Les «barbouillés»: le vin et l’ivresse dans l’œuvre de Molière

Abstract

Wine and drunkenness are central elements of Moliere’s comedies, and yet drunkenness was beginning to be widely considered as a vice in the 17th century. How can such a paradox be accounted for? Our analysis of the references to wine in the work of Moliere shows that the drinkers correspond both to well-established dramatic types and to social stereotypes – the underdogs are the ones being mocked. Allusions to the “juice of the vine” often take on the aspects of satire, but wine is also a symbol of comic inspiration. Although Moliere’s audience was imbued with what can be called a “culture of intoxication”, it liked to think of itself as steeped in refinement. Out of respect for decorum, drunkenness as such was not tolerated on stage. The glass is half empty as drunkenness remains essentially verbal.