Molières Death and the Color Green

Whether or not you are an actor, you probably know that it is considered bad luck to say Good luck to a performer. Instead, you should say, Break a leg! And if you have brushed up on your Shakespeare, then you already know that it could be disastrous to say Macbeth out loud while in a theater. To avoid being cursed, you should instead refer to it as the Scottish play. Unlucky to Wear the Color Green? However, many do not realize that it is unlucky for actors to wear the color green. Why? It is all because of the life and death of Frances greatest playwright, Molià ¨re. Molià ¨re His real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, but he was most famous for his stage name, Molià ¨re. He attained success as an actor in his early twenties and soon found that he had a talent for writing stage plays. Although he preferred tragedies, he became renowned for his hilarious satires. Tartuffe was one of his more scandalous plays. This vicious farce mocked the church and caused an uproar among Frances religious community. Controversial Plays   Another controversial play, Don Juan or The Feast with a Statue, mocked society and religion so severely that it was not performed uncensored until 1884, over two hundred years after its creation. But in some ways, Molià ¨res demise is even more intense than his plays. He had been suffering from tuberculosis for several years. However, he did not want the illness to prevent his artistic pursuits. His final play was The Imaginary Invalid. Ironically, Molià ¨re played the central character — the hypochondriac. Royal Performance   During a royal performance before King Louis the 14th, Molià ¨re began to cough and gasp. The performance was stalled momentarily, but Molià ¨re insisted that he continue. He bravely made it through the rest of the play, despite collapsing once more and suffering a hemorrhage. Hours later, after returning home, Molià ¨res life slipped away. Perhaps due to his reputation, two clergymen refused to administer his last rites. So, when he died, a rumor spread that Molià ¨res soul did not make it into the Pearly Gates. Molià ¨res costume — the clothing that he died in — was green. And since that time, actors have maintained the superstition that it is highly unlucky to wear green while on-stage.