To the dismay of their family and friends, Orgon and his mother develop a great reverence for the insufferable pieties of a con-artist named Tartuffe. Tartuffe’s flagrant hypocrisy is obvious to everyone else, and when Orgon declares his intention to give Tartuffe his daughter’s hand in marriage, his family decides that they have had enough. One of Moliere’s most celebrated plays, “Tartuffe” is witty satire.

Richard Wilbur's verse translation of Molière has been acclaimed as a masterpiece of its kind. In brilliant rhymed couplets Mr. Wilbur has rendered into English the form and spirit of Molière's language as well as its substance, and to his accomplishments as a poet is added a sure sense of the theater. It is small wonder that this version of TARTUFFE has been performed so frequently in recent years and with such success.

Jean Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name of Moliere, stands without a rival at the head of French comedy. His many great plays include "The School for Husbands" and "The School for Wives," "The Misanthrope" and "The Hypocrite" (Tartuffe), "The Miser" and "The Hypochondriac," "The Learned Ladies," "The Doctor in Spite of Himself," "The Citizen Turned Gentleman," and many others, in which he exposed mercilessly one after another the vices and foibles of the day. His characteristic qualities are nowhere better exhibited than in "Tartuffe." Compared with such characterization as Shakespeare's, Moliere's method of portraying life may seem to be lacking in complexity; but it is precisely the simplicity with which creations like Tartuffe embody the weakness or vice they represent that has given them their place as universally recognized types of human nature.

Tartuffe by Moliere: a new rhymed verse translation by Harold DixonTartuffe is the story of a religious hypocrite who worms his way into a middle class household in 17th century France. It has a cast of 13 characters, 8 men, 5 women (1 man, 1 woman in non-speaking roles). It is the most popular of Moliere’s plays. This version is a modern, American English translation of the French classic. Like the original, it is entirely in rhymed couplets, but you will find that this version is fresh and accessible for modern audiences while keeping the spirit of the original.This translation has been performed at the University of Arizona and at the University of Redlands, CA, where it was enthusiastically received. After reviewing the manuscript, Shepard Sobel, artistic director of the acclaimed Pearl Theatre Company in New York City, wrote: “Your text is an extraordinary accomplishment. Whenever we take on Moliere and other rhymed coupleters, we struggle over the difficult choice of opting for speakability or for authenticity. Hats off to you for managing both. I have some sense of what a feat that is.”More praise for this translation: “…pitch-perfect…[a] limber verse translation of the French original. For once, here is a Moliere free of Briticisms and archaic turns of phrase. True, Dixon does pepper the dialog with modern colloquialisms—‘rat race,’ walk the walk,’ ‘horny husbands,’ usually for the sake of an arresting rhyme—but none of this ever seems out of character.” (Tucson, AZ Weekly) Dixon’s “rhymed translation is quite actable and occasionally vernacular-sharp.” (Los Angeles Times) Dixon’s translation “of the text into rhymed couplets is always smooth, often brilliant.” (Redlands, CA Daily Facts) Dixon’s “achievement is rather monumental…since the entire comedy is in rhymed couplets…Dixon’s accomplishment is to be highly commended, as the speech flowed easily, comedy was unimpaired and even a few modern idioms inserted.” (Loma Linda, CA Bulletin)

"Tartuffe". Molière. 128 pages. Petits Classiques Bordas (PCB). 1963.

The translation into English verse of one of Molière’s most masterful and most popular plays. “A continuous delight from beginning to end” (Richard Eberhart). Introduction by Richard Wilbur.

Prudence Steiner's lively prose translation of Moliere's great comedy remains close to the original French, while casting the speech of characters in a slightly compressed and formalized way that comes very close to the original effect created by Molière's verse. This edition includes translations of Moliere's three appeals to the king, as well as an introductory essay by Roger Herzel, which discusses Moliere's life, Tartuffe and the comic tradition, and the setting, language and style of the play.

The religious fraud Tartuffe has wormed his way into the affections and household of the rich merchant Orgon, with pantomime piety and counterfeit zeal. So comprehensively has he hoodwinked Orgon that he looks set to succeed in driving away the son, marrying the daughter, seducing the wife and imprisoning Orgon.

Renowned for his satirical works, Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622–1673) delighted in lampooning the social pretensions and conceits of 17th-century French society. In this 1664 verse comedy with serious overtones, Tartuffe, a penniless scoundrel and religious poseur, is invited by a gullible benefactor to live in his home.Imposing a rigidly puritanical regimen on the formerly happy household, Tartuffe wreaks havoc among family members. He breaks off the daughter's engagement, attempts to seduce the wife of his host, acquires his patron's property, and eventually resorts to blackmail and extortion. But ultimately, his schemes and malicious deeds lead to his own downfall.Attacked by the Church and twice suppressed, Tartuffe opened to packed houses in 1669. Teeming with lively humor and satirical plot devices, this timeless comedy by one of France's greatest and most influential playwrights is essential reading for students of theater and literature.

French language.

MADAME PERNELLEAllons, Flipote, allons ; que d’eux je me délivre.ELMIREVous marchez d’un tel pas, qu’on a peine à vous suivre.MADAME PERNELLELaissez, ma bru, laissez ; ne venez pas plus loin ;Ce sont toutes façons dont je n’ai pas besoin.ELMIREDe ce que l’on vous doit envers vous on s’acquitte.Mais, ma mère, d’où vient que vous sortez si vite ?MADAME PERNELLEC’est que je ne puis voir tout ce ménage-ci,Et que de me complaire on ne prend nul souci.Oui, je sors de chez vous fort mal édifiée :Dans toutes mes leçons j’y suis contrariée ;On n’y respecte rien, chacun y parle haut,Et c’est tout justement la cour du roi Pétaud.DORINESi…MADAME PERNELLE Vous êtes, ma mie, une fille suivante,Un peu trop forte en gueule, et fort impertinente ;Vous vous mêlez sur tout de dire votre avis.DAMISMais…MADAME PERNELLE Vous êtes un sot en trois lettres, mon fils ;C’est moi qui vous le dis, qui suis votre grand’mère ;Et j’ai prédit cent fois à mon fils, votre père,Que vous preniez tout l’air d’un méchant garnement,Et ne lui donneriez jamais que du tourment.------------------------------------------------------------------Inclus dans ce numéro:- Une biographie complète de Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, dit Molière- Un indice de lien direct aux chapitres

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Widely hailed as the founder of the modern French comedy, and known to be a gifted actor, playwright, and patron of fellow actors, Moliere was a towering presence in seventeenth-century France―and the scourge of its political and religious Establishment. His biting satire, witty dialogue, and irreverent staging have made him a favorite with theatergoers for four centuries. This Norton Critical Edition of Moliere’s most controversial and most often-performed play is based on Constance Congdon’s acclaimed new verse translation. It is accompanied by explanatory annotations and nine illustrations of the seventeenth-century farce. “Backgrounds and Sources” draws readers’ attention to the real-life controversy Moliere faced following the opening of Tartuffe, which was immediately banned by the Church. Both sides of the argument surrounding Tartuffe are presented in contemporary documents translated and annotated by Virginia Scott, among them Moliere’s three petitions to King Louis XIV, Pierre Roullé on the monarchy, letters by Boileau and Charles Robinet, and Hardouin de Péréfixe on the law.Assessments of Tartuffe as a production are given in seminal reviews by Harold Clurman and John Peter. Constantin Stanislavsky and Louis Jovet discuss the challenges they faced in preparing for modern productions of Tartuffe.From the wealth of critical commentary on Tartuffe both in the United States and in France, the editors have chosen nine interpretations focusing on the central issues of translation, religion, social history, staging, and international adaptation. Contributors include Nancy Senior, Emanuel S. Chill, Roger W. Herzel, P. Munoz Simonds, Pamela Saur, William J. Beck, Mechele Leon, Wilma Newberry, and Cheryl Kennedy McFarren.A Chronology of Moliere’s life and work and a Chronology are included. 9 illustrations

Often called the "Father of French Comedy," Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622–1673) was a master at exposing the foibles and complexities of humanity in plays notable for their dramatic construction, varied and diverse humor, and subtlety of psychological observation. This convenient dual-language volume contains the original French texts and English translations of two of Molière's most praised and popular comedies: Tartuffe and The Bourgeois Gentleman. These timeless theatrical works by one of France's greatest and most influential playwrights can be appreciated not only by students of French language and literature but by any aficionado of classic comedy.Tartuffe, a 1664 verse comedy with serious overtones, concerns a scoundrel who impersonates a holy man in order to acquire his gullible host's property and wife. The prose farce The Bourgeois Gentleman, an instant success at its 1670 debut, lampoons the hypocrisy of 17th-century Parisian society with a central character who attempts to adopt the superficial manners, accomplishments, and speech associated with the nobility. Both plays abound in humor, the quips of saucy servants, and a host of satirical plot devices.For this edition, Stanley Appelbaum has provided an informative introduction to the playwright and the plays, and excellent literal English translations on facing pages, offering students an ideal opportunity both to refine their French-language skills and to enjoy Molière in his own words.

Le Tartuffe, revue de théâtre, de théâtre ouvert, fait dès ce premier numéro toute sa part à la musique, à la danse. Bientôt aux expositions et au cinéma en ce qu'ils accompagnent la scène ou la prolongent. A travers les portraits, les acteurs qui tiennent la rampe ou dont le souvenir perdure, par les épisodes exhumés de l'oubli, dans l'actualité du livre, dans celle de l'actualité dont on parle, par le regard porté sur la province ou l'étranger, notre revue ambitionne d'aller à l'essentiel. Gérard Allouche Comité de rédaction : Gérard Allouche, Yves Bourgade, Jean-Pierre Han, Karim Haouadeg