![]() His declaration is made in the presence of Damis, Orgon’s son, who was hiding during the conversation and heard everything. Frontispiece and title page of Tartuffe or The Imposter from a 1739 collected edition. Tartuffe replies that love for the Creator isn’t incompatible with lust, since God reflects himself in earthly beauties, such as Elmire herself. Elmire intervenes, dissuading Tartuffe from marrying the young Mariane, reminding him of his lofty religious pursuits. ![]() The action accelerates when Orgon decides to marry his daughter Mariane with Tartuffe, infuriating his servant Dorine, who seeks Elmire’s help since she’s the only one Tartuffe pays attention to. He has recently brought home Tartuffe, a devout-seeming individual found on the streets, who imposes strictly pious views on the family, but who soon reveals his hypocrisy by declaring his love for Elmire, Orgon’s second wife. ![]() Here, the patriarch Orgon is going through a midlife spiritual crisis. I find it to be the best point of origin from which to discover his body of work.Īs often with Molière, the plot revolves around a family representing society at large, and one character’s obsession takes center stage. Over the years, Le Tartuffe ou l’Imposteur has been one my favorite Molière plays to study and direct with my undergraduate students at Princeton University. ![]()
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