2 h 2 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 50 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 50 pagesAbout this book
What if everyone in your house sees through a fraud—except the person who holds all the power?
In Molière’s Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite, a wealthy Parisian welcomes a supposedly holy man into his home. Orgon trusts Tartuffe more than his own family. His wife Elmire sees the danger, and the sharp-tongued maid Dorine refuses to stay quiet. Yet Orgon is ready to put his wealth, household and daughter’s future in this stranger’s hands.
Mariane loves Valère, but her father wants her to marry Tartuffe instead. Family quarrels turn urgent as a guest’s false virtue threatens to govern everyone’s life. This five-act comedy in rhyming verse asks how goodness differs from a convincing performance. Its laughter cuts both ways: at the man who deceives and at the man determined to believe him.
What you’ll discover
- A household at odds Enter the opening family quarrel, where anger reveals a home already divided over its guest.
- Dorine speaks her mind Meet a quick-witted maid who challenges folly and works to protect two lovers.
- A villain worth watching Watch Tartuffe turn a show of holiness into a claim on comfort, money and power.
- Faith without the show Hear Cléante argue for true faith while false piety wins Orgon’s trust.
- Verse with a sting Enjoy the fast, balanced rhythm of rhyming couplets as Molière exposes human folly.
Who will love it
For anyone who enjoys sharp comedy, family quarrels and a good villain you love to hate, and for readers curious about French theatre.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Stranger Has Taken the House
- Orgon Cares More for Tartuffe
- A Forced Marriage Splits the Lovers
- The Man Himself Finally Appears
- Faith Is Easy to Counterfeit
- A Comedy Built to Expose Fools
Who’s who
- OrgonA rich Parisian householder who is blindly devoted to Tartuffe and wants to give him his daughter and his trust.
- TartuffeA smooth, falsely pious guest who has made himself master of the house and wants comfort, money and power.
- ElmireOrgon's wife, clever and poised, who sees through Tartuffe and wants to protect her family without open war.
- DorineMariane's quick-witted maid, who says what everyone thinks and works to save the lovers from a forced marriage.
- MarianeOrgon's gentle daughter, in love with Valère but too timid to defy her father's wish.
- DamisOrgon's hot-tempered son, who despises Tartuffe and wants to expose him.
- CléanteOrgon's brother-in-law, a calm voice of reason who argues for true faith over show.
- ValèreMariane's suitor, proud and quick to take offence, who hopes to marry her as promised.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite
by Molière · 1669
Orgon welcomes a false saint into his Paris home, putting his family, his daughter's marriage and his trust at risk.
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In short
Tartuffe is a comedy in five acts, written in rhyming verse by Molière. That was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, the French actor, theatre manager and playwright who served the court of Louis XIV.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Stranger Has Taken the House
The play opens in the house of Orgon, a wealthy Parisian, in a scene of family anger. Madame Pernelle, Orgon's mother, is leaving in a fury. She scolds everyone around her. She scolds her granddaughter Mariane for being sly, her grandson Damis for being rude, and the maid Dorine for talking too much. Only one person in the house earns her praise, a holy man named Tartuffe.
The family answers her one by one. Damis says he cannot bear the man, who tells everyone how to live. Dorine says the household has been turned upside down since Tartuffe arrived. He criticises the visitors, the games, the dress and the laughter. Yet he eats the best food and takes the best seat.
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What is Tartuffe about?
It is a comedy about a rich man named Orgon who is fooled by a falsely pious guest, Tartuffe. The family tries to open Orgon's eyes while the fraud tightens his grip on the household.
Why was Tartuffe banned?
Powerful religious figures in Paris felt the play mocked genuine faith. After its first showing in 1664, public performance was forbidden. Molière revised it and defended it, and it was finally allowed in 1669.
What does the word Tartuffe mean?
It has become a name for a hypocrite, especially someone who pretends to be devout while acting selfishly. The word is used in French and English because of this play.
The author
Molière
1622–1673 · French playwright and actor
Molière was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a French playwright and actor born in Paris in 1622. He toured France with a theatre company before returning to Paris in 1658. He wrote comedies, including Tartuffe, The Miser, and The Imaginary Invalid. He died in Paris in 1673.
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