“Tartuffe, or The Impostor” by Moliere is considered one of the greatest plays in the history of the theater, which has been staged throughout the world for 360 years. Hiding his hypocrisy behind the mask of Christian virtues, Tartuffe gets into the family of the rich Orgon. The father of the family is blinded by the “devoutness” of the wanderer and, after listening to his rousing sermons, turns into an obedient tool in the hands...
“Tartuffe, or The Impostor” by Moliere is considered one of the greatest plays in the history of the theater, which has been staged throughout the world for 360 years. Hiding his hypocrisy behind the mask of Christian virtues, Tartuffe gets into the family of the rich Orgon. The father of the family is blinded by the “devoutness” of the wanderer and, after listening to his rousing sermons, turns into an obedient tool in the hands of the villain...
This witty and sharp comedy about a swindler who pretends to be a saint explores and exposes hypocrisy in all its manifestations. Despite the fact that Moliere's goal was to criticize the court of Louis XIV, the play is able to speak to any era. His satire hits the target even through the centuries, because even today this story and its characters remain surprisingly relevant. The author had to pay the price for “Tartuffe”: he was no longer friends with the king and the production was banned. In the first version of the comedy, written and staged in 1664, the satire turned out to be so apt and recognizable that the churchmen immediately got it banned. Moliere was fighting for the right to stage “Tartuffe” for five years: he even rewrote the play twice, and only the third version of 1669 finally got the right to live on stage.
