Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite

Orgon, a wealthy Parisian, has fallen completely under the spell of Tartuffe, a penniless man who poses as a saint. He takes him into his house, praises his piety, promises him his daughter Mariane, who loves another man, and even signs his property over to him, while his family and their outspoken maid Dorine try in vain to open his eyes. Only when Orgon hides under a table and watches Tartuffe try to seduce his wife Elmire does he see the truth, and by then it may be too late.

Molière (1622–1673), the greatest French writer of comedy, first staged the play in 1664, and it was banned for five years after protests from powerful religious figures. Its title has become a word, in French and English, for a hypocrite. Compare the hypocrite Joseph Surface in The School for Scandal.