The story
Tartuffe, or The Hypocrite is a comedy by Moliere, the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. A first version was performed at Louis XIV's court at Versailles on 12 May 1664. It shows a pious fraud, Tartuffe, who talks his way into the home of a rich man, Orgon, and tries to take his property and seduce his wife until the king's officer intervenes. The play's wit lies in the way the family, and especially the maid Dorine, see through the act while Orgon is blind.
Religious groups at court, including a Catholic secret society, were offended, and the Archbishop of Paris condemned the play. Louis XIV, who liked it, nonetheless allowed the ban on public performance to stand for five years. Moliere rewrote it twice, and a final version was permitted in February 1669 and was a huge hit. Moliere was an actor and director of his own company under the patronage of the king, and his comedy of manners made fun of the pretensions of the age. The word 'tartuffe' entered French as a name for a religious hypocrite.
Why it mattered
- The affair showed how far comedy could go in criticizing the powerful, and how the monarchy and Church could police the stage.
- Moliere's plays made French comedy of manners a model for European theater, including English Restoration comedy.
- The word tartuffe became part of everyday French, and the play is among the most performed French works.
Community notes
Loading notes…