What happens in Act II of Tartuffe?
Act II of Molière's Tartuffe focuses on Orgon's oppressive control over his household and his daughter Mariane's romantic turmoil. Orgon calls Mariane to announce, in a grotesque display of his authority, that she will marry Tartuffe instead of her true love, Valère. Mariane, shy and trained to obey, offers no real opposition—her silence is interpreted by Orgon as agreement. Dorine, the sharp-tongued maid, interrupts with comedic outrage, ridiculing Orgon's obsession with Tartuffe and vividly describing the bleak future of marrying the hypocrite for Mariane. Frustrated, Orgon attempts to slap Dorine but fails each time she goes quiet just before he strikes. Once Orgon leaves in a huff, Dorine turns her attention to Mariane, chastising her for her inaction and encouraging her to stand up for herself. Valère arrives, leading to a quarrel between the two lovers as they test each other's devotion through hurt pride, until Dorine physically pushes them back together. The act concludes with the three conspirators agreeing to postpone the wedding and gather support, leaving the audience with a fragile but renewed sense of hope in the face of Orgon's command.
Analysis
Act II is where Molière's comedy takes a darker turn, edging into domestic horror until Dorine’s sharp wit brings the tone back. The act revolves around various power imbalances—like the father over the daughter and the master over the servant—that Molière cleverly subverts through humor. Orgon's authority feels real and legally binding, yet each scene reveals its ridiculousness: he can't even manage a proper slap. The recurring near-slap moments serve as a clever piece of physical comedy that also acts as political satire, showing how tyranny crumbles not through direct confrontation but through quick maneuvering.
Mariane's silence is a strategic choice. While another playwright might have given her a passionate speech, Molière keeps her quiet, turning her inaction into the central problem that Dorine needs to address. This shift moves the play's moral focus from the ingénue to the servant, a bold decision that enhances class commentary alongside the religious satire.
The lovers' spat between Mariane and Valère stands out in tone from the rest of the act: it’s tender, trivial, and painfully relatable, a small comedy of manners nestled within the larger farce. Dorine acts as a sort of stage manager—physically directing characters and arranging their positions—anticipating the raisonneur role while staying rooted in the practical realities of the servant class instead of lofty philosophical musings. Molière employs rhyming alexandrines throughout to inject an ironic elegance into increasingly undignified behavior, with the formal verse serving as a constant contrast to the chaos it encapsulates.
Key quotes from Act II
“You are joking, I hope? / Not in the least. I mean it seriously. / You can leave off the jest. / I speak, Daughter, of that which is to be.”
Orgon confirms to the disbelieving Mariane that her marriage to Tartuffe is no idle threat, establishing the act's central conflict in a few blunt exchanges.
“Would you have a man who is the talk of the town, whom everyone points at? A devotee who owes all his reputation to his hypocrisy?”
Dorine catalogues Tartuffe's social disgrace to Orgon, her rhetorical questions functioning as a public indictment he is too besotted to hear.
“If you truly loved me, you would not rejoice to see me given to another.”
Mariane, in the lovers' quarrel, finally finds her voice—though she directs her grievance at Valère rather than her father, revealing where her emotional courage actually lies.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Act II
- impudence
- Bold, disrespectful rudeness toward someone, especially toward a person of higher social standing or authority.
- suitor
- A man who courts a woman with the intention of marrying her, often seeking the approval of her family.
- dowry
- Money, property, or goods that a bride's family transfers to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.