If The Bourgeois Gentleman can still make us laugh, it's because, beyond its socio-historical context, Monsieur Jourdain caricatures an identifiable human behavior. Molière's hero struggles to find his way between being and seeming, between truth and lies. But are we any less haunted than Monsieur Jourdain by the desire to appear more handsome, more intelligent, or richer than we actually are?
