Up until the last century there was a tendency, among directors in the theatre and academic critics alike, to stress the philosophical and satirical content of Moliere's comedy and to overlook the fact that he was a professional man of the theatre. More recently, certain influential critics have tended to go to the other extreme and to emphasise the theatrical and aesthetic qualities of his plays at the expense of what they may have to offer as plays of ideas. This study seeks to reconcile the two approaches: while exploring the evolution of Moliere's comedy as a vehicle for his own talents...