Editing Molière (section)

===Return to Paris===
Molière was forced to reach Paris in stages, staying outside for a few weeks in order to promote himself with society gentlemen and allow his reputation to feed in to Paris. Molière reached Paris in 1658 and performed in front of the King at the [[Louvre]] (then for rent as a theatre) in Corneille's tragedy ''Nicomède'' and in the [[farce]] ''Le Docteur Amoureux'' with some success. He was awarded the title of ''Troupe de Monsieur'' ([[Monsieur]] being the honorific for the king's brother [[Philippe I, Duke of Orléans]]). With the help of Monsieur, his company was allowed to share the theatre in the large hall of the [[Petit-Bourbon]] with the Italian [[Commedia dell'arte]] company of [[Tiberio Fiorillo]], famous for the character of [[Scaramuccia|Scaramouche]]. (The two companies performed in the theatre on different nights.) The premiere of Molière's ''Les Précieuses Ridicules'' (''[[Les Précieuses Ridicules|The Affected Young Ladies]]'') took place at the Petit-Bourbon on 18 November 1659.

''Les Précieuses Ridicules'' was the first of Molière's many attempts to satirize certain societal mannerisms and affectations then common in France. It is widely accepted that the plot was based on [[Samuel Chappuzeau]]'s ''Le Cercle des Femmes'' of 1656. He primarily mocks the [[Académie Française]], a group created by Richelieu under a royal patent to establish the rules of the fledgling French theatre. The Académie preached unity of time, action, and styles of verse. Molière is often associated with the claim that comedy ''castigat ridendo mores'' or "criticises customs through humour" (a phrase in fact coined by his contemporary Jean de Santeuil and sometimes mistaken for a classical [[List of Latin phrases|Latin proverb]]).<ref>Martin Barnham. "The Cambridge Guide to Theater". [[Cambridge University Press|Cambridge Univ. Pr.]], 1995, p. 472.</ref>