How about a summer connection between Molière and the Color Method?
Molière created a gallery of characters so diverse and rich that it’s easy to find perfect examples to illustrate each of the behavioral dimensions in his various plays. Here’s a selection of the most typical profiles, each from a different play:
1. The Dominant : Alceste in “Le Misanthrope”.
Alceste is the perfect incarnation of the Red type taken to its extremes! Frontal, uncompromising and attached to his principles, he refuses to bow to social conventions and seeks to impose his vision of the world. He doesn’t hesitate to confront those he deems hypocritical, even if it puts him on the bangs of society.
“I want to be distinguished; and, to cut it short,
The friend of mankind is not at all my doing.”
2. The Communicant : Dorante in “Le Bourgeois gentilhomme” (The Bourgeois Gentleman)
Dorante, the charming comte in “Le Bourgeois gentilhomme”, embodies the Yellow type of Sociability. A skilled orator and seducer, he knows how to play with words to manipulate Monsieur Jourdain, flattering his ridiculous ambitions while taking advantage of his credulity. He’s a man of society, who thrives in salons and conversations.
“Monsieur Jourdain, you are a man of spirit. Your way of thinking is admirable, and I cannot praise too highly your good taste in everything you do.”
3. The Prudent: Harpagon in “L’Avare
Harpagon, in “L’Avare”, is the perfect example of the Green type of Security and Prudence. His obsession with money reflects his need for security and control. He is stingy not only with his possessions, but also with his emotions, preferring to keep everything to himself, for fear of uncertainty and risk.
“You have to eat to live, not live to eat.”
4. The Analytic: Arnolphe in “L’École des femmes
Arnolphe, in “L’École des femmes”, represents the Blue type of Analytic. Calculating, strategic and a hair-splitter down the middle, he puts in place a methodical plan to control Agnès’s education and make her a submissive wife with no intellectual autonomy. His rigid, analytical thinking drives him to anticipate every move, even if it ultimately backfires.
“It’s hard to have what you love;
And it’s a long way from the project to the thing.”
Profile comparison
Alceste (Red Profile) acts with moral intransigence, often to the detriment of his relationships. He wants to change the world in his own image.
Dorante (Profil Jaune), on the other hand, blends into his environment, using his charisma to navigate through social situations.
Harpagon (Profil Vert) seeks stability at all costs, accumulating wealth to protect himself from change and the unexpected.
Arnolphe (Blue Profile) relies on careful planning and control to achieve his goals, illustrating rational but rigid thinking.
Molière, with his incomparable talent for capturing the essence of human nature, offers us a range of characters who each embody an aspect of these behavioral typologies. In each of his works, we’ll find each of these behavioral types.
To compare these characters is not only to plunge into the art of classical theater, but also to explore the multiple facets of human psychology with a touch of humor and irony, welcome in this summer season.
#Molière #MéthodedesCouleurs #PersProfile #Théâtre #Comédie