THE IMAGINARY INVALID by Molière

Molière’s explosive comedy “The Imaginary Invalid,” directed and adapted by Aimilios Cheilakis and Manolis Dounias, will be presented on Saturday, 10th August, and Sunday, 11th August at 21:00 at the Ancient Theatre of Philippi as part of the 67th Philippi Festival.

In “The Imaginary Invalid,” Molière targets the charlatans and quacks who exploit the medical profession. He satirizes the “experts” of his time who hid behind grandiose phrases and flashy terminologies to disguise their lack of knowledge and prioritize profit and personal gain over the Hippocratic oath. Molière, one of the most brilliant revolutionary minds of his era, not only critiques these medical frauds but also delivers a political commentary condemning all forms of authority and harshly criticizing French society and its flaws. With a light yet biting tone, he attacks various forms of authority that, blinded by arrogance and having secured privileges and power, underestimate and oppress the common citizen.

In a tragic twist of fate, “The Imaginary Invalid” was Molière’s swan song. In 1673, shortly after the fourth performance of the play in which he starred, Molière—sick and betrayed by doctors—died backstage.

This production marks the ninth co-direction by Aimilios Cheilakis and Manolis Dounias, following their highly successful productions of “Medea,” “May You Never Have To,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Othello,” “Antigone,” “Iphigenia,” “Tartuffe,” and “Alone with Hamlet.”

The play

In Molière’s comedic microscope, we find Argan, an aristocrat living a comfortable life of wealth and privilege, who considers himself the centre of the world and oppresses those around him, demanding they serve his whims and caprices. Yet Argan himself suffers as he feels something is wrong. Terribly hypochondriac and nosophobic, he is convinced that his problem lies in his very fragile health. That is why he has called all the doctors to find him a cure. In vain; the doctors – and all kinds of charlatans – try all the tested and experimental treatments on him to rid him of his “unknown” disease, while simultaneously extracting vast sums of money from him as payment. Realizing that these “scientists” are trying to exploit him, he decides to marry off his daughter, Angelique, to a doctor to ensure free medical care, disregarding her love for Cléante. When Angelique protests, Argan, prompted by his second wife, Béline, tells her that her only alternative is to enter a convent. It is up to his maid, Toinette, and his brother, Béralde, to bring him to his senses. They convince him to feign death so he can discover who is exploiting him and who truly cares for him, who covets his wealth, and who genuinely loves him.

But is Argan really sick? And if so, does he suffer from an illness that medicine can cure? Or is he an insecure, fearful man who, despite having everything, tries to find out what bothers him and makes him unhappy, and under the pretext of his fragile health, strives to provoke the interest of those around him and ensure they care for him? And perhaps Molière’s Argan is not very different from the modern man who is never satisfied with anything and, despite living a comfortable family life, ultimately realises that his deepest and most important need is to be loved?