Surrounded by women, Molière denounced misogyny. But was he a feminist?

A statute of the French playwright Molière in Paris. Many of his plays addressed relationships between men and women. But was he a feminist? © Remy de la Mauviniere/AP

The 400th anniversary of French dramatist Molière's birth has sparked a revived interest in his satirical comedies that take aim at power relations. But while he denounced violence against women in some of his plays, others ridiculed educated women – and Molière did not question the patriarchal structure of the world around him.

Molière worked with women throughout his theatre career, and cast them in leading roles in plays he directed, including the 30 or so plays he wrote, many of which are part of the French literary cannon.