Tartuffe by Molière

Name: Tartuffe by Molière
Genre: Comedy

A pious fraud meets his match.

Molière's Tartuffe explained with scene summaries in just a few minutes! Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains Molière's satirical play Tartuffe. In Molière's satirical play a wealthy gentleman named Orgon meets Tartuffe, a pious pauper, at church and invites Tartuffe to live in his home. Orgon is convinced by Tartuffe's exaggerate displays of virtue that he is a good man and promises his hand in marriage to his daughter. The rest of the family, excepting Orgon's mother, sees through his ruse. Tartuffe is clearly out for personal gain. The family resolves to expose his manipulations to the witless Orgon and eventually succeed, but not before he has signed his property over to the charlatan. Luckily, when Tartuffe attempts to blackmail Orgon with some compromising documents, he is recognized as a wanted criminal. Orgon is pardoned by the king and his property is restored. French comedy playwright Molière’s Tartuffe was first performed in 1664. A true comedy of manners, Tartuffe showcases Molière's merciless wit at its best. In Tartuffe, he targeted hypocrisy dressed as piety, offending some church factions and earning the play a five-year ban. The comedic play Tartuffe contains many important themes, including gullibility, as from the moment they meet, Orgon is Tartuffe’s devoted dupe; moderation and reason, as Cléante recommends examining all the evidence before acting; and hypocrisy, as Tartuffe makes a show of his piety, but he’s out to do harm. Course Hero helps empower students and educators to succeed! We’re fueled by a passionate community of students and educators who share their course-specific knowledge and resources to help others learn. Learn more at Master Your Classes(TM) with Course Hero!

Language: English
Studio: Course Hero
Genres: Comedy
Episodes: 14
Views: 141K

Tartuffe by Molière

Episodes on YouTube