Tartuffe by Moliere

Moliere speaks through his characters in Tartuffe to advocate specific values and behaviors that are the moral norms in the play. There are situations in the play where Moliere created a situation, which illustrated the absurdities of the person’s actions and how they were totally in opposition to the generally accepted behavior of the society at large. The comedy of the first scene is partly based on the overbearing and flustery Madame Pernelle who …

…and the charlatan. The comedy in Act V, Scenes 3-5 relies upon a reversal. Earlier, Orgon refused to believe anything evil about Tartuffe. Now he cannot convince his own mother of Tartuffe’s hypocrisy. Madame Pernelle recites clichés about Tartuffe all of which Orgon had previously used in describing Tartuffe. The entire play is summed up when Dorine says, “You wouldn’t trust us earlier, now it’s your turn not to be trusted.”