Jean-François Regnard

Born Feb. 7, 1655, in Paris; died Sept. 4, 1709, at the estate of Grillon, near Dourdan. French playwright.

In 1688, Regnard began writing farces with music and dances, many in collaboration with C. R. Dufresny. In 1694 he staged his play The Serenade (published 1695) at the Comédie Française. Regnard’s comedy in verse The Gambler (staged 1696, published 1697) brought him recognition. His comedies based on Plautus—The Unexpected Return (staged and published 1700) and Menaechmi (staged 1705, published 1706)—employ disguises, comic misunderstandings, and farcical scenes. The central figure of his most important comedy in verse, The Sole Heir (published 1708), is a crafty and clever servant. Regnard’s classical comedies lack Molière’s profundity and satiric wit and for the most part are merely diverting. His autobiographical novel The Woman of Provence was published in 1731.