Tartuffe 783the entire family against the threat, albeit too late.
His family unit repaired, Orgon must wait to see
whether the family can be reintegrated into society.
Fortunately for Orgon, his country is governed by a
wise monarch who sees through Tartuffe’s scheme.
The family does not exist in isolation; state struc-
tures lend support even to flawed families.
Dan Smith
JuStice in Tartuffe
In Tartuffe, Molière presents a vision of justice that
is connected to truth and regulated by the politi-
cal system of an absolutist monarchy. The theme
of justice becomes most prominent near the end
of the play, when legal and political representatives
arrive to sort out the conflict between Tartuffe and
Orgon’s family. While Tartuffe technically owns
Orgon’s house according to the letter of the law,
the king’s representative overrules him in favor of
the spirit of the law because of Tartuffe’s fraudulent
manipulation of Orgon. Justice in the world of this
play requires trust in the clemency of the king, who
is able to see beyond the surface to a deeper level of
truth in order to make effective judgments.
Early in the play, justice is closely tied to the
theme of family, with Orgon functioning as an
unjust father. Blinded by his loyalty to Tartuffe,
Orgon behaves unjustly toward his daughter and
son, ordering Mariane to marry Tartuffe and dis-
owning Damis when he speaks against Tartuffe.
When Orgon’s wife, Elmire, finally manages to con-
front Orgon with the truth of Tartuffe’s scheming
ways, Orgon restores himself to the place of a just
husband and father.
Unfortunately, Tartuffe has already managed
to secure a deed of gift from Orgon. Based on this
document, Tartuffe has become the rightful owner
of Orgon’s home. In act 5, scene 4, a bailiff named
Monsieur Loyal comes on Tartuffe’s behalf. He
announces that his intentions toward the family are
good and that his message from Tartuffe will make
Orgon happy. But he actually wants to serve Orgon
with a document that calls for the family’s eviction
from the house. Over the protestations of Damis,
Monsieur Loyal argues that Orgon must accept this
turn of events because of his belief in the rule of law.
He appeals to Orgon as an upstanding man who
submits to the authority of the state. Other charac-
ters deride Monsieur Loyal’s call for justice as per-
verse, due to his initial misrepresentation of himself.
Dorine makes a joke about the irony of the bailiff ’s
name: Monsieur Loyal is loyal to no one, except per-
haps himself. Loyal’s jovial farewell underscores his
hypocrisy and lack of commitment to true justice.
During the next scene Orgon’s wife and brother-
in-law urge him to seek justice by building a legal
case against Tartuffe. They are interrupted by Mari-
ane’s faithful suitor Valère, who informs Orgon that
Tartuffe has accused Orgon of treason before the
king, based on the evidence of a strongbox contain-
ing documents belonging to a friend of Orgon who
did conspire against the king. Valère offers to help
Orgon escape, but Tartuffe arrives with a royal offi-
cer before Orgon can leave. Tartuffe claims that his
sole purpose is to serve the king, but Cléante casts
aspersions on his stated intentions by pointing out
that Tartuffe’s concern for the king began when he
was caught trying to seduce Elmire. Cléante addi-
tionally suggests that Tartuffe should refuse to be
Orgon’s heir if he considers Orgon to be a traitor.
Tartuffe cuts off the discussion, demanding that the
officer arrest Orgon. In Tartuffe’s twisted thinking,
justice is constituted by the outcome that most ben-
efits him personally.
The officer turns the tables on him, announcing
that it is Tartuffe and not Orgon who will be going
to prison. In a lengthy speech, the officer explains
this surprising and fortuitous decision. First, he
describes the king’s sharp perception and measured
judgment, in particular his ability to see through the
charades of hypocrites. The king sees the malice in
Tartuffe’s soul, and his judgment stands in for the
judgment of Heaven. The officer thus explicitly links
royal justice to divine justice. He goes on to state
that the king identified Tartuffe as a career criminal
using an assumed name to flee from punishment.
Finally, the officer nullifies Tartuffe’s deed of gift
and returns Orgon’s documents to him. The king
has pardoned Orgon for having subversive papers,
thanks to Orgon’s loyalty and devotion to the king
in other matters. In the king’s view, justice depends
on a person’s overall virtue. Minor transgressions can
be forgiven; the spirit of the law is more important
than the letter of the law.