Tartuffe 781it is his beloved Célimène’s turn: “Am I to blame
because, it seems, I set some hearts aflame?” (24). In
both cases Alceste’s answer is categorical and doesn’t
leave any room for reply, nor negotiation of feelings
and perspectives: “you should die of shame!” (3).
Alceste’s nonnegotiable ideas bring him not only
to a social isolation, but also to an intellectual seclu-
sion. The episode of Oronte reading his sonnet to
Alceste and Philinte (act 1) is quite illuminating:
Considering the poem from an objective point of
view, the reader as well would agree on its medi-
ocrity. Philinte, who is very polite, makes Oronte
immediately feel comfortable and pretends to like
his composition; he also compliments him, as is
customary among well-mannered people. On the
contrary, Alceste first tries not to express his opinion
on Oronte’s literary skills but finally bursts and says
what he actually thinks: “Frankly, I’d waste no more
time upon it” (20). The fact of being “frank” makes
Alceste feel released, and he states that pretending is
“a skill I’m pleased to say I lack” (21). Needless to say,
Oronte is deeply upset by that comment and cuts
all relations with the unpleasant Alceste: “You think
you’re clever, sir, you’re damn self-assured . . . ” (22).
Alceste does everything he can to be disappoint-
ing also in his love affair with Célimène. She is a
young widow and a frivolous courtesan, but Alceste’s
love is just as blind as his intolerance, and he would
like to bring her within his isolation. Not even for
a moment does he think of finding a compromise,
an equilibrium that could possibly conciliate their
different positions. He just expresses his hate for
her choices and would like to convert her to his
misanthropy: “Despite the passion Célimène arouses
in me, I see and condemn [her faults] frankly” (12).
The reader will notice that it is always his “frank-
ness” that comes to be underlined when Alceste
criticizes the others. But Célimène is not the kind of
woman willing to abandon her freedom for a tyrant:
“The way you show [your love] is some new cre-
ation, then, since you so ardently engage in quarrels.
Passion, sir, with you means rage—I’ve never known
a lover so irate!” (27)
Alceste, the misanthrope, seeks loneliness, and
his bad temper and his bursts of rage help him to
acquire it. The wise Philinte is aware of it from the
beginning: “Your rage at everything and everyone
exposes you to ridicule” (7). But, once more, Alceste’s
answer is categorical. He says, “So much, the better!
Frankly, sir, to me that’s such a comfort” (7). Alceste’s
choice to be alone discourages all faithful Philinte’s
attempts at making him aware of his condition. He
is proud of his intolerance toward the entire “human
race” (6), from the beginning to the end of the play,
announcing, “Now leave me, sir, and climb the stairs
alone. My sorrows at this time demand just a somber
place as this” (80). Alceste proves undoubtedly to be
the champion of misanthropy and isolation.
Tania CollanimoLièrE Tartuffe (1664, 1667, 1669)
Actor and playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who
used the pseudonym Molière, wrote several drafts
of Tartuffe. An early version was performed for
Louis XIV at Versailles in 1664 but was banned
due to the influence of a powerful religious group.
Finally allowed an extended run in 1669, Tartuffe
became one of the most profitable plays produced by
Molière’s troupe. Tartuffe is a comedy in five acts, in
rhyming alexandrine (12-syllable) verse. The best-
known English translation is probably Richard Wil-
bur’s version of 1963, in rhyming iambic pentameter.
Tartuffe is a con artist who has infiltrated
the home of Orgon by pretending to be a devout
Christian. As in many of Molière’s plays, a comi-
cally flawed father (Orgon) arranges a marriage
between his daughter (Mariane) and an inappro-
priate husband (Tartuffe). In their efforts to dis-
suade Orgon from this marriage, Mariane’s saucy
maid Dorine and Orgon’s stoic brother-in-law
Cléante use ridicule and logic, respectively. When
Orgon’s hot-headed son Damis denounces Tartuffe,
Orgon disinherits Damis, taking Tartuffe as his heir.
Orgon’s wife, Elmire, finally unmasks Tartuffe by
allowing him to flirt with her while Orgon hides
under a table. After Tartuffe leaves with incrimi-
nating documents, the ironically named Monsieur
Loyal arrives to evict the family. In the end, the king
saves the day; Tartuffe is arrested because the king
has seen through his fraudulent piety.
Themes developed in Tartuffe include family,
religion, justice, ambition, sex, love, parent-
hood, and responsibility. Because Molière’s plays