Blog post 3: Tartuffe acts I-III

Act III, Scene 7

Tartuffe: Enough; so be it.

But one thing must be settled, as I see it.

For your dear honor, and for our friendship’s sake,

There’s one precaution I feel bound to take.

I shall avoid your wife, and keep away…

Orgon: No, you shall not, whatever they may say.

It pleases me to vex them, and for spite

I’d have them see you with her day and night.

What’s more, I’m going to drive them to despair

By making you my only son and heir;

This very day, I’ll give to you alone

Clear deed and title to everything I own.

A dear, good friend and son-in-law-to-be

Is more than wife, or child, or kin to me.

Will you accept my offer, dearest son?

Tartuffe: In all things, let the will of Heaven be done.

In this dramatic scene that ends Act III, we see the true nature of both Orgon and Tartuffe. After hearing about Tartuffe and his reputation from various characters throughout the first two acts, the third act is a chance for the reader to interpret if he lives up to his bad reputation as a hypocrite. In this scene in particular, Tartuffe manipulates Orgon to the point that he is willing to say that Tartuffe means more to him than his own family and gives all of his possessions to Tartuffe. Tartuffe manages to do this by acting like a true friend of Orgon, listening to his problems and telling him what he wants to hear. If Orgon is complaining about his son, Tartuffe acknowledges how much his son has hurt Orgon and then suggests forgiving him, knowing full well that such an idea will only make Orgon more angry. The conversation and actions of Tartuffe appear to be that of a good friend but when he accepts Orgon’s inheritance so quickly, it shows that he has no desire for true friendship.

This scene also shows part of Orgon’s nature. Although Orgon is respected by people and has authority in his family and in the community, he is a madman in this scene. He cries and yells at his son because he is angry that someone would confront him with the truth. When he goes so far as to say that he finds pleasure out of making his family upset, it is clear that something is terribly wrong. Because this scene with Orgon comes after we have interacted with him in other scenes where he was “normal”, his behavior seems even more shocking. For example, earlier in the play, Orgon has a conversation with his daughter where he tells her that she will marry Tartuffe. Although the proposition seems ridiculous, he is rational in the way that he explains his thoughts to her and assures her that he thinks Tartuffe is the very best choice for a husband. He does not appear to be a man that does not care about his family. At the end of act three when he declares that his family does not matter anymore, this behavior seems even more out of place because it comes right after he has acted normally.

The point of this play is to warn people not to become hypocrites. The play is structured in such a way that Tartuffe exceeds his reputation as a hypocrite. Character after character attests to Tartuffe’s manipulative and questionable nature but Orgon defends all of the accusations to such an extent that it almost seems like everyone else is wrong. However, Tartuffe’s decision to accept Orgon’s inheritance shows that he is not a good man. The play as a whole pokes fun at Tartuffe and reminds the audience through the absurdity of the situation that they should be careful not to become hypocrites. The play warns against hypocrisy through comedy.