When was tartuffe first published

In Newfoundland in the late s, during the Great Depression people from smaller towns went to work for wealthy families in the big cities. This gave me a reason for Dorine being in service to Orgon's family.

A war hero : It's important to the ending of the play that the main character be a hero in a recent war. World War I was a significant event in Newfoundland. We lost a greater per capita proportion of men than any of the other dominions in the British Commonwealth. Almost every family was touched by the war. Orgon becomes a believable character as a World War I hero. He wanted Newfoundland's support for the coming war remember, this is before Confederation.

An authority figure in the last scene : I chose a Newfoundland Ranger to portray this role. The Rangers predated the RCMP in Newfoundland, and were community leaders and government representatives in all the small towns. They knew everyone's history, and would have been in contact with the King. Language : The original play is written in verse, and my version is as well.

I used a lot of expressions from Newfoundland. I consulted three dictionaries, and used many familiar turns of phrase. I also made up a few expressions of my own. The next four years marked Newfoundland in unforgettable ways. Many men were available to serve, because unemployment was a big problem at the time. A definite good one for people who want to sample some plays from over years that are quite different in style from Chaucer, Shakespeare or Milton's ways FYI - Read this years ago either as a kid or in college, but wrote up a review recently About Me For those new to me or my reviews I write A LOT.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Mocking the Heavens As I read this I was reminded most often of the god-men of India: of their scandals, of their dedicated followers who are so willingly duped, and of the politicians who pretend to be devoted for their own purposes.

I can only imagine what parallel suggestion would have been easily engendered in the French minds as they sat through this devastating play. It is no surprise that there was such outage. It is no surprise that it was banned for so long. Without once giving his game away in the text, he makes his intent entirely transparent — ridicule the falsely pious.

Unfortunately, his audience did not take too well to being ridiculed! If the task of comedy is to correct the vices of mankind, I do not understand why some of those vices should be exempt. In the State, the vice of hypocrisy is far more dangerous than all the others; and we have seen that the theater is a strong force for its correction. The most beautiful phrases of a serious sermon are frequently less powerful than satire, and nothing alerts men more effectively than the display of their vices.

Displaying vice to the mockery of men deals it a great blow. Men put up with admonition but are loath to be mocked. One might be will- ing to be wicked; one cannot bear to appear foolish. People attack me for putting pious language in the mouth of an impostor.

How could I fail to do this if I wanted to present accurately the character of a hypocrite? It was enough, it seemed to me, to reveal the criminal motives that made him say these things and to have omitted those holy words that it would have been horrible to hear him misuse.

But, say they, at the beginning of the fourth act he uses a pernicious and casuistic argument. Yet has not everyone heard such casuistry being used? Does my comedy present anything new? Who could believe that such widely detested behavior would influence anyone; that I make it more dangerous by presenting it on the stage, that it would receive some validity because it is presented by a scoundrel? That does not seem possible, and the comedy of Tartuffe should be approved or all comedies banned.

View all 14 comments. Tartuffe or "The Imposter" or "The Hypocrite" by Moliere is a wonderful play about a religious hypocrite. The play was banned in his day for five years accusing it of religious mockery. But it is interesting to note that there is no dialogue or action in the play that justifies the allegation. Moliere has rather severely criticized those who feign piety to disguise their own crimes and sins, but in no way has he been disrespectful of his religion.

So, one can see the real reason behind the ban. It was very much so, in Moliere's day, and if one looks around, it is very much so, even today. I've met quite a number of them, so I can guarantee that they do exist. His wit and satire, quite exceptional.

The theme is certainly no laughing matter, but by heavens, how I laughed over this play! Moliere's incredible ability to bring out satire in his plays with clever dialogues and actions is simply amazing. Moliere is my new discovery this year, and I'm really thankful that I came across him.

He is a brilliant playwright and has become a favourite of mine. If you love to read plays of light satire, you should certainly check him out. One word must be said about this translation done by Richard Wilbur. In my opinion, he captures the true essence of the play quite beautifully. Reading his translation has quite a similar effect to watching them being performed.

It is a common belief that a play cannot be enjoyed to its full extent only by reading it, and there are good reasons for it. But Wilbur's translations of Moliere's plays have to a greater extent met this difficulty. This particular translation was done in verse which rhymed.

I really enjoyed reading it. If you are reading Moliere in English, I highly recommend reading Wilbur's translations. View all 10 comments. Jan 14, Manny rated it really liked it Shelves: why-not-call-it-poetry , french.

When I read this play for the first time, I had a strange feeling that I'd seen it somewhere before. Cretinous Orgon can't understand what's obvious to the audience and everyone else in the play, namely that the slimy cleric Tartuffe is not only trying to ruin him, but also to get into his wife's pants.

He seems to have neatly engineered his own downfall when - hey presto! It's very funny. After a little thought, I realized that this is the basic structure of se When I read this play for the first time, I had a strange feeling that I'd seen it somewhere before.

After a little thought, I realized that this is the basic structure of several of Frank Oz's films, e. In each case, the completely illogical ending only heightens the preceding satire. Any chance of Oz directing a Muppett version of Tartuffe? I can just see Miss Piggy as Elmire View all 16 comments. Jul 23, Duane rated it really liked it Shelves: french , book-challenge , plays-theater , reviewed-books , rated-books.

Tartuffe Imposter , written by French playwright Moliere in , and first performed that same year. It's a comedy, and even though it reads well, I imagine to be truly appreciated it would be better to see the stage production, and see these remarkable characters come to life. It was banned shortly after the first production because it offended the Church and the upper class French society.

The Archbishop of Paris threatened to excommunicate anyone who read, watched, or performed in the play. But it has survived the years with 21st century productions in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States. While reading the Chekhov play Ivanoff recently, I became curious about why one character told another not to be a Tartuffe. I Googled and discovered that in French and English, calling anyone a Tartuffe means that they are a hypocrite, especially one who pretends to be overly pious.

And I learned that the term comes from the play of the same name by Moliere. So here we are with my first Stray Cat book of ; one of those books that curl purring around your ankles until you simply have to read While reading the Chekhov play Ivanoff recently, I became curious about why one character told another not to be a Tartuffe. So here we are with my first Stray Cat book of ; one of those books that curl purring around your ankles until you simply have to read it.

Sometimes I make lists of these books and save them for later, and other times like now I read them immediately. At first I thought that the way the play was written would be a distraction. Here is the line from Wiki that made me feel that way: The play is written entirely in 1, twelve-syllable lines alexandrines of rhyming couplets.

An entire play written in rhyme?! I was afraid I would be reading sing-song the whole time, but I was also very curious about how such a thing would work. Imagine how hard it would be to shape your thoughts to fit that formula and still have everything your characters are saying make sense! As it turned out, I was enchanted from the moment the curtain rose on Act 1. I did need a few scenes to properly sort out who was who in the cast of characters, but once I managed that, I was able to relax and enjoy the story of Orgon and his family and the way their lives are affected by Tartuffe.

Orgon had offered Tartuffe a home after meeting him in church, and Tartuffe settled in so well he was able to pull the wool over his host's eyes about many things. The other family members don't like him, but Orgon refuses to listen to a single word against the man who has become his guide, his confidante, his closest advisor. Orgon even decides to allow Tartuffe to marry his daughter, even though she is in love with Valere and hates Tartuffe.

The play moves fast: it is funny, even bawdy at times, and makes a great many excellent points about the differences between appearance and reality. My two favorite characters were Dorine and Cleante. Dorine was Orgon's daughter's maid, described in the cast list as 'the impertinent maid'. She certainly did speak her mind; she was a hoot!

Cleante is Orgon's brother-in-law, and was the main voice of reason in the household. Not that Orgon listened to him at all, but Cleante tried. This was an extremely controversial play when it first appeared in The Wiki article I read says that this version of Tartuffe was the only one published and was the third time Moliere had re-written his play. This version was first performed in I can see that even this version would put a burr under the saddle of many people of those times, most especially if they felt it to be a mirror they were looking into and not simply a play they were being entertained by.

Moliere was lucky to have the King's protection, and there is a bit of a speech in the final act which refers to the wisdom of the King, how he sees the truth and cannot be fooled. At the very least he could recognize immense talent, even genius, when he saw it. View all 4 comments. So he took five years to tone it down by working with the Church censors, but it was nevertheless immediately a world-wide success when it was finally released.

Tartuffe is also subtitled in some editions as an "imposter" or a "hypocrite. Early on in the play his true moral character is much the subject of debate, as he does not appear on stage for a long time. Orgon is on the side of admiring him, to the amazement of the majority of those who know him, and he decides to marry off his daughter to Tartuffe. His daughter is one of those that sees through the much older, and insufferably boring Tartuffe's hypocrisy, so she is adamant not to marry him, and besides, she is in In Love with Another.

If we had any doubts about the issue of Tartuffe's true moral character, we watch as he attempts to seduce Orgon's wife, as he would prefer to marry her than her daughter. When his wife reports this news to Orgon, he refuses to believe her, privately signing off all his worldly goods to Tartuffe, though he confidently agrees to hide and listen in as his wife arranges a meeting with Tartuffe, who of course reveals his True Dastardly Purpose.

Adam and Eve were public in their fall. To sin in private is not to sin at all! A last minute deus ex machina act of the King prevents his ruin, and allows his daughter to marry her True Love. It's a comedy, and all's well that ends well, which is to say happily, so we forgive the playwright for this sudden turn of events.

We want the young woman to marry for love, and who she wants to marry, not the hypocrite Tartuffe! Why is this so good? See it if you can! So good! Jan 10, Ivana Books Are Magic rated it really liked it.

A lovely play about a religious hypocrite Tartuffe that moves in with one French family and takes over the household. The pater familias Orogon will not listen to reason, he is convinced that Tartuffe is a living saint and fails to see how Tartuffe is using religion to exploit him financially.

Orogon will listen to neither his children, nor his wife as they try to warn him. They will have to show him rather than just tell about Tartuffe's true face. Will it be too late? Moliere did a great jo A lovely play about a religious hypocrite Tartuffe that moves in with one French family and takes over the household.

Moliere did a great job with brining all the characters to live. His satire on religious hypocrites is very precise and straightforward. So credible was the religious satire that it caused the play to be banned!

The plot is well written and the story makes sense. Besides the Tartuffe plot that involves him trying to seduce Orogon's wife and take possession of his home , there is also a subplot that involves Orgon's children, especially his daughter who is promised to a young man she loves but is suddenly being pressured by her father to marry Tartuffe.

So, there is a Romeo and Juliet type of subplot as well. There is also a comic servant character that helps to move the plot forward. As all Moliere's comedies, it is wonderfully written and the comic timing is simply perfect. The play is written in twelve-syllable lines of rhyming couplets - and I really enjoyed that. I like poetic plays. I wish I could read it in original, but alas I don't read in French. I read Tartuffe in Croatian translation. The edition I read also contained several letters that Moliere wrote to the king of France in defense of Tartuffe play banned at some point that were an interesting read on their own.

The ending is possibly the weakest part of this comedy. The deux in machina solution makes it seem less credible, although I see how it was perhaps necessarily. It is a comedy after all, so a happy ending is to be expected. On the other hand, the ending is a lovely example of 'deux in machina' play device being used in a more modern play. All in all, I would recommend this play.

It is an easy and enjoyable read. Mar 16, David Sarkies rated it it was amazing Shelves: comedy. Conned by a Charlatan 18 May Isn't it interesting that there are some sectors of society that get really upset if you poke fun at them, or even criticise them in anyway.

Normally this happens because these particular people are well aware that what they are doing is wrong and that they are simply playing on people's stupidity to get away with what is little more than fraud. Much of the offence that is generated is not so much offence at the fun, but rather that what the person are doing is r Conned by a Charlatan 18 May Isn't it interesting that there are some sectors of society that get really upset if you poke fun at them, or even criticise them in anyway.

Much of the offence that is generated is not so much offence at the fun, but rather that what the person are doing is ripping the veil off of their fraud and exposing it for the world to see. Quantity: 1. Soft cover.

Condition: Very Good Plus. No Jacket. Although both Volumes show reading crease along front hinges and crimping along spine of The Misanthrope, they remain straight, square, tightly bound, uniformly age toned and free of markings and blemishes. Covers are clean and bright, with minor scuffing along the edges, gentle bumping and rubbing at the corners and joints, mild open curling of front panels, straight headcaps, tails, spines and edges, boldly legible lettering and crisply distinct design and artwork.

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Condition: Satisfaisant. In-8 br. Der Vorderdeckel fehlt. Noch guter Zustand. Moliere Ivanoff, Serge Illus. First edition.