Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why does the play end so abruptly? How would it be different if we had a typical happy ending?
- Would The Misanthrope be as funny in prose? How about as a novel? An iPhone app? In other words, how much does form matter to content?
- What rules in society today constrain our actions? How would you go about being a modern-day misanthrope?
- If Alceste is a misanthrope, would it be fair to say that he hates himself as well?
- Is it possible to totally remove yourself from society nowadays? All Alceste has to do is leave Paris. We'd have to leave Google, Facebook, our phones and laptops behind.
- What do you think is Éliante's story? We don't know much about her, but what could she be thinking while watching her cousin flirt all day?
- Which female character seems more aligned with Alceste's values, Éliante or Célimène? How might that comparison work—that is, what characteristics do Célimène and Alceste share? Éliante and Alceste?