Flashcards for Tartuffe

Cléante

Cléante, Orgon's brother-in-law, serves as the play's main voice of reason, acting as Molière's raisonneur—the rational and moderate spokesperson who expresses the author's moral viewpoint.

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Damis

Damis is Orgon's hot-headed young son and a key secondary character in Molière's Tartuffe.

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Dorine

Dorine is the sharp-tongued, quick-witted lady's maid to Mariane, serving as one of the key voices of reason and resistance in Tartuffe.

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Elmire

Elmire is Orgon's second wife and the moral and strategic center of Molière's Tartuffe (1664/1669).

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Flipote

Flipote is Madame Pernelle's maidservant and has the smallest speaking role in Molière's Tartuffe, but her brief appearance in the opening scene serves a distinct comic and structural purpose.

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Madame Pernelle

Madame Pernelle is Orgon's mother and plays a secondary yet crucial role in Molière's Tartuffe.

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Mariane

Mariane is Orgon's gentle, obedient daughter and one of the main victims of her father's intense religious obsession.

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Monsieur Loyal

Monsieur Loyal is a minor but sharply defined character in Molière's Tartuffe, making his appearance only in Act V to deliver a legal eviction notice to Orgon's household.

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Orgon

Orgon is the head of a wealthy Parisian family and the main fool of the play — a man whose blind faith in the fraud Tartuffe drives the story forward.

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Tartuffe

Tartuffe is the titular villain in Molière's 1664 satirical comedy — a deceitful religious hypocrite who has wormed his way into the home of the affluent bourgeois Orgon.

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The Officer

The Officer is a minor yet crucial character who only appears in the last scene of Act V, acting as the means of royal justice that resolves the play's main conflict.

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Valère

Valère is a young nobleman and deeply in love with Mariane in Molière's Tartuffe (1664).

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“Hypocrisy is a fashionable vice, and all fashionable vices pass for virtue.”

This line is spoken by Cléante, the rational and morally clear-sighted brother-in-law of Orgon, in Molière's satirical comedy Tartuffe (1664).

Cléante · Act I

“Reason is my guide, and I follow where it leads.”

This line is spoken by Cléante, the voice of rational moderation in Molière's Tartuffe (1664).

Cléante

“You are the one who is deceived, not I; and I know all about your fine devotion.”

This line is delivered by Elmire, Orgon's virtuous wife, during a key confrontation with Tartuffe in Molière's Tartuffe (1664).

Elmire · Act IV

“Poor fellow! He's so taken with this man that he would call it treason to doubt him.”

This line is delivered by Dorine, the quick-witted and observant maidservant, likely directed at or overheard by other members of the Orgon household.

Dorine · Act I

“Cover that bosom, which I must not see: such sights as that give rise to sinful thoughts.”

This line is delivered by Tartuffe, the play's main hypocrite, to Dorine, a sharp-tongued maid, in Act III, Scene 2 of Molière's satirical comedy Tartuffe (1664).

Tartuffe · Act III

“Ah, traitor! Now I have you where I want you.”

This exclamation is made by Orgon in Act V of Molière's Tartuffe (1664), at the moment when he finally reveals himself from beneath a table and confronts the hypocrite Tartuffe.

Orgon · Act V

“The sky's the limit when you act for Heaven.”

This line is delivered by Tartuffe, the sly religious fraud at the heart of Molière's satirical play Tartuffe (1664).

Tartuffe

“Ah, for pity's sake! Must you forever be talking of his faults? He is a man of virtue and devotion.”

This line is spoken by Orgon, the gullible head of the household in Molière's Tartuffe (1664).

Orgon · Act I, Scene 5

“He who has sinned may still be saved by grace.”

This line is spoken by Tartuffe, the sly religious hypocrite at the center of Molière's 1664 satirical comedy Tartuffe (also known as Tartuffe, or the Impostor).

Tartuffe

“It is not hard to be deceived by those we love.”

This line is spoken by Orgon, a wealthy Parisian bourgeois at the heart of Molière's 1664 satirical comedy Tartuffe.

Orgon

Elmire's Jewels

In Molière's Tartuffe, Elmire's jewels reveal how greed can corrupt genuine piety and highlight the dangerous allure of false devotion.

Religious Garb and Piety

In Molière's Tartuffe, the religious attire and outward shows of piety highlight the troubling divide between how things seem and how they really are—especially the way false piety can be exploited for selfish reasons.

The Deed of Gift

In Molière's Tartuffe, the Deed of Gift — the legal document where Orgon hands over his entire estate to Tartuffe — highlights the disastrous loss of reason to blind faith.

The Strongbox

In Molière's Tartuffe, the strongbox — a locked chest holding Orgon's private papers — represents trust, vulnerability, and the disastrous results of misplaced faith.

The Table (Hiding Place)

In Molière's Tartuffe, the table where Orgon hides symbolizes hidden truths and the need for direct observation.

Rhyme

Molière's Tartuffe is crafted in rhyming Alexandrine couplets in the original French, and Richard Wilbur's acclaimed English translation maintains this structure with iambic pentameter couplets throughout.

Soliloquy

In Molière's Tartuffe, soliloquies appear infrequently but pack a powerful punch, especially when Cléante, Orgon's brother-in-law, is left alone to ponder.

Imagery

In Molière's Tartuffe, imagery takes the place of direct accusation, as the divided household means sensory details convey the moral argument lurking beneath the veneer of polite comedy.

Hyperbole

In Molière's Tartuffe, hyperbole drives both devotion and exposure.

Dramatic Irony

In Molière's Tartuffe, dramatic irony drives the comedy: the audience sees Tartuffe's hypocrisy from the moment he appears, while Orgon remains tragically unaware.

Couplet

Molière writes Tartuffe entirely in rhyming alexandrine couplets, and this structure does more than just decorate — it serves as a powerful tool for comedic exposure.

Parallelism

In Molière's Tartuffe, parallelism shapes the comedy's moral framework by placing hypocritical piety alongside blatant self-interest in similar grammatical forms, prompting the audience to notice the disparity between them.

Irony

In Molière's Tartuffe, irony drives the comedy, highlighting the stark contrast between what characters believe and what the audience can clearly see.

Satire

In Tartuffe, Molière uses satire as the driving force of the play, focusing on religious hypocrisy and the gullibility it preys upon.

Foil

In Tartuffe, Molière uses foil relationships to highlight hypocrisy by positioning characters with opposing moral clarity against each other.

dissembler

A person who hides their true feelings, intentions, or character behind a false appearance; a hypocrite who pretends to be virtuous while secretly being corrupt.

noun · Chapter 1

censure

Strong, official or public disapproval and criticism of someone's behavior or beliefs, often delivered as a formal judgment.

noun · Chapter 1

impost

A tax, duty, or tribute imposed on someone, used here figuratively to mean a burden or obligation unfairly placed upon a person.

noun · Chapter 1

cabal

A small, secretive group of people plotting together against someone in authority or against another person's interests.

noun · Chapter 1

dupe

A person who has been tricked or deceived into believing something false, especially by a clever or cunning schemer.

noun · Chapter 1

dotard

An old person whose mind has weakened with age, causing them to be foolishly gullible or easily manipulated by others.

noun · Chapter 1

pique

A feeling of wounded pride or irritation caused by being slighted or treated with disrespect.

noun · Chapter 1

impudence

Bold, disrespectful rudeness toward someone, especially toward a person of higher social standing or authority.

noun · Chapter 2

suitor

A man who courts a woman with the intention of marrying her, often seeking the approval of her family.

noun · Chapter 2

dowry

Money, property, or goods that a bride's family transfers to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.

noun · Chapter 2

stratagems

Clever plans or schemes designed to outwit or deceive an opponent, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation.

noun · Chapter 3

alms

Money or food given as charity to the poor, often as an act of religious piety or moral duty.

noun · Chapter 3

mortify

In a religious sense, to discipline or subdue one's bodily desires and passions through self-denial, fasting, or other acts of penance.

verb · Chapter 3

scruple

A feeling of doubt or hesitation about whether an action is morally right, preventing someone from doing something they otherwise might.

noun · Chapter 3

perfidy

Deliberate betrayal of trust or loyalty; treacherous and deceitful behavior toward someone who trusted you.

noun · Chapter 4

suppliant

A person who humbly begs or pleads with someone in power for a favor, mercy, or relief.

noun · Chapter 4

deed of gift

A legal document by which a person voluntarily transfers ownership of property or assets to another person without receiving payment in return.

phrase · Chapter 4

cajole

To persuade someone to do something by using flattery, gentle coaxing, or persistent sweet talk rather than force.

verb · Chapter 4

remonstrate

To protest or object strongly to someone about their actions or decisions, urging them to reconsider.

verb · Chapter 4

writ

A formal legal document issued by a court or authority ordering a person to do or refrain from doing a specific act.

noun · Chapter 5

sequester

To legally seize or take possession of property, typically by order of a court or authority, pending resolution of a dispute.

verb · Chapter 5

redress

A remedy or compensation for a wrong or grievance that has been suffered; the correction of an injustice.

noun · Chapter 5

clemency

Merciful leniency shown by someone in power toward an offender or enemy who might otherwise be punished harshly.

noun · Chapter 5