Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Tartuffe
By Molire
Translated by Richard Wilbur
Feb 15 May 24, 2014
Source: Set Design by Frederica Nascimento
Tartuffe
Study Guide Table of Contents
3
Tartuffe: Characters
Molire: Biography
4
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
16
19
20
21
The Ahmanson Foundation, Alliance for the Advancement of Arts & Education, Lourdes Baird, The Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation,
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, Kathleen & James Drummy, Sharon & Rick Ellingsen, Employees Community Fund of
Boeing California, The Green Foundation, Heather & Paul Haaga, Drs. Jennifer & Robert Israel, The Jewish Community Foundation Michael and Irene
Ross Endowment Fund, Anonymous, Terry & Jeanie Kay, Alan M. & Sheila R. Lamson, John K. & Barbara Lawrence, Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Terri Murray, National Endowment for the Arts: Shakespeare for a New Generation,
The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division,
Leonard Pronko, The Charles & Elizabeth Redmond Scholarship Fund, In Loving Memory of Charles R. Redmond Father, Robert & Ann Ronus,
The Rose Hills Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Lyn Spector, The Steinmetz Foundation, James & Trevessa Terrile, Wells Fargo Foundation,
Roy H. Wishard & William O. Boden, WWW Foundation
MADAME PERNELLE
Mother of Orgon
TARTUFFE
A hypocrite and
imposter posing
as a holy man. He
attempts to seduce
Elmire and keep
Valre from
marrying Mariane.
ARGAS
Friend of Orgon who
was anti-Louis XIV
during the Fronde.
VALRE
The young romantic
lead, who struggles to
win the hand of his true
love.
ELMIRE
Wife of Orgon
ORGON
Parisian gentleman
and father of the
house. In his quest
for religious piety,
Orgon has allowed
Tartuffe into his home.
MARIANE
Daughter of Orgon,
fianc of Valre
LAURENT
Servant of Tartuffe
(Does not speak in
the play).
CLANTE
Brother of Elmire,
brother-in-law and
friend of Orgon
DAMIS
Son of Orgon
DORINE
Marianes lady maid.
She tries to help
expose Tartuffe and
help Valre.
A KINGS OFFICER/
THE EXEMPT
An officer of
the king
FLIPOTE
Servant of Madame
Pernelle (Does not
speak in the play)
MONSIEUR
LOYAL
A bailiff
Source:
McCarter Theatre http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/2.html,
and http://www.gradesaver.com/tartuffe/study-guide/character-list/)
3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
After Madame Pernelles departure, Clante, Orgons brother in-law, and the maid
Dorine talk about Tartuffe and both agree
that he has beguiled Orgon. Damis, Orgons
son, wonders whether his father will still
allow Mariane to marry Valre; Damis must
know Orgons feelings because he wants
to marry Valres sister. He asks Clante to
question Orgon about his promise to allow
the marriage to take place.
Orgon arrives and seems much more concerned about the welfare of Tartuffe than
he is about his wife Elmires illness. Clante tries to discuss Tartuffes hypocrisy
with Orgon, but he fails and discovers that
Orgon is only interested in singing Tartuffes
praises. When Orgon is questioned about
the intended wedding, he dodges the
issues and refuses to give a direct answer.
When his daughter arrives, Orgon tells her
that he wants to ally Tartuffe with his house;
this he can best do by Marianes marrying
Tartuffe. Mariane is so shocked that she
cannot believe her ears.
After Orgon departs, Dorine reprimands
Mariane for not having refused to marry
Tartuffe. Marianes beloved, Valre, arrives
and accuses her of consenting to the marriage. Dorine listens to them argue and
then, after they are reconciled, she promises to help them expose Tartuffes hypocrisy.
In an attempt to reveal Tartuffes hypocrisy,
Damis hides in a closet when he hears Tartuffe entering the room followed by Elmire.
Thinking that they are alone, Tartuffe professes his love to Elmire and suggests that
they become lovers. Damis reveals himself
and threatens to expose Tartuffe. When
4 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Molire: Biography
The company returned to Paris in 1658 with Molire as their manager. Invited to perform before Louis XIV, they quickly won his
favor, and Molire was granted the use of the Petit Bourbon (a
court theater adjacent to the Louvre) and later the Palais-Royal for
the troupes farces, character comedies, and lavish court entertainmentswith music by Jean Baptiste Lully. In 1662, Molire married Armande Bjart (the younger sisteror the daughter, some
insinuatedof his mistress), who became a leading actress in his
company, beginning with his next play, The School for Wives, which
demonstrated the playwrights maturing talent and propelled him
into the ranks of Frances greatest dramatists.
Not all of Molires plays were unqualified successes, however,
and not even the patronage of Louis XIV could protect him from
the censure provoked by Tartuffe (1664). Its story of a pious
hypocrite and his willing dupe was interpreted by many as a
condemnation of religion, and five years elapsed before the play,
in modified form, passed official muster. Molire fared little better
with Don Juan (1665); its free-thinking title character incurred
the wrath of the censors immediately after opening night and
the play soon disappeared from the repertoire. Still, by 1665,
Molires company was awarded regular pensions from the crown,
and took the title of La Troupe du Roi. The Misanthrope and The
Doctor in Spite of Himself premiered a year later, followed by The
Miser (1668) and The Learned Ladies (1672). Molires next play,
The Imaginary Invalid (1673), which featured the playwright as a
grousing hypochondriac, was to be his last; Molire, who suffered
from tuberculosis, took ill during a performance and died shortly
thereafter. A Christian burial was initially denied him because he
had not received last rites nor had he made a deathbed recantation
of his profession (as tradition required), but the archbishop of Paris,
responding to petitions from Molires widow, grudgingly allowed
a private burial in the parish cemetery, on condition that it be
carried out at night, without ceremony.
Author: Janice Paran
Source: McCarter Theater Audience Guide.
1622 B
orn, son of Paris upholsterer in the
service of the king
1643 L
eft home in 1643 and eventually joined
Bjart family theatre company
1644 T
ook stage name, Molire; Real name,
Jean Baptiste Poquelin
1658 F
irst performed for Louis XIV with Bjart
company
1659 The Affected Young Ladies (Les Prcieuses
Ridicules) (also known as The High-Brow
Ladies), Molire`s first success; about two
provincial girls affecting elegance and wit.
1662 Married Armande Bjart
1662 T
he School for Wives (L`ecole des femmes),
the first performance caused a great scandal;
the pedantic Arnoplhe is afraid of women
and decides to marry a girl without any
experience of the world; the young woman`s
natural intelligence and perceptiveness are
used as a vehicle of Molire`s critical insights
1664 T
artuffe (Le Tartuffe ou l`imposteur; Tartuffe
or the Impostor), originally a 3-act play,
banned and later reissued in 5-acts in 1667
(also banned) and 1669 (current version);
about a religious hypocrite and scoundrel
who deceives the gullible Orgon, tries to
seduce his wife, and takes possession of his
house and property.
1665 C
ompany adopted by the king as
Troupe du roi
1666 T
he Misanthrope (Le Misanthrope), Alceste
(originally played by Molire) has very high
standards and finds fault with everyone but
is in love with Climne, a witty and worldly
society lady.
1673 T
he Imaginary Invalid(Le Malade imaginaire),
Molire`s last play; about a hypochondriac
afraid of death and of doctors
1673 C
ollapsed on the stage, and later died, while
performing his play, The Imaginary Invalid
VERSE FORMATING
Molire wrote Tartuffe in one of the most popular
literary formats of 17th Century France, Alexandrine
verse. Each Alexandrine line consists of 12 syllables.
Syllables 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 are unaccented. Syllables
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 are accented. In the middle of
the line, between syllables 6 and 7, is a brief pause
called a caesura. Occasionally, an Alexandrine line
contains 13 syllables, the last one unaccented. In
English versification, an Alexandrine line is equivalent
to iambic hexameter, iambic referring to the succession
of unaccented/accented pairs and hexameter
referring the total of six two-syllable pairs. Following
is the eighth line of Tartuffe in the original French,
demonstrating the Alexandrine scheme with the
caesura after the comma.
The accented syllables are in bold, translations in gold.
Example:
1
10 11 12
Molire: Themes
HYPOCRISY
The central theme of Tartuffe is hypocrisy, as exhibited in the
holier-than-thou attitude of the antagonist. Tartuffe is the
personification of hypocrisy, pretending to be morally upright and
extremely pious when he is really a scoundrel.
The main theme of Molieres Tartuffe refers to the hypocrisy
of religion versus Christian virtues, or people who claim to be
religious but are hypocrites instead.
GULLIBILITY
Orgon foolishly believes in everything Tartuffe says and does. Even
though his family members call his attention to Tartuffes obvious
hypocrisy, Orgon stubbornly supports Tartuffe, even making him
his heir and offering him the hand of his daughter. Orgons utter
gullibility represents the attitude of churchgoers who accept
sham religion characterized by zealotry. It also represents the
foolhardiness of anyone who falls victim to hypocrisy in any form.
However, in his mockery of Orgon and Tartuffe, Molire does not in
any way impugn sincere religious attitudes.
Molire: Themes
DRAMATIC IRONY
Molire uses dramatic irony effectively in Tartuffe. The
most notable example of itone which undergirds the
entire playis Orgons unwitting approval of Tartuffe,
whom the rest of his family and the audience know is a
scoundrel. Orgon exhibits his naivet again and again
in the lines he speaks, including the following lines
praising Tartuffe for watching over Elmire, Orgons wife.
(Tartuffe, of course, is not really looking out for Elmires
welfare; he is trying to seduce her.)
He censures everything, and for my sake
He even takes great interest in my wife;
He lets me know who ogles her, and seems
Six times as jealous as I am myself.
9 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
DIRECTOR
Alicia Green
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
A Memorable Imposter
By James Mills
MOLIRE FIRST PRESENTED Le Tartuffe at the Pleasures of the
Enchanted Isle, a royal extravaganza held at Versailles under the
auspices of Louis XIV, as the second featured play after his Princess
of Elide. Performed on May 12, 1664, on the sixth day of the fte,
under the title, Tartuffe or the Impostor, the unfinished threeact play initially received the kings approval, but not that of the
church, which condemned its treatment of the subject of abuse
and religious zeal by a confidence man and his victim (Hallam
Walker, Molire [Boston: G. K. Hall, 1971], 81). Its portrayal of
credulity, distorted faith, and blind obedience earned the censure
of the archbishop of Paris, who was irate over its possible bad
effects on society, as well as the disapproval of the Queen Mother,
who similarly expressed her strong dismay.
Molire was obliged to battle for the next five years against
great odds to have his play accepted and was reduced to giving
private readings because of legal sanctions against it. In an
attempt to curry favor, he offered a revised version in five acts in
1665, which was rejected. In 1667 he presented another version
under the title, Panulfe or the Impostor, in which he attempted
to mollify his enemies by modifying Tartuffes near clerical garb
and changing his name to Panulfe. However, his efforts were in
vain, for the play was suppressed by the archbishop of Paris who
forbade involvement with it on pain of excommunication. It was
not until 1669 that the present format was offered on stage in a
published version with official approval at the Palais-Royal Theatre.
Although scholars disagree as to what was contained in the earlier
versions, most feel that they differed substantially from the 1669
play ( James F. Gaines, Social Structures in Molires Theatre
[Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1984], 199). It was during
the Quarrel of Tartuffe that Molire came to realize that he was
no longer able to count fully on the political backing of the king
nor the moral support of the public (Ronald W. Tobin, Tarte la
crmeComedy and Gastronomy in Molires Theatre [Columbus:
Ohio State University Press, 1990], 46). However, this period also
witnessed the appearance of the masterpieces of his maturity: Dom
Juan (1665),The Misanthrope (1666), Amphitryon (1668), George
Dandin (1668), and The Miser (1668). Tartuffe is a contemporary
play that mirrors the religious struggles of the seventeenth
century. Only recently (1647-1650), there had been violent conflicts
called Frondes during which religious groups sided with the
various factions of nobles vying for power. And France still felt
Wikipedia, Tartuffe.
1. Who are famous Tartuffes of todaythat is, people who pretend to be upright in order to get
money, property, or power?
2. Name several genuinely pious, upright people in recent years who gained worldwide
recognition because of their goodness.
3. It appears that Orgon is not a good judge of character, for he accepts as gospel everything that
Tartuffe says. Do you believe there are many people like Orgon who vote in elections?
4. Who is the most sensible person in the play?
5. In what ways does the play resemble a modern situation comedy?
6. Do you believe Molire ridicules religion in the play? Or does he ridicule people who practice
religion the wrong way?
Source: http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/9.html
Classroom Activities
Status Quo
Engage the student actors in a conversation
regarding Status. What does it mean in life (at
school, at home or in the wider community)? What
does it mean on stage (between characters or
between actors and the audience). We discuss how
status can affect the body language, the voice, the
dialogue...the overall truthful portrayal of a character.
Materials
A deck of cards (in order Ace through King,
you will only need one suit)
8-10 chairs
double sided tape
Space Required
Medium to large open space
Instructions
1. S
plit the class in half. One set of student actors
becomes the audience and the other half sit in
chairs that are set up in a line. The facilitator
places a playing card on the forehead of each
participant (with a small piece of double sided
tape) without the participant seeing what card
it is.
2. Instruct the actors that an Ace is the highest
status in the room and TWO is the lowest. When
the facilitator claps his/her hands, the actors are
A Noise Within has developed these activities according to The Common Core State Standards for Language,
Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing at the 9th grade level and the 21st Century Learning and Thinking Skills.
1 8 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
ARTICLES
T
artuffe: Attacking Hypocrisy, Not Religion By Jerry
L. Crawford From Insights, 1993http://www.bard.org/
education/studyguides/Tartuffe/tartuffeattack.html#.
Up-b3id5H3A
T
artuffe: A Memorable Imposter By James Mills From
Midsummer Magazine, 1993 http://www.bard.org/
education/studyguides/Tartuffe/tartuffeimposter.html#.
Up-b2id5H3A
T
he Kings Play: Censorship and the Politics of
Performance in Molieres Tartuffe Michael Spingler
Comparative Drama
Vol. 19, No. 3 (Fall 1985), pp. 240-257
Published by: Comparative Drama
Article Stable URL: http://0-www.jstor.org.oasys.lib.oxy.
edu/stable/41153180
Tartuffe and the Comic Principle in Molire W.
G. Moore The Modern Language Review Vol. 43,
No. 1 (Jan., 1948), pp. 47-53 Published by: Modern
Humanities Research Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3717969
Is Tartuffe a Comic Character? Brian Nicholas The
Modern Language Review Vol. 75, No.4 (Oct., 1980),
pp 753-765 Published by: Modern Humanities Research
Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/
stable/3726584
WEBSITES
http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/7.
html
http://www.gradesaver.com/tartuffe/study-guide/
FILM
(Additional Resources from McCarter Theatre http://
www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/11.html)
d
e Sales, Saint Francis. Introduction to the Devout Life,
translated by John K. Ryan. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1950.
G
ossman, Lionel. Le Tartuffe. In Men and Masks. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1963.
L
ough, John. An Introduction to Seventeenth Century
France. New York: David McKay Company, 1954.
M
aland, David. Culture and Society in Seventeenth
Century France. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1970.
P
ardailhe-Galabrun, Annik. The Birth of Intimacy. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991.
T
oporkov, Vasily Osipovich. Tartuffe. In Stanislavski
in Rehearsal, translated by Christine Edwards. New
York: Theatre Arts Books, 1979.
T
rout, Andrew. City on the Seine. New York: St. Martins Press, 1996.
W
ilbur, Richard. The Misanthrope and Tartuffe. New
York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993.
Study Guides
A Noise Within creates study guides in
alignment with core reading, listening,
speaking, and performing arts standards
to help educators prepare their students
for their visit to our theatre. Study guides
are available at no extra cost to download
through our website: www.anoisewithin.
org. The information and activities outlined
in these guides are designed to work
in compliance with the California VAPA
standards, The Common Core, and 21st
Century Learning Skills.
Study guides include background
information on the plays and playwrights,
historical context, textual analysis, in-depth
discussion of A Noise Withins artistic
interpretation of the work, statements
from directors and designers, as well as
discussion points and suggested classroom
activities. Guides from past seasons are also
available to download from the website.