Poetry on Stage:
The Misanthrope by Molière, translated by Richard Wilbur

Hardly a year has gone by in over two centuries that has not seen numerous productions of The Misanthrope, making it one of the most enduring comedies of all time. Richard Wilbur's translation of Molière’s comic masterpiece is in rhymed verse. We meet afresh Alceste (the title character), his friends, and his fiancée. The outspoken Alceste finds them all vain, hypocritical, and insincere, while his own comic flaw lies in considering himself flawless. Bernard Sahlins directs a cast of talented Chicago actors in this staged reading.

My God! It chills my heart to see the ways
Men come to terms with evil nowadays;
Sometimes, I swear, I’m moved to flee and find
Some desert land unfouled by humankind.