He continued in his career as an actor in another company for about ten more years before he turned his hand to playwriting. In the interim years, he also gained experience in directing and managing. By the time he began to write, he was known as one of the greatest comic actors of his time, and the experience he gained by acting, managing, and directing contributed to his understanding of what was theatrically effective and provided him with a thorough knowledge of the theater.
The production of Molière's first play, The Romantic Ladies, established a reputation for him that was to endure for the rest of his life. Since this play, like his later ones, dealt rather severely with certain aspects of society, satirizing affectations of speech, among other things, many people of high society objected to the portrayal because it hit too close to home. Almost every play that Molière wrote met objections, usually from the faction in society which he ridiculed. The most open and hostile objections centered upon the production of Tartuffe, a play which satirizes religious hypocrites and certain aspects of the church. Tartuffe was perennially banned, and Molière had to resort to using his influence with the king to get permission for the play to be produced.
Even after Molière became a successful and rather wealthy playwright because of his shrewd business ability, he continued acting in his own plays. It was during a production of his last play, The Imaginary Invalid, in which Molière had a part, that he complained of ill health; he died the same night.
Because of his criticism of many aspects of life, Molière was denied a proper burial and was only grudgingly allowed a burial plot in sanctified ground. His plays, however, have transcended the times and the society for which they were written; and the very probes into human nature which caused him such difficulty during his lifetime have gained for him a lasting reputation as dramatist and satirist.
