- For the Swiss ballet company, see Béjart Ballet
The Béjart Ballet is a Swiss ballet company. It is based in the city of Lausanne, but tours other countries.Béjart Ballet Lausanne was founded in 1987...
, and its choreographer, Maurice BéjartMaurice Béjart was a French and Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He was the son of the French philosopher Gaston Berger....
Béjart is the name of several
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s of the 1600s.
They were children of Marie Hérve and Joseph Béjart (died 1643), the holder of a small
government post. There were 11 children in the family which was very poor and lived in the
MaraisMarais means "marsh" in the French language.Marais may also refer to:*Le Marais, a district in Paris, France*Le Marais , written in both English and French by Irish Songwriter, Liz Madden....
, then the theatrical quarter of
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
- For the Swiss ballet company, see Béjart Ballet
The Béjart Ballet is a Swiss ballet company. It is based in the city of Lausanne, but tours other countries.Béjart Ballet Lausanne was founded in 1987...
, and its choreographer, Maurice BéjartMaurice Béjart was a French and Swiss choreographer who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He was the son of the French philosopher Gaston Berger....
Béjart is the name of several
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s of the 1600s.
Background
They were children of Marie Hérve and Joseph Béjart (died 1643), the holder of a small
government post. There were 11 children in the family which was very poor and lived in the
MaraisMarais means "marsh" in the French language.Marais may also refer to:*Le Marais, a district in Paris, France*Le Marais , written in both English and French by Irish Songwriter, Liz Madden....
, then the theatrical quarter of
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Four of the children became notable in the acting profession, of them, two sisters were more famous.
Madeleine Béjart
Madeleine (1618––1672) was at the head of the travelling company to which her sister Geneviève (1631–1675) – who played as Mlle Hervé – and her brothers belonged, before they joined Molière in forming
l'Illustre Théâtre (1643). She remained with Molière until her death on February 17 1672.
Madeleine had an illegitimate daughter (1638) by an Italian count, and her conduct on her early travels had not been exemplary, but whatever her private relations with Molière may have been, however acrimonious and violent her temper, she and her family remained faithful to his fortunes. She was a tall, handsome blonde, and an excellent actress, particularly in
soubretteSoubrette is a term referring to a type of female role—specifically, a stock character—in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy"....
parts, a number of which Molière wrote for her. Among her creations were Marotte in
Les Précieuses ridiculesLes Précieuses ridicules is a one-act satire by Molière in prose. It takes aim at the précieuses, the ultra-witty ladies who indulged in lively conversations, word games and, in a word, préciosité ....
, Lisette in
L'École des maris, Dorine in
TartuffeTartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is his most famous play.As the play begins, the well-off Orgon is convinced that Tartuffe is a man of great religious zeal and fervor. In fact, Tartuffe is a scheming hypocrite...
.
Armande Grésinde Claire Elizabeth Béjart
Madeleine's sister, Armande (1645–1700) married Molière. She seems to have first joined the company at Lyons in 1653. Molière directed her education and she grew up under his eye. In 1662,they married, he being then 40 and she 17. Neither was happy; the wife was a flirt, the husband jealous. On the strength of a scurrilous anonymous pamphlet,
La Fameuse Comédienne, ou histoire de la Guérin (1688), her character was held perhaps unduly low. She was certainly guilty of indifference and ingratitude, possibly of infidelity; they separated after the birth of a daughter in 1665 and met only at the theatre until 1671. But Molière too could not resist the charm and grace which fascinated others, and they were reconciled.
Her portrait is given in a well-known scene (Act iii., sc. 9) in
Le Bourgeois gentilhommeLe Bourgeois gentilhomme is a five-act comédie-ballet—a ballet interrupted by spoken dialogue—by Molière, first presented on October 14, 1670 before the court of Louis XIV at the château of Chambord by Molière's troupe of actors...
. Mme Molière's first appearance on the stage was in 1663, as Élise in the
Critique de l'école des femmes. She was out of the cast for a short time in 1664, when she bore Molière a son, with Louis XIV and Henrietta of England standing sponsors to the child.
In the spring, beginning with the fêtes at
VersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial center...
given by the king to
Anne of AustriaAnne of Austria was Queen Consort of France and Navarre and regent for her son, Louis XIV of France. During her regency Cardinal Mazarin served as France's chief minister...
and
Maria Theresa of SpainMaria Theresa of Spain was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. She was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV. She was the mother of the Grand Dauphin...
, she started her long list of important roles. She was at her best as Celimène – really her own highly-finished portrait – in
Le MisanthropeLe Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux is a 17th century comedy of manners written by French playwright Molière.This play, like Molière's Tartuffe and others, is a comedy. It satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the...
, and just as admirable as Angélique in
Le Malade imaginaireThe Imaginary Invalid is a three-act comedy by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed in 1673 and was the last work he wrote. Molière collapsed during his fourth performance as the hypochondriac on 17 February and died soon after...
. She was the Elmire at the first performance
of
TartuffeTartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is his most famous play.As the play begins, the well-off Orgon is convinced that Tartuffe is a man of great religious zeal and fervor. In fact, Tartuffe is a scheming hypocrite...
, and the Lucile of
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme.
All these parts were written by her husband to display her talents to the best advantage and she made the most of her opportunities. The death of Molière, the secession of Baron and several other
actors, the rivalry of the
Hôtel de BourgogneUntil the 16th century, the Hôtel de Bourgogne was the name of the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy.In 1548, the society of the Confrères de la Passion et de la Résurrection de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ built a theatre here, on rue Mauconseil to put on their mystery plays...
and the development of the
Palais RoyalThe Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the first arrondissement of Paris...
, by royal patent, into the home of French
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, brought matters to a crisis with the
comédiens du roi. Well advised by La Grange (Charles Varlet, 1639–1692), Armande leased the Théâtre Guénégaud, and by royal ordinance the residue of her company were combined with the players from
the
Théâtre du MaraisThe Théâtre du Marais has been the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France. The original and most famous theatre of the name operated in the 17th century. The name was briefly revived for a revolutionary theatre in 1791, and revived again in 1976...
, the fortunes of which were at low ebb.
The combination, known as the
troupe du roi, at first was unfortunate, but in 1679 they secured Mlle du Champmeslé, later absorbed the company of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and in 1680
the Comédie Française was born. In 1677 Mme Molière had married the actor Eustache François Guérin (1636–1728), and had one son (1678–1708) by him. She continued her successes at the theatre until she retired in 1694. She died six years later, on November 30, 1700.
Joseph Béjart
Their brothers included Joseph Béjart (c. 1617–1659), a strolling player and later a member of
MolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, mostly known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's first company (l'Illustre Théatre), accompanying him in his theatrical wanderings, and was with him when he returned permanently to Paris, dying soon after. He created the parts of Lélie in
L'Étourdie, and Eraste in
Le Dépit amoureux.
Louis Béjart
Joseph's brother Louis(c. 1630–1678) was also in Molière's company during the last years of touring. He created many parts in his brother-in-law's plays – Valère in
Le Dépit amoureux, Dubois in
Le MisanthropeLe Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux is a 17th century comedy of manners written by French playwright Molière.This play, like Molière's Tartuffe and others, is a comedy. It satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the...
, Alcantor in
Le Mariage forcé, and Don Luis in
Le Festin de Pierre – and was an actor of varied talents. As a result of a wound received when interfering in a street brawl, he became lame and retired in 1670 with a pension – the first ever granted by the company to a comedian.