Tartuffe by the prolific French playwright Moliere. Tartuffe, written in the 1600s, addresses a topic that is still relevant, that of hypocrisy, particularly religious hypocrisy. The play centers around the family of a man named Orgon. Orgon is a middle-aged, wealthy bourgeois who, while going though a (still-common) mid-life crisis, invites the con artist Tartuffe (whom is pretending to be a saintly religious figure) into his home.Orgon becomes drawn in by Tartuffe and becomes deeply religious, to the point that his wife, children, and extended family want to kick Tartuffe out of their home. Tartuffe’s Christianity is a faux Christianity, and since he lusts after Elmire, Orgon’s wife, Tartuffe declares her socializing to be a sin and keeps everyone under harsh rule. Tartuffe eventually convinces Orgon to offer him his fortune and daughter. It takes Tartuffe trying to seduce his wife before Orgon realizes that Tartuffe is not who he seems to be.
While this may seem very dramatic, possibly tragic, Tartuffe is actually a comedy, and a rather good one at that. I have always enjoyed Shakespeare, but found myself looking for something more and I found that in Moliere. I highly recommend this play to anyone whom enjoys literature.
