Tartuffe (original 1664; edition 2004)

The comedy of this play walked the fine line between humor and tragedy. In the modern world there are all kinds of people insisting that black is white and white is black and declaring others crazy for not believing, so Tartuffe is readily believable. The appeal to the king is overt - the ending is resolved through the "wisdom and benevolence" of the king in the play. Even so, the story is a powerful warning against hypocrisy. ( )

Moliere has long been on my to-read list because his comedies were on a list of "100 Significant Books" I was determined to read through. The introduction in one of the books of his plays says that of his "thirty-two comedies... a good third are among the comic masterpieces of world literature." The plays are surprisingly accessible and amusing, even if by and large they strike me as frothy and light compared to comedies by Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Wilde, Shaw and Rostand. But I may be at a disadvantage. I'm a native New Yorker, and looking back it's amazing how many classic plays I've seen on stage, plenty I've seen in filmed adaptations and many I've studied in school. Yet I've never encountered Moliere before this. Several productions of Shakespeare live and filmed are definitely responsible for me love of his plays. Reading a play is really no substitute for seeing it--the text is only scaffolding. So that might be why I don't rate these plays higher. I admit I also found Wilbur's much recommended translation off-putting at first. The format of rhyming couplets seemed sing-song and trite, as if I was reading the lyrics to a musical rather than a play. As I read more I did get used to that form, but I do suspect these are the kinds of works that play much better on stage than on the page.

Tartuffe is the second play by Moliere I've read out of five; this one, about over-religiosity and hypocrisy is my favorite. The title character Tartuffe is a conman who prays on the religious sensibility and man-crush of his patron Orgon. The scene in particular where Orgon responds to reports of his wife's illness by repeatedly asking, "But what about Tartuffe" nearly had me laughing out loud. The character of the pert and shrewd lady's maid Dorine is particularly delightful. ( )

מבריק. נקרא (באנגלית ובצרפתית) כהכנה להצגה בקומדי ​ ( )

I read this for my World Lit II class. I'm glad it was assigned because I really enjoyed it - way more than I expect I would enjoy a French play from the 17th century. But the subject of religious hypocrites never go out of style. Tartuffe is a major tool, and a master manipulator who, sadly, reminds me of someone I know.

Lots of good nuggets of prose and quotable dialogue here. It's pretty much as awesome as awesome can get. ( )

A comedic play written by Molière soundly abusing religious hypocrites; Orgon is a man thoroughly taken in by the “religious” scoundrel Tartuffe, who unbeknownst to Orgon and his imperious mother will be taking advantage of Orgon’s blindness in the end; the rest of the family, however, including the clear-minded companion maid Dorine, the clever wife Elmire, and the philosophical Cléante (Orgon’s brother-in-law), see through his mask. There seems to be a sort of deus ex machina at the end when the messenger from the king reveals that they had been aware of Tartuffe’s roguery all along, but otherwise a pretty compelling play -- apparently Moliére was not a little prosecuted by his society for it.I found it funny (not exactly hilarious, but quite tickling nonetheless) and a very good, quick read. I was greatly enjoyed the smoothness of the rhyming (the translator is to be commended) and the wit of the writer. I didn’t really learn anything from the play, per se, but it did emphasize and remind of the dangers of hypocrisy in a very amusing way. Cléante also makes some rather good points regarding what should be sought after in a religion. Idea of abstract (men) versus concrete (ladies)? In the end, a little stock (the rhymes are admittedly a bit silly, though that is hardly to be condemned), but still meaningful. ( )