Overview

In May 1664, Louis XIV celebrated the completion of major expansion work at Versailles. For the occasion, the king called on Molière's talent to compose these evenings for the court and the comedians. These very familiar festivities spotlighted two historical figures: Louis XIV and Molière. These entertainments are composed of three plays by Molière: La Princesse d'Elide, Le Mariage forcé and three acts of Tartuffe. Maurice Béjart staged these gargantuan evenings at the Comédie-Française, where excess was omnipresent in these pleasures.