clitandre?
Celimene faces legal troubles and needs his influence in the court of law on her side.
Define the following word:
equivocate
to mislead
What character was a fake friend to a main lead and caused a commotion between two main leads?
Arsinoe
Analyze and explain the following:
Here in the world, each human frailty
Provides occasion for philosophy (Lines 81-82)
If every heart were frank and kind and just,
What could our virtues do but gather dust (Lines 85-86)
Every human error provides an opportunity to think. If there were no bad then there would possibly be no use for philosophy.
What is Alexandrine?
A line of poetry that is 12 syllables long...usually with a "caesura" (a pause) after the 6th syllable.
What does Arsinoe tell Alceste about Celimene?
Arsinoe tells Alceste that Celimene is not deserving of him. She also claims to have evidence of Celimene's insincerity and offers herself as consolation.
Define the following word:
panegyric
an accolade, a tribute, a speech of praise