The Romantic Temptations is one of the classic works that remains unshakeable in the repertoire of French comedy. The main myth of the comedy, with the romantic episodes of Ascanius (a young girl, who for hereditary reasons passes into the world as a boy, but one night wears a woman’s dress to be crowned by her beloved, while he imagines he is being crowned by another) is borrowed from the Italian comedy Interesse by Nicolo Secchi.

The praise of the writer is within his works. One could say: the praise of Molière is within the works of the writers who came before him and after him; both those and these stand far from him. People with much intellect and talent have worked after Molière, without managing to resemble him or to reach him.

Some have a comical aspect; others have been able to write verses; many have even painted morals. However, the painting of the spirit of man was the art of Molière; it was the stage that he opened and closed; there is nothing else of this kind, neither before Molière nor after him.

La Harpe (1739-1803), critic, in his study Molière and Comedy