| Tartuffe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Molière |
| Date premiered | 1664 |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | Orgon's house in Paris, 1660s |
Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite (/tɑːrˈtʊf,-ˈtuːf/;[1]French:Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur,pronounced[taʁtyfulɛ̃pɔstœʁ]), first performed in 1664, is a theatricalcomedy (or more specifically, afarce) byMolière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theatre roles.
Molière performed his first version ofTartuffe in 1664. Almost immediately following its performance that same year atVersailles' grandfêtes (The Party of the Delights of the Enchanted Island/Les fêtes des plaisirs de l'ile enchantée),King Louis XIV suppressed it, probably under the influence of thearchbishop of Paris,Paul Philippe Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe, the King'sconfessor and formertutor.[2] While the king had little personal interest in suppressing the play, he did so because, as stated in the official account of the fête:
although it was found to be extremely diverting, the king recognized so much conformity between those that a true devotion leads on the path to heaven and those that a vain ostentation of some good works does not prevent from committing some bad ones, that his extreme delicacy to religious matters can not suffer this resemblance of vice to virtue, which could be mistaken for each other; although one does not doubt the good intentions of the author, even so he forbids it in public, and deprived himself of this pleasure, in order not to allow it to be abused by others, less capable of making a just discernment of it.[2]: 76
As a result of Molière's play, contemporary French and English both use the word "tartuffe" to designate ahypocrite who ostensibly and exaggeratedly feignsvirtue, especially religious virtue. The play is written entirely in twelve-syllable lines (alexandrines) ofrhyming couplets—1,962 lines total.[3]
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Orgon:Molière | Head of the house and husband of Elmire, he is blinded by admiration for Tartuffe. |
| Tartuffe: Du Croisy | Houseguest of Orgon, hypocritical religious devotee who attempts to seduce Elmire |
| Valère:La Grange | The young romantic lead, who struggles to win the hand of his true love, Orgon's daughter Mariane. |
| Madame Pernelle: LouisBéjart, cross-dressed | Mother of Orgon; grandmother of Damis and Mariane |
| Elmire:Armande Béjart-Molière | Wife of Orgon, step-mother of Damis and Mariane |
| Dorine:Madeleine Béjart | Family housemaid (suivante), who tries to help expose Tartuffe and help Valère and Mariane. |
| Cléante:La Thorillière | Brother of Elmire, brother-in-law of Orgon (the play'sraisonneur) |
| Mariane: Mlle de Brie | Daughter of Orgon, the fiancée of Valère and sister of Damis |
| Damis: André Hubert | Son of Orgon and brother of Mariane |
| Laurent | Servant of Tartuffe (non-speaking character) |
| Argas | Friend of Orgon who was anti-Louis XIV during theFronde (mentioned but not seen). |
| Flipote | Servant of Madame Pernelle (non-speaking character) |
| Monsieur Loyal: Mr. De Brie | A bailiff |
| A King's Officer/The Exempt | An officer of the king |
Orgon's family is up in arms because Orgon and his mother, Madame Pernelle, have fallen under the influence of Tartuffe, a fraud and vagrant prior to Orgon's charity. Tartuffe manipulates Orgon by aping devotion and pretending to speak with divine authority. Madame Pernelle, also convinced of Tartuffe's piety, denounces Elmire and Cléante, Orgon's second wife and step-brother, respectively.
Orgon returns from his estate with news: although his daughter Mariane is engaged to Valère, Tartuffe will now marry his daughter. The news causes a rift between Mariane and Valère as each are convinced of the other's apathy until Dorine, the maid, reconciles the couple and plots to reveal Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Suspecting that Tartuffe will be swayed by Elmire, she arranges for the two to meet. Unbeknownst to her, Damis, Orgon's son and heir, eavesdrops on their conversation. When Tartuffe declares his love for Elmire, Damis interrupts and triumphantly reports everything to his father. However, Tartuffe usesreverse psychology to accuse himself of being the worst sinner:
Oui, mon frère, je suis un méchant, un coupable.
Un malheureux pécheur tout plein d'iniquité
Yes, my brother, I am wicked, guilty.
A miserable sinner just full of iniquity.[4]
Orgon is soon convinced that Damis is lying and banishes him from the house. He signs over all his worldly possessions to Tartuffe, disinheriting Damis. After seeing that Orgon will listen to neither reason or emotion after interviews with Cléante and Mariane, Elmire decides to act. She challenges Orgon to eavesdrop on a private meeting between her and Tartuffe. Orgon, convinced of Tartuffe's piety, agrees and hides under a table. Elmire's attempts to seduce Tartuffe make him suspicious, but his lust soon offers Orgon unobjectionable proof of his hypocrisy. Orgon demands that Tartuffe leave his household, but Tartuffe reminds him that he is its owner as he threatens to return.
Orgon despondently reveals to his family that, before the events of the play, he had admitted to Tartuffe that he had kept letters written by his friend, Argas, that denounced Louis XIV. The box is nowhere to be found. Soon after, a bailiff, Monsieur Loyal, arrives with a message from Tartuffe: Orgon and his family must vacate the house. Dorine mocks Loyal's name and his false loyalty. As he leaves, Valère enters, warning Orgon that Tartuffe has just revealed the treasonous letters to the King and that an officer is on his way to the house with a warrant for Orgon's arrest.
Before Orgon can flee, however, Tartuffe arrives with the officer but, to his surprise, the officer arrests him instead. The officer explains that the enlightened KingLouis XIV—who is not mentioned by name—has heard of the injustices happening in the house and, appalled by Tartuffe's treachery towards Orgon, has ordered Tartuffe's arrest instead. The officer explains that Tartuffe has a long criminal history and has often changed his name to avoid being caught. As a reward for Orgon's previous good services, the King not only forgives him for keeping the letters but also invalidates the deed that gave Tartuffe possession of Orgon's house and possessions.
The entire family is thankful that it has escaped the mortification of both Orgon's potential disgrace and their dispossession. As a thanks for Valère's loyalty, Orgon consents for him to marry Mariane. The surprisetwist ending, in which everything is set right by the unexpected benevolent intervention of the heretofore unseen King, is considered a notable modern-day example of the classical theatrical plot devicedeus ex machina.
ThoughTartuffe was received well by the public and even by Louis XIV, it immediately sparked conflict amongst many different groups who were offended by the play's portrayal of someone who was outwardly pious but fundamentally mercenary, lecherous, and deceitful; and who uses their profession of piety to prey on others. The factions opposed to Molière's work included part of the hierarchy of theCatholic Church, members of upper-class French society, and theCompagnie du Saint-Sacrement, a Catholic underground organization.Tartuffe's popularity was cut short when thearchbishop of ParisPéréfixe issued an edict threatening excommunication for anyone who watched, performed in, or read the play. Molière attempted to assuage church officials by rewriting his play to seem more secular and less critical of religion, but the archbishop and other leading officials would not budge. The revised, second version of the play was calledL'Imposteur and had a main character named Panulphe instead of Tartuffe, the only performance of which occurred in the Palais-Royal theatre on 5 August 1667. Immediately the following day, on 6 August, as the king was away from Paris,Guillaume de Lamoignon, first president of theParis Parlement, censored public performances.[5]
Even throughout Molière's conflict with the church, Louis XIV continued to support the playwright; it is possible that without the King's support, Molière might have beenexcommunicated. Although public performances of the play were banned, private performances for the Frencharistocracy did occur.[6] In 1669, after Molière's detractors lost much of their influence, he was finally allowed to perform the final version of his play. However, due to all thecontroversy surroundingTartuffe, Molière mostly refrained from writing such incisive plays as this one again.[7]
An ally of Molière (believed by Robert McBride to beFrançois de La Mothe Le Vayer, but a hotly-debated point)[8][9] responded to criticism ofTartuffe in 1667 with aLettre sur la comédie de l'Imposteur. The anonymous author sought to defend the play[a] to the public by describing the plot in detail and then rebutting two common arguments made for why the play was banned. The first being that theatrical works should not discuss religion at all; the second being that Tartuffe's actions on stage, followed by his pious speech, would make the audience think that they were to act as Tartuffe did. This section of letter contradicts the latter by describing how Tartuffe's actions are worthy ofridicule, in essence comic, and therefore by no means an endorsement.[citation needed]
The comic is the outward and visible form that nature's bounty has attached to everything unreasonable, so that we should see, and avoid it. To know the comic we must know the rational, of which it denotes the absence and we must see wherein the rational consists ... incongruity is the heart of the comic ... it follows that all lying, disguise, cheating, dissimulation, all outward show different from the reality, all contradiction in fact between actions that proceed from a single source, all this is in essence comic.[10]
Centuries later, when thesatiricalanticlerical magazineLa Calotte started publication in 1906, its first editorial asserted thatLaughter is the only weapon feared by the soldiers of Tartuffe; the new magazine proposed to effectively deploy that weapon, with articles and cartoons mercilessly lampooning the Catholic Church and its clergy.[11][12][13]
The original version of the play was in three acts and was first staged on 12 May 1664 at thePalace of Versailles' Cour de Marbre[14] as part offestivities known asLes Plaisirs de l'île enchantée. Because of the attacks on the play and the ban that was placed on it, this version was never published, and no text has survived, giving rise to much speculation as to whether it was a work in progress or a finished piece. Many writers believe it consisted of the first three acts of the final version, whileJohn Cairncross has proposed that acts 1, 3, and 4 were performed.[15] Although the original version could not be played publicly, it could be given privately,[15] and it was seen on 25 September 1664 inVillers-Cotterêts, for Louis' brotherPhilippe I, Duke of Orléans, akaMonsieur and 29 November 1664 at theChâteau du Raincy, for the veteran of theFronde,Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti.[16]
The second version,L'Imposteur, was in five acts and performed only once, on 5 August 1667 in theThéâtre du Palais-Royal. On 11 August, before any additional performances, theArchbishop of Paris Péréfixe banned this version also. The largely-final, revised third version in five acts, under the titleTartuffe, ou L'Imposteur, appeared on 5 February 1669 at the Palais-Royal theatre and was highly successful.[15] This version was published[17] and is the one that is generally performed today.[15]
Since Molière's time,Tartuffe has stayed on the repertoire of theComédie-Française, where it is its most performed play.[18]
The Russiantheatre practitionerConstantin Stanislavski was working on a production ofTartuffe when he died in 1938. It was completed byMikhail Kedrov and opened on 4 December 1939.[19]
The first Broadway production took place at theANTA Washington Square Theatre in New York and ran from 14 January 1965 to 22 May 1965. The cast includedMichael O'Sullivan as Tartuffe,Sada Thompson as Dorine,Salome Jens as Elmire,Hal Holbrook as M. Loyal,John Phillip Law as King's Officer,Laurence Luckinbill as Damis andTony Lo Bianco as Sergeant.[20]
TheNational Theatre Company performed a production in 1967 using theRichard Wilbur translation and featuringJohn Gielgud as Orgon,Robert Stephens as Tartuffe,Jeremy Brett as Valere,Derek Jacobi as The Officer andJoan Plowright as Dorine.[21]
A production ofRichard Wilbur's translation of the play opened at theCircle in the Square Theatre in 1977, withJohn Wood as Tartuffe, and co-starringTammy Grimes as Elmire,Stefan Gierasch as Orgon,Ray Wise as Damis,Swoosie Kurtz as Mariane andPatricia Elliott as Dorine.[22]
ARoyal Shakespeare Company production using theChristopher Hampton translation and directed by Bill Alexander was performed atThe Pit Theatre in London in 1983. The production includedAntony Sher as Tartuffe,Nigel Hawthorne as Orgon,Mark Rylance as Damis,Alison Steadman as Elmire, Stephanie Fayerman as Dorine andDavid Bradley as Cleante.[23]
Charles Randolph-Wright staged a production of Tartuffe, July 1999, at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, which was set among affluent African Americans of Durham, North Carolina, in the 1950s.[24]
A translation byRanjit Bolt was staged at London'sPlayhouse Theatre in 1991 withAbigail Cruttenden,Paul Eddington,Jamie Glover,Felicity Kendal,Nicholas Le Prevost,John Sessions andToby Stephens.[25] Bolt's translation was later staged at London's National Theatre in 2002 withMargaret Tyzack as Madame Pernelle,Martin Clunes as Tartuffe,Clare Holman as Elmire,Julian Wadham as Cleante andDavid Threlfall as Orgon.[26]
David Ball adaptedTartuffe for theTheatre de la Jeune Lune in 2006 and Dominique Serrand revived this production in 2015 in a coproduction withBerkeley Repertory Theatre,South Coast Repertory and theShakespeare Theatre Company.[27]
Liverpudlian poetRoger McGough's translation premièred at theLiverpool Playhouse in May 2008 and transferred subsequently to theRose Theatre, Kingston.[28]
TheRoyal Shakespeare Company produced a new version byAnil Gupta and Richard Pinto which relocated the story to the modern-dayPakistani-Muslim community ofSparkhill,Birmingham. It premiered at theSwan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in September 2018 before transferring toBirmingham Repertory Theatre in October 2022.[29]
In 2021, Singapore theatre companyW!ld Rice commissioned a new version by Singaporean playwrightJoel Tan, which premiered in 2022. Tan's version adds a new plot twist: Valère's engagement to Mariane is a lavender marriage to cover up his torrid affair with Damis and her desire to become an independent woman.
In 2022, a feminist reimagining written by Flora Davies and Siân Lawrence was presented at Oxford's BT Studio by Green Sun Productions to great acclaim. This adaptation sets the action within a fictional feminist consultancy firm; Orgon and Elmire become Co-CEOs and Tartuffe a new hire in the office. The production transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2023.
Scholars have been slow to accept this attribution, however, and other names that are commonly put forward are Jean Donneau de Visé and Claude- Emmanuel Huillier, better known as Chapelle.
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Tartuffe public domain audiobook atLibriVox| International | |
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