Molière, Morsztyn, Marysieńka
Molière, Morsztyn, Marie Casimire…

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the beginnings of Molière’s reception in Poland. The Paris premiere of Sganarelle ou Le Cocu imaginaire on 28 May 1660 serves as a starting point for the discussion. The performance of the same comedy in Warsaw on 5 March 1669 is the first instance of Molière’s work being performed in Poland. It was put on at Jan Andrzej Morsztyn’s palace to honour the departure of the former king of Poland John Casimir Vasa. Another royal couple, King John III Sobieski and Marie Casimire, can be credited with putting on Les fourberies de Scapin (Cracow, 12 April 1676), L’École des femmes and L’Amour médecin (Jaworów, June 1684). Organisers of the Jaworów shows even mentioned Molière by name. Thanks to Rafał Leszczyński, Polish king Stanislav’s father, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme was staged during the Carnival of 1687, probably in Leszno. While the four previous shows were performed in French, it is not clear whether it was so in the case of the last one. Certainly, however, a theatre programme that has survived to our times contains first attempts at rendering the comedy in Polish. While discussing the reception of Molière in Old Poland the author takes the opportunity to mention Polish translations and productions of Jean Racine’s tragedies and Pierre Corneille’s and Urbain Chevreau’s tragicomedies of the period. One important finding concerns the second play staged at the event organised by Morsztyn in 1669. A piece titled Le Docteur de verre performed there was, without doubt, a fragment of La comédie sans comédie by Philippe Quinault.

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