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Le Tartuffe / Dom Juan
Book by Molier, de Jean Baptiste
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1665
20 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Molière
4,617 books1,502 followersSophisticated comedies of French playwright Molière, pen name of Jean Baptiste Poquelin, include
Tartuffe
(1664),
The Misanthrope
(1666), and
The Bourgeois Gentleman
(1670).
French literary figures, including Molière and Jean de la Fontaine, gathered at Auteuil, a favorite place.
People know and consider Molière, stage of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also an actor of the greatest masters in western literature. People best know l'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), l'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), and le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) among dramas of Molière.
From a prosperous family, Molière studied at the Jesuit Clermont college (now lycée Louis-le-Grand) and well suited to begin a life in the theater. While 13 years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his abilities, he also began to combine the more refined elements with ccommedia dell'arte.
Through the patronage of the brother of Louis XIV and a few aristocrats, Molière procured a command performance before the king at the Louvre. Molière performed a classic of [authore:Pierre Corneille] and le Docteur amoureux (The Doctor in Love), a farce of his own; people granted him the use of Salle du Petit-Bourbon, a spacious room, appointed for theater at the Louvre. Later, people granted the use of the Palais-Royal to Molière. In both locations, he found success among the Parisians with les Précieuses ridicules (The Affected Ladies), l'École des maris</i> (<i>The School for Husbands</i>), and <i>[book:l'École des femmes (The School for Wives). This royal favor brought a pension and the title "Troupe du Roi" (the troupe of the king). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments.
Molière received the adulation of the court and Parisians, but from moralists and the Church, his satires attracted criticisms. From the Church, his attack on religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations, while people banned performance of Don Juan . From the stage, hard work of Molière in so many theatrical capacities began to take its toll on his health and forced him to take a break before 1667.
From pulmonary tuberculosis, Molière suffered. In 1673 during his final production of le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), a coughing fit and a haemorrhage seized him as Argan, the hypochondriac. He finished the performance but collapsed again quickly and died a few hours later. In time in Paris, Molière completely reformed.
French literary figures, including Molière and Jean de la Fontaine, gathered at Auteuil, a favorite place.
People know and consider Molière, stage of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also an actor of the greatest masters in western literature. People best know l'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), l'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), and le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) among dramas of Molière.
From a prosperous family, Molière studied at the Jesuit Clermont college (now lycée Louis-le-Grand) and well suited to begin a life in the theater. While 13 years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his abilities, he also began to combine the more refined elements with ccommedia dell'arte.
Through the patronage of the brother of Louis XIV and a few aristocrats, Molière procured a command performance before the king at the Louvre. Molière performed a classic of [authore:Pierre Corneille] and le Docteur amoureux (The Doctor in Love), a farce of his own; people granted him the use of Salle du Petit-Bourbon, a spacious room, appointed for theater at the Louvre. Later, people granted the use of the Palais-Royal to Molière. In both locations, he found success among the Parisians with les Précieuses ridicules (The Affected Ladies), l'École des maris</i> (<i>The School for Husbands</i>), and <i>[book:l'École des femmes (The School for Wives). This royal favor brought a pension and the title "Troupe du Roi" (the troupe of the king). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments.
Molière received the adulation of the court and Parisians, but from moralists and the Church, his satires attracted criticisms. From the Church, his attack on religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations, while people banned performance of Don Juan . From the stage, hard work of Molière in so many theatrical capacities began to take its toll on his health and forced him to take a break before 1667.
From pulmonary tuberculosis, Molière suffered. In 1673 during his final production of le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), a coughing fit and a haemorrhage seized him as Argan, the hypochondriac. He finished the performance but collapsed again quickly and died a few hours later. In time in Paris, Molière completely reformed.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 31, 2019
La obra de Don Juan me pareció entretenida; Sin embargo me ha gustado muchísimo más Tartufo: esa ironía, esa crítica social y sobre todo como maneja a los personajes.
Además Molière se muestra muy inteligente con finales y héroes inesperados.
Además Molière se muestra muy inteligente con finales y héroes inesperados.
October 8, 2025
Tartuffe by Moliere
Reading a new book can change your perspective. Tartuffe made me look at Moliere from a very different angle.
For me, Moliere used to mean: light comedies, satire and some characters that will come off very badly- we will laugh at them and learn never to do the same, if we are to avoid public opprobrium.
Tartuffe begs to differ and made me see that this classification was, if not completely wrong, at least shortsighted.
The chance to see and appreciate Moliere much more was given by a production in French, which was a unique opportunity to appreciate the Beauty of the language.
Over time, I had the chance to see a play performed by the Comedie Francaise on a stage in Bucharest- for that matter; the British National Theater performed at …our National Theater.
I was not taken aback by the Comedy Francaise which gave a whiff of cabotinage, but the British were excellent, with a modern Richard III, with a Nazi twist.
The audio performance of Tartuffe was “Magnifique” and made me understand my rather grave error in underestimating Moliere…surely, I enjoyed his plays and even movie adaptations (especially those with Luis de Funes) but I did not esteem Moliere.
Now I am in awe and find the great writer inspiring…by the way, awe and inspiration are two of the ten positivity traits, as researched and explained in Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson.
What I also missed in some of the other Moliere plays was the Grace, noblesse, gallantry, beauty, politeness which were traits of that Middle Age, French society.
After reading about the appalling state of the human body in even the highest circles the most noble aristocracy and the king himself, I was flabbergasted and…disgusted.
The lack of hygiene, the throwing of faeces through the window, down on the streets (which even now takes place in shanty towns in Africa and other poor places) and the lack of what today is basic care for the state of one’s body were terrifying. People of the future will be appalled by the fact that we do not have gadgets that control and keep at maximum levels the freshness of our breath, the perspiration on our body, probably even the cleanness of our thoughts and mind…
But the language used by Moliere reminds me that his was an age when people were gallant, polite, noble and graceful…noblesse oblige.
I may be a terrible snob, especially since (and/or because) I was born in a humble abode, but I have a penchant for nobility, aristocracy. Blue blood may sometimes be associated with genetic diseases caused by inbreeding, but for me a noble still has a je ne sais quoi.
Tartuffe made me also think of my soft spot for the French culture. My daughter has been studying at the Lycee Francais for the past eight (I think) years, including maternelle. I love Proust, Camus, Pere Goriot, Le Rouge et Le Noir, Flaubert, Monet, Degas, Manet, Renoir, but meeting real French people can be a challenge.
True, coming to Romania is life changing event and adapting to the ways of a sometimes semi-barbaric society can be traumatizing.
And yet…I cannot figure out and sometimes accept the attitude of people who pretend they know better- so much better that they teach you lessons, but when it comes to doing things, they take all the worse habits- parking in the craziest spots, hitting the other cars around, acting superior, but driving with inferior attention, patronizing others who may know much more about their own culture, writers and painters than they do…this is for some I have met at school, in person and managed to avoid getting knocked up, driven over by …it is true that I have taken this crazy(?) habit of using a bicycle which does not seem to be in vogue in France, or anyway, not when applied in the French Guyana …
And when I look at their president, who should be representative, right…I have a nostalgia for Emil Constantinescu, who was more of a leader, dignified than the one who is cheating on a girlfriend, sneaking out in a ridiculous way on a scooter.
Moliere has used satire to laugh at and improve human frailties, and with all its shortcomings what a belle époque that was…what language, what manners,
Ou sont les neiges d’antan
Reading a new book can change your perspective. Tartuffe made me look at Moliere from a very different angle.
For me, Moliere used to mean: light comedies, satire and some characters that will come off very badly- we will laugh at them and learn never to do the same, if we are to avoid public opprobrium.
Tartuffe begs to differ and made me see that this classification was, if not completely wrong, at least shortsighted.
The chance to see and appreciate Moliere much more was given by a production in French, which was a unique opportunity to appreciate the Beauty of the language.
Over time, I had the chance to see a play performed by the Comedie Francaise on a stage in Bucharest- for that matter; the British National Theater performed at …our National Theater.
I was not taken aback by the Comedy Francaise which gave a whiff of cabotinage, but the British were excellent, with a modern Richard III, with a Nazi twist.
The audio performance of Tartuffe was “Magnifique” and made me understand my rather grave error in underestimating Moliere…surely, I enjoyed his plays and even movie adaptations (especially those with Luis de Funes) but I did not esteem Moliere.
Now I am in awe and find the great writer inspiring…by the way, awe and inspiration are two of the ten positivity traits, as researched and explained in Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson.
What I also missed in some of the other Moliere plays was the Grace, noblesse, gallantry, beauty, politeness which were traits of that Middle Age, French society.
After reading about the appalling state of the human body in even the highest circles the most noble aristocracy and the king himself, I was flabbergasted and…disgusted.
The lack of hygiene, the throwing of faeces through the window, down on the streets (which even now takes place in shanty towns in Africa and other poor places) and the lack of what today is basic care for the state of one’s body were terrifying. People of the future will be appalled by the fact that we do not have gadgets that control and keep at maximum levels the freshness of our breath, the perspiration on our body, probably even the cleanness of our thoughts and mind…
But the language used by Moliere reminds me that his was an age when people were gallant, polite, noble and graceful…noblesse oblige.
I may be a terrible snob, especially since (and/or because) I was born in a humble abode, but I have a penchant for nobility, aristocracy. Blue blood may sometimes be associated with genetic diseases caused by inbreeding, but for me a noble still has a je ne sais quoi.
Tartuffe made me also think of my soft spot for the French culture. My daughter has been studying at the Lycee Francais for the past eight (I think) years, including maternelle. I love Proust, Camus, Pere Goriot, Le Rouge et Le Noir, Flaubert, Monet, Degas, Manet, Renoir, but meeting real French people can be a challenge.
True, coming to Romania is life changing event and adapting to the ways of a sometimes semi-barbaric society can be traumatizing.
And yet…I cannot figure out and sometimes accept the attitude of people who pretend they know better- so much better that they teach you lessons, but when it comes to doing things, they take all the worse habits- parking in the craziest spots, hitting the other cars around, acting superior, but driving with inferior attention, patronizing others who may know much more about their own culture, writers and painters than they do…this is for some I have met at school, in person and managed to avoid getting knocked up, driven over by …it is true that I have taken this crazy(?) habit of using a bicycle which does not seem to be in vogue in France, or anyway, not when applied in the French Guyana …
And when I look at their president, who should be representative, right…I have a nostalgia for Emil Constantinescu, who was more of a leader, dignified than the one who is cheating on a girlfriend, sneaking out in a ridiculous way on a scooter.
Moliere has used satire to laugh at and improve human frailties, and with all its shortcomings what a belle époque that was…what language, what manners,
Ou sont les neiges d’antan
March 31, 2018
3.5 out of 5 stars! ⭐️ Another major classic French play! I really enjoyed reading this comedy and students seem to enjoy it too 😊👌🏻✨ It’s one of the easier reads when it comes to plays, but leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
“What do I believe? I believe that two and two make four, Sganarelle, and that four and four are eight.“ - Molière, ‘Don Juan‘
“What do I believe? I believe that two and two make four, Sganarelle, and that four and four are eight.“ - Molière, ‘Don Juan‘
September 25, 2024
While I read Dom Juan years ago, I've finally got the chance to read La Tartuffe. And I was incredibly impressed by it. I had low expectations for a 1660s play, but I was blown away. The discourse around marriage from a woman's perspective, the role of a servant in the social hierarchy, and religion as a tool for power still feel modern. The fact that Moliere was still able to discuss these topics despite heavy censureship was well done.
The plot was so intricate. The dialogue executed perfectly. I was so enraptured by it. I'm shocked by my love for this play. Masterpiece!
I've never been left so speechless, but it was so good.
The plot was so intricate. The dialogue executed perfectly. I was so enraptured by it. I'm shocked by my love for this play. Masterpiece!
I've never been left so speechless, but it was so good.
Read
October 6, 2019Ok ... It's interesting and we can find facts that still exists today. Howerver I not advice read this after a few book by the same author. When who do this the reading would be boring. By the way I advice this book but not after a few book by the same author.
September 11, 2021
El libro recoge dos obras de teatro que hablan de las virtudes, la moral, los valores. Muy ligado al tiempo y lugar en que fueron escritas: en el siglo XVII, en Francia.
Son comedias que tienen muchísimo ritmo y los personajes están impecablemente creados.
En Tartufo vemos cómo se maneja la confianza de los demás a través de la hipocresía. Apelando falsamente al bien celestial, se enmascara la consecución del bienestar terrenal sin límites.
En Don Juan, la hipocresía se utiliza para justificar la conquista permanente del amor. Pero un amor efímero en el conquistador, puesto que el sentimiento le dura solo hasta que consigue la rendición de su amada.
Son comedias que tienen muchísimo ritmo y los personajes están impecablemente creados.
En Tartufo vemos cómo se maneja la confianza de los demás a través de la hipocresía. Apelando falsamente al bien celestial, se enmascara la consecución del bienestar terrenal sin límites.
En Don Juan, la hipocresía se utiliza para justificar la conquista permanente del amor. Pero un amor efímero en el conquistador, puesto que el sentimiento le dura solo hasta que consigue la rendición de su amada.
December 31, 2021
3,75⭐
Disfruté mucho leyendo este libro.
Hay buenas frases, personajes interesantes que muestran distintas críticas, hay buen ritmo en ambas historias y buenos desenlaces, mi favorito fue el final de Don Juan.
Mi obra favorita es sin duda "Tartufo".
No disfruté mucho la lectura de "Don Juan" pero el final fue de lo mejor <33
Espero leer pronto más de Moliere :))
Disfruté mucho leyendo este libro.
Hay buenas frases, personajes interesantes que muestran distintas críticas, hay buen ritmo en ambas historias y buenos desenlaces, mi favorito fue el final de Don Juan.
Mi obra favorita es sin duda "Tartufo".
No disfruté mucho la lectura de "Don Juan" pero el final fue de lo mejor <33
Espero leer pronto más de Moliere :))
February 3, 2018
I guess it was one of the best book I had to read for school, even though it's theater and I'm not particularly fond of this genre. His philosophy was kinda understandable, and somehow poetic. The end was a little bit cliché if I'm being really honest.
March 3, 2019
La comedia como herramienta de denuncia y de exposición. Ambas se centran en un vicio: la hipocresía. El enamoradizo Don Juan y el falso devoto de Tartufo son personajes inmortales porque en todas las épocas ha existido gente así.
January 3, 2023
No wonder Moliére was named as one of the "kings" of the satirical and intrigued writing. This well written piece does not only contain some truly humorous quotes but it also represents the era that Moliére lived and wrote in which makes it one remarkable piece concerning the Classicism era.
March 3, 2018
Je l'ai lu en anglais pendant lycée et c'était amusant à lire en français. Le style et la versification de Molière sont brillants, et l'histoire intelligente et drôle.
March 11, 2020
Classic play on Dom Juan, seducer of women and amoral hypocrite, following his final days before his untimely demise.
July 23, 2020
Divertido, profundo, satírico, estudio sociológico tremendamente contemporáneo a pesar de sus siglos de antigüedad. Qué maravilla Molière.
September 21, 2021
I definitely didn't think my French, though advanced, was going to be good enough to understand this let alone enjoy it. However, after struggling a bit through the first two acts and picking up a lot of new vocabulary and archaic phrases, I found the later parts quite easy to follow and really enjoyed it. I would make my 11 year old self who started learning French in part because she wanted to read Les Misérables so proud.
October 30, 2021
Bac de français
March 30, 2023
3.5/5⭐
April 11, 2024
Bon mais un peu trop scolaire ça m'a soulé
May 2, 2024
il fou le seum orgon
May 19, 2025
immaculate
June 19, 2024
I had previously read L'Avare by Moliere, and found it exceedingly hilarious, however I failed to view these two novels as funny as L'Avare. Perhaps this is bias, perhaps I just read them at the wrong time.
Don Juan I found to be the more humorous of the two, and enjoyed the sheer hypocrisy of the character, and his rakish antics, sided with his poor valet trying as best as he can to save his soul. I understood him to be a great religious satire, that certainly landed Moliere in hot waters.
Tartuffe, I found to be less funny, and more infuriating, but I must admit it had a very satisfying ending indeed. I just could not cope with the sheer stupidity of the father.
Don Juan I found to be the more humorous of the two, and enjoyed the sheer hypocrisy of the character, and his rakish antics, sided with his poor valet trying as best as he can to save his soul. I understood him to be a great religious satire, that certainly landed Moliere in hot waters.
Tartuffe, I found to be less funny, and more infuriating, but I must admit it had a very satisfying ending indeed. I just could not cope with the sheer stupidity of the father.
November 30, 2019
1/5 lecture pour les cours
Read
June 4, 2014(Leído en español)
"El Tartufo":
Desde que vi la obra de teatro en francés en Bruselas a finales de los 90, es mi ejemplo del poder revolucionario, transformador del teatro; de la gran herramienta expresiva del ser humano que es; de lo poderoso que es; de la verdad que puede plantar a la cara de quienes viven tras máscaras de hipocresía, en lugar de con la sinceridad de las máscaras y des-máscaras de expresión que ofrece el escenario. Y cómo pueden encarnizarse contra él.
Durante años me ha acompañado el folleto de la obra de ese día, en la que, en francés, se lee esta parte de la introducción de Molière, que acabo de sacar de mi maleta de tesoros: "(...) on ne s'était jamais si fort déchâiné contre le théâtre". Siempre que me siento voz discordante ante mantas de hipocresía, me viene esta frase al corazón. "Nunca se atacó al teatro con tanta violencia", se dice en la edición española. Pues eso.
"Don Juan":
Los juegos psicológicos, lo que piensan los demás, la idea de lo que es felicidad y libertad. Grande, Molière.
"El Tartufo":
Desde que vi la obra de teatro en francés en Bruselas a finales de los 90, es mi ejemplo del poder revolucionario, transformador del teatro; de la gran herramienta expresiva del ser humano que es; de lo poderoso que es; de la verdad que puede plantar a la cara de quienes viven tras máscaras de hipocresía, en lugar de con la sinceridad de las máscaras y des-máscaras de expresión que ofrece el escenario. Y cómo pueden encarnizarse contra él.
Durante años me ha acompañado el folleto de la obra de ese día, en la que, en francés, se lee esta parte de la introducción de Molière, que acabo de sacar de mi maleta de tesoros: "(...) on ne s'était jamais si fort déchâiné contre le théâtre". Siempre que me siento voz discordante ante mantas de hipocresía, me viene esta frase al corazón. "Nunca se atacó al teatro con tanta violencia", se dice en la edición española. Pues eso.
"Don Juan":
Los juegos psicológicos, lo que piensan los demás, la idea de lo que es felicidad y libertad. Grande, Molière.
December 11, 2014
Vive Molière!
July 10, 2021
4.5
Me encantó la discusión dentro del libro, en especial respecto a la fe y los estigmas dentro de ella o si quiera creer en ella. :)
Me encantó la discusión dentro del libro, en especial respecto a la fe y los estigmas dentro de ella o si quiera creer en ella. :)
August 23, 2022
Molière.... Drôle, touchant, enfin bref, Molière
April 14, 2017
j'ai lu seulement le tartuffe
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews