First of all, let us cite Reynaldo Hahn:

I have always classed myself with that great number of people who love Massenet, and I am conscious that a great part of that affection is admiration. Yet admiration and respect for Massenet as an artist are commonly denied him, more by omission than by deliberate intent. His name is not as often grouped with those of Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and Strauss, and other such expert composers, as it should be. It is time to pay homage to the craftsmanship without which he could not have been an artist.

Massenet's professionalism perhaps militated against his chances of producing a unique masterpiece such as Pelléas et Mélisande, but it also protected him from the niaiseries of Satie. He was a composer with a natural talent for the theatre, like Verdi, although his upbringing and early career did not immediately steer him in that direction.