Alceste despises the hypocrisy and shallowness of his social circle. He follows an ideal of unconditional honesty and authenticity and fanatically tries to convert the people around him. Because he refuses to play by society’s rules and practise diplomacy, things rarely go his way. He makes an enemy of the poet Oronte when he criticises him instead of praising him. He loses the lawsuit initiated by Oronte after refusing to bribe the judge, and he ignores his friend Philinte’s well-meaning advice.
Guest performance by the Burgtheater
PREMIERE 30 March 2024 – 7.30 p.m.
DURATION approx. 2 hours (no intermission)
Comedy in five acts (1666)
Translation by Hans Magus Enzensberger edited by Martin Kušej (2023)
