Tartuffe

In Short

Molière’s classic seventeenth-century comedy explores the chaos that unfolds when Orgon, a prosperous Parisian gentleman, falls under the spell of Tartuffe, a hypocritical scoundrel posing as a saintly holy man. Blinded by Tartuffe’s performed piety, Orgon hands over his estate, disowns his son, and attempts to force his daughter into marrying the imposter. The household must band together, using trickery and exposed secrets, to unmask the villain before he ruins them all. The play endures because its sharp, funny depiction of gullibility, self-righteousness, and spiritual posturing remains as painfully recognizable today as it was in 1664.

The Story

The play opens in the middle of a domestic uproar. Madame Pernelle storms out of her son Orgon’s home, furious that no one respects her favored guest, Tartuffe, whom she considers a holy guide. The rest of the family—including Orgon’s sensible brother-in-law Cléante, his hot-headed son Damis, and the sharp-tongued maid Dorine—know Tartuffe for what he really is: a parasitic fraud who uses religious rhetoric to gorge himself on food, extract money, and control the household.

When Orgon returns from a trip, his obsession becomes clear. Indifferent to his wife Elmire’s recent illness, he cares only for Tartuffe’s well-being. Orgon soon announces a disastrous decision: he breaks his promise to let his daughter Mariane marry her true love, Valère, and insists she marry Tartuffe instead. While Mariane is paralyzed by obedience and Valère is wounded by her hesitation, Dorine steps in to keep the young lovers united and plot against the match.

Damis attempts to intervene directly, hiding in a closet while Elmire meets with Tartuffe to plead Mariane’s case. Instead of discussing the marriage, Tartuffe aggressively tries to seduce Elmire. Damis bursts out to expose the hypocrite, but Tartuffe brilliantly turns the tables. By humbly confessing to general wickedness and begging for punishment, he plays on Orgon’s gullibility. Enraged at his son rather than his guest, Orgon disowns Damis, banishes him, and signs over his entire estate to Tartuffe.

Realizing that reason cannot sway her husband, Elmire devises a trap. She hides Orgon beneath a table and invites Tartuffe into the room, pretending to return his affection. Tartuffe eagerly woos her and boasts that Orgon is a fool who can be led by the nose. Forced to hear the betrayal with his own ears, Orgon emerges from under the table to confront the villain and order him out.

Tartuffe, however, reveals that he now holds legal title to the house. Furthermore, Orgon had previously entrusted Tartuffe with a locked box containing dangerous political papers belonging to an exiled friend. Tartuffe leaves to turn the documents over to the authorities. Soon, a court bailiff named Monsieur Loyal arrives to give the family an eviction notice, and Valère rushes in to report that a warrant has been issued for Orgon’s arrest. Just as Tartuffe arrives with a police officer to claim his prize, the King’s justice intervenes. The monarch has seen through Tartuffe’s history of crime, pardons Orgon, orders Tartuffe taken off to prison, and restores the family’s home and honor.

How It Unfolds

The household in revolt Madame Pernelle berates her family for failing to respect the pious Tartuffe, leaving the household in open rebellion against the scoundrel’s tyrannical influence.

The dupe returns Orgon comes home caring for nothing but Tartuffe's well-being, brushing off his wife’s illness to praise his guest's saintly habits and profound wisdom.

A broken promise Orgon informs his daughter Mariane that she must forgo her love for Valère and marry Tartuffe, prompting the sharp-witted maid Dorine to intervene on their behalf.

Love in confusion Valère and Mariane quarrel out of pride over her father's news, but Dorine brings them back to their senses and sets a plan in motion to halt the wedding.

An unwanted advance Tartuffe meets privately with Orgon’s wife, Elmire, to discuss the marriage, but instead attempts to seduce her with passionate declarations of love.

The failed exposure Orgon's son Damis eavesdrops on Tartuffe's betrayal and exposes him, but Tartuffe’s theatrical self-accusation tricks Orgon into disowning his own son instead.

The trap beneath the table Elmire hides Orgon under a table to overhear Tartuffe’s brazen romantic advances and contemptuous jokes about Orgon's gullibility, finally breaking the spell.

The villain turns the screws Confronted by a furious Orgon, Tartuffe reveals he already holds the legal deed to the estate and possesses incriminating political papers entrusted to him in secret.

The royal intervention As an eviction bailiff arrives and an officer moves in to make an arrest, the King sees through Tartuffe's false identity, ordering the fraud to prison and restoring Orgon’s property.

The People

• Orgon: A wealthy gentleman whose deep desire for spiritual righteousness turns into an unyielding obsession. Intoxicated by Tartuffe’s performance, he sacrifices his family's happiness, disowns his son, and surrenders his fortune until forced to witness Tartuffe's betrayal with his own eyes.
• Tartuffe: A penniless rogue who masquerades as a devout, ascetic holy man to exploit Orgon's piety. He wants money, power, and Orgon’s wife, using religious jargon to justify every deceit until his criminal past catches up with him.
• Elmire: Orgon’s sensible, practical wife. She remains calm in the face of Tartuffe’s unwanted advances and uses her intelligence and composure to stage the clever trap that exposes his deceit.
• Dorine: Mariane's outspoken, quick-witted maid. She refuses to be quieted by authority, repeatedly mocking Orgon’s foolishness and orchestrating efforts to keep Mariane and Valère together.
• Cléante: Orgon’s articulate brother-in-law. He serves as the voice of moderate reason, urging Orgon to distinguish between true spiritual virtue and self-serving fanaticism.
• Damis: Orgon’s hot-tempered son, whose impulsive attempt to expose Tartuffe backfires, leading to his own banishment from the house.
• Mariane: Orgon’s dutiful daughter, caught between her intense love for Valère and her obligation to obey her father’s command to marry Tartuffe.

In Its Own Voice

"He caresses him, kisses him, and could not show a mistress / More love and affection than he gives to this / Leech." — Dorine explains to Cléante how completely Orgon has fallen under Tartuffe’s spell.

"He teaches me that I shouldn't love anything, / From every earthly passion he has freed my life; / I'd watch my brother, mother, children, and wife / Drop dead without caring so much as that!" — Orgon proudly describes to Cléante the radical detachments he believes he has learned from his mentor.

"A woman laughs at these masculine foibles, / And never plagues her mate with paltry troubles." — Elmire attempts to restrain her stepson Damis from causing an open scandal over Tartuffe's advances.

What It's Really About

Beneath its energetic comedic pacing, Tartuffe examines the danger of fanaticism and the vulnerability of those who mistake theatrical piety for moral goodness. The play does not attack genuine belief; rather, through the reasoned voice of Cléante, it argues against excessive, blind zeal that demands the abandonment of common sense and family loyalty. It exposes how easily an insecure ego can be flattered by a fraud, showing how Orgon’s obsession with appearing saintly leads him to become a tyrant in his own home. At its core, the drama asks how a society can protect itself when deceit wears the sacred cloak of virtue, and how rational human beings can recover their judgment once they have fallen under a manipulator's spell.

Why Read It Today

Tartuffe remains remarkably readable because its central target—the performative, self-serving hypocrite who hides behind high-minded rhetoric—is a timeless human type. Readers who enjoy sharp character interaction, high-stakes domestic maneuvering, and witty dialogue will find plenty to relish. The rhythm of the rimed couplets gives the dialogue a lively, bouncing momentum that keeps the conflict moving quickly from one crisis to the next.

The text presents very few barriers for a modern audience. The plot is transparent and direct, driven by clear character motives rather than complex historical references. Readers should note that the resolution relies on a sudden deus ex machina—the benevolent, off-stage intervention of the King—which reflects the royal patronages of seventeenth-century French theater rather than a strictly organic plot development. Additionally, the stylized verse structure requires a reader to accept a heightened theatrical rhythm. Yet the play's core dynamic—a family scrambling to save a loved one from a smooth-talking swindler—feels as fresh, urgent, and funny today as it did when it first shocked Parisian audiences.