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Tartuffe

by Molière, Martin Sorrell (Translation)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 11,443 ratings · 248 reviews

Condemned and banned for five years in Molière’s day, Tartuffe is a satire on religious hypocrisy. Tartuffe worms his way into Orgon’s household, blinding the master of the house with his religious "devotion," and almost succeeds in his attempts to seduce his wife and disinherit his children before the final unmasking.

Paperback, Drama Classics, 180 pages

Published April 1st 2002 by Nick Hern Books (first published 1664)

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Nov 19, 2009 miaaa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to miaaa by: ninus

Shelves: ophelia-s-library, fictions-others

I'm asking myself, and keep looking at the introduction, 'was this book really published in 17th century?' I'm practically astounded and enjoy every bits of it.

Pathetic people always amuse me. I'd rather have a personal conversation with my God than showing off to other people that I go to church on regular basis. Dude I know some people who go to church to find a hubby/wife/bf/gf!

***

Hanya bisa bilang, Tartuffe hebat! Setiap orang harusnya tidak setengah-setengah dalam melakukan apapun. Jika kau...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Bunga Mawar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bunga Mawar by: Ninus

Shelves: classics-world, fiction, translated-into-indonesian, it-s-mine

Ini buku klasik dunia dengan kisah standar. Klasik karena ditulis oleh pengarang Perancis Moliere (nee Jean Baptiste Poquelin) di abad ke-17. Setting-nya tentu masyarakat Perancis masa itu di bawah naungan Raja Louis XIV. Kisahnya standar saja memang, plotnya lurus menggambarkan konflik antara Gerombolan Si Baik dan Si Jahat serta bagaimana di akhir kisah Si Jahat akan sengsara mendapat ganjaran, sedangkan Si Baik akan hidup bahagia.

Hal yang membuat edisi terjemahan Bahasa Indonesia ini tidak bi...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, read2013

Tartuffe was banned from public performance for several years because of the Catholic church--the Archbishop of Paris declared that anyone who saw, performed in, or even read the play would be excommunicated. Apparently he was upset about the false piety of the title character. For me though, the work is more of a scathing critique of a family patriarch who leads his family to misery and disaster because of his blind allegiance to such a figure (an even bigger dig at the church?). But the real s...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Jasmine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french

I bought this book at a used bookstore in DC called "books for america" for $1 off a new arrivals rack.

this is my third favorite play by my third favorite playwright (the winners being danton's Death by Buchner and Lucifer by vondel, followed closely in fourth by a scottish play about grave robbers who murder someone to get a body and hilarity ensues, but I forget what that one is called).

I decided to buy it and reread it, it is still very very good, I bought the actors edition though and it p...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama

71. TARTUFFE, or, The Hypocrite. (1664). Moliere. ****.
I haven’t read any of Moliere’s plays since my college days, and that was a long time ago. Thought I’d pick a few and re-read them. This, obviously, was the first, and is the best known of his comedies. Moliere – that was his pseudonym; his real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin – was a favorite of Louis XIV, who enjoyed his broad humor. This was in spite of many of his plays being banned by the Church, or, if not banned, at least forced to g...more 71. TARTUFFE, or, The Hypocrite. (1664). Moliere. ****.
I haven’t read any of Moliere’s plays since my college days, and that was a long time ago. Thought I’d pick a few and re-read them. This, obviously, was the first, and is the best known of his comedies. Moliere – that was his pseudonym; his real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin – was a favorite of Louis XIV, who enjoyed his broad humor. This was in spite of many of his plays being banned by the Church, or, if not banned, at least forced to go through an editing process. Tartuffe is the name of a character in this play. He is an outwardly pious individual who had inserted himself and his teachings into the life of M. Orgon and his mother, Mme Pernelle. They both became infatuated with Tartuffe and invited him to stay at their house and become one of the family. Tartuffe, however, is soon shown to be a true hypocrite (or, imposter) who is wearing his piety as a disguise and a way of weaseling his way into the family fortune. All of the rest of the family see through Tartuffe’s disguise rather quickly and try to convince M. Orgon that he is being taken for a ride. Orgon, however, is convinced that Tartuffe is a truly good man, and even goes so far as to cede all his property to him and to promise his daughter, Mariane, to him in marriage – even though she is engaged to and in love with another young man, Valere. What finally brings matters to a head is when Tartuffe tries to make love to Elmire, Orgon’s wife. At first, Orgon doesn’t believe her, but she has him hide under a table so that he can hear for himself the next episode when the toe of them, Elmire and Tartuffe, meet. Orgon is convinced, now, that he had been duped and wants to take actiion against Tartuffe, but Tartuffe plays his last card. Since he now owns Orgon’s house and riches, he brings the law against him and orders him and the rest of the family out of his house. There’s lots of confusion at this point as to how the family will get out of this mess, but all turns out OK at the end. The play attacks religious hypocracy and blind piety in the form of Tartuffe’s deceit while maintaining a comic outlook on the parties involved. The play itself is written in verse; each line is twelve syllables long, with rhyming couplets. The structure is called an Alexandrine. After a while, the reading becomes easier and you find yourself following the rythm of the play with ease. Recommended.
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Aug 21, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

(my translation is by Morris Bishop)

At first glance a relatively easy play to categorize simply as farce, further reflection on Molière’s Tartuffe raises vexing questions. The story is simple. A religious zealot, Tartuffe, is rescued from poverty by Orton and brought to live in his benefactor’s home where his strict moral attitudes raise havoc with the rest of the family. Eventually Tartuffe makes the mistake of wooing Orton’s wife, Elmire, is kicked out of the house (but only after Orton has su...more (my translation is by Morris Bishop)

At first glance a relatively easy play to categorize simply as farce, further reflection on Molière’s Tartuffe raises vexing questions. The story is simple. A religious zealot, Tartuffe, is rescued from poverty by Orton and brought to live in his benefactor’s home where his strict moral attitudes raise havoc with the rest of the family. Eventually Tartuffe makes the mistake of wooing Orton’s wife, Elmire, is kicked out of the house (but only after Orton has surrendered the deed to all his belongings to Tartuffe), and at the end all is made right.

Is Tartuffe as religious hypocrite, as some characters in the play assert? Perhaps. But he might also believe what he says he believes, being overcome at last by lust and avarice. It is an old story that we have seen played out many times, most notably with televangelists who finally reveal that they have feet of clay. At any rate, he is an unattractive figure, self-righteous, manipulative, and sanctimonious. It is curious that he makes his first entrance on stage only in Act III of this five act work.

Elmire is level-headed, unswayed by Tartuffe’s advances, and faithful to Orton even when he is at his most obnoxious. Elmire’s brother Cléante is the voice of reason, moderation, and calm throughout. Orton and Elmire have two children, the mousey Mariane and the impetuous Damis. Dorine is Mariane’s companion, and she is refreshingly mouthy, bold, and critical of both Tartuffe and Orton. Valère, Mariane’s betrothed, has a small but sympathetic role.

Why do all the characters except Orton see Tartuffe for who he is? Partly because they don’t like their usual social habits disrupted and partly because they see through Tartuffe’s inappropriate behavior toward Elmire. It is clear that they all hate him, and their convictions are justified in the end.

To me, the most interesting question is why Orton is taken in by Tartuffe to begin with. Does he affirm Tartuffe because he has been Tartuffe’s rescuer, his affirmation somehow affirming his own charity? Because Tartuffe acts as a surrogate who controls the family in a way Orton himself would like to do but apparently cannot? Has Orton a sort of hereditary propensity to credulity, suggested by the fact that his own mother, Madame Pernelle, is also taken in by Tartuffe? Nothing about Tartuffe seems attractive; why then does Orton support him? I can find no satisfactory answer. We certainly see all around us people attracted to the kind of narrow-minded and judgmentally pious religiosity that Tartuffe personifies.

This play has been interpreted as being an indictment of religious hypocrisy but could also be interpreted as being anti-religious and anticlerical in a broader sense. Certainly the Church in France condemned it when it was first produced. So did the King until it was apparently revised into making the King a deus ex machina who sets all to rights at the end. At any rate, the dialogue is droll and moves quickly. I would like to see the play produced.
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Jul 10, 2011 Samantha Rose Slade rated it 4 of 5 stars

“But I’m no angel, nor was meant to be..” - Tartuffe

This is my second read through Tartuffe or l'Imposteur and thought I would finally write a review.

As others have stated, this is a brilliant piece of 17th century French literature. I feel the audience that can enjoy the piece can be broad.

The work is written in an almost rhythmic verse and the English translation reads wonderfully. The monologues are very witty and entertaining.

Tartuffe is a comedy however there are some real aspects which...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Kassia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-2011

As a Christian myself, I read Tartuffe with close precision. Taking apart each verse, I tried to figure out if the play was really an attack on Christianity and my faith. However, after close examination of the play, I found that the play doesn’t really try to attack the Christian faith. Rather, it tries extremely hard to avoid such an attack, and instead simply targets the hypocrites in the Church at the time.

Many parts of the play show the respect that Moliere had for religion. An example o...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tartuffe / 0-151-00281-9

With scathing satire, gorgeous poetry, clever word choice, and a beautiful English translation, Tartuffe viciously attacks religious hypocrites who posture and preen in public and the dupes who are foolish enough to believe that holiness can only be measured by the outward show of morality. Moliere utilizes the sharp-witted servant girl motif to provide a cutting Greek chorus and to propel the action in a way that the obedient daughter stereotype cannot. In the end, hypoc...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Nicholas Armstrong rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this was rather good. I think my issue, as it is with most plays, is that it wasn't meant to be read. The reactions, the slapstick antics of Dorine and Orgon, these were all meant to be performed and witnessed to highten their humor. As it is, the dialogue is amusing, and much of the humor can still seep through, but I know that where I was smirking with the text I would probably be laughing at the play.

Outside of that, I think if it was a play I was watching I would love it. To commit...more

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May 16, 2013 Eka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Drama ini berkisah tetang Tartuffe dan keluarga Orgon. Dengan kelihaiannya berbicara dan sikapnya yang sok suci, Tartuffe berhasil menumpang hidup di rumah Orgon dan menjadi sahabat terpercayanya. Lama-lama Orgon menjadi gelap mata, ia tak bisa melihat tanda-tanda ketamakan pada diri Tartuffe dan menganggap omongannya seperti titah Tuhan. Orgon menolak nasihat seluruh keluarganya. Ia bahkan rela mengorbankan harta dan keluarganya untuk menjamin Tartuffe tetap berada di sisinya.

Menurut saya, Tart...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays, kindle

Hilarious satire! My Kindle edition, acquired from Project Gutenberg, didn't have the best translation but the humor still shines in this play. Orgon (and his mother) is completely taken in by Tartuffe, whom the rest of the household dislike. Tartuffe and his hypocrisy are really just foils Molière uses to display the folly of Orgon's gullibility. The saying "There is none so blind as those who will not see" could have been coined to describe Orgon & Madame Pernelle! The most comic scenes in...more

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Mar 18, 2013 David Sarkies rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy

Isn't it interesting that there are some sectors of society that get really upset if you poke fun at them, or criticise them in anway. Normally this happens because these particular people are well aware that what they are doing is wrong, and that they are simply playing on people's stupidity to get away with the frauds that they are conducting. Much of these offence that is generated is not so much offence at the fun, but rather that what the person is doing is ripping the veil off of their fr...more Isn't it interesting that there are some sectors of society that get really upset if you poke fun at them, or criticise them in anway. Normally this happens because these particular people are well aware that what they are doing is wrong, and that they are simply playing on people's stupidity to get away with the frauds that they are conducting. Much of these offence that is generated is not so much offence at the fun, but rather that what the person is doing is ripping the veil off of their fraud and exposing it for the world to see.
This is what happened to Moliere when he wrote this play, and the thing was that he was not actually poking fun at the church, but rather a certain fraudsters that go around scamming people out of their hard earned savings for their own personal benefit. There are been people this this throughout the ages and may writers have laid into these types of people particularly hard, however the church itself got offended and put enormous pressure on the king to pretty much can Moliere's play.
Tartuffe is about this religious guru that becomes involved with a family and many of the members see him as this wonderful person who is bringing wisdom and salvation to the house, however there are members of the family who see right through his lies. However, when pretty much everybody wakes up to the fraudster that Tartuffe is, he pulls another trick, which involves confiscating all of the family's property.
As I have mentioned, there have been fraudsters like this throughout the ages, and the church knows very well they exist. However it seems that the church really does not appreciate criticism. In a way it seems to be offensive to turn religion into a joke. The thing is that people like Moliere are not turning religion into a joke, but rather exposing how certain people use religion to entrap certain segments of society and pretty much enslave them. Religion is, and always has been, about control, and the problem is that when certain people get into positions of power, and they do not necessarily need to be single fraudsters like Tartuffe, they could be members of an orthodox Christian denomination. However the idea of salvation and life after death is something that concerns us all, and due to the veil that has fallen down between God and ourselves, many of us believe that salvation is not certain. It is when we let that belief creep in that certain people are then able to hold our salvation for ransom.
The thing about Christianity is that salvation is assured, which means that people cannot actually hold the threat of excommunication over you with regards to your actions. Granted, there is a moral code, but the idea is that genuine Christians will live by that moral code, rather than having that code forced upon them. It simply comes down to loving your neighbour as yourself, and loving the Lord your God. However, people don't seem to necessarily understand this, and many people, with good intentions (and we all know where good intentions lead us to) try to pass judgement on somebody's actions. Okay, there is always accountability, and with us being fallen human beings, we are always going to be led astray (I know I have), however we must always remember that Jesus said that we should look to ourselves and examine our actions before we go off an pass judgement on other people. Further, accountability should always be a two way street. Being accountable to somebody while that person is not being accountable to you is a fast way of becoming enslaved to that person.(less)

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Dec 03, 2008 Dhini rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-france

sebuah lakon drama komedi-satir, yang sangat menarik..benar2 menarik.

Tartuffe adalah seorang gembel yang biasa terlihat di dekat gereja, tempat Orgon beribadah. Suatu ketika, Orgon terlibat percakapan dengan nya dan ia merasa bahwa Tartuffe itu adalah seorang yang amat dekat dengan Tuhan, justru karena kegembelannya itu. Akhirnya Orgon, mengajak Tartuffe untuk tinggal di rumahnya.

Kehadiran Tartuffe membuat semua orang di rumah tersebut, termasuk para pembantu, gerah dan muak, kecuali tentunya Or...more

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Oct 03, 2007 Gloria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read the play, then saw it performed. Thank God for actors! The written word's not half as witty, nor as interesting, as people living the lines on stage. Had never seen nor read Moliere before. Broad farce, mostly religious and social satire. He wrote about 50 years after Shakespeare. Funny how Not Different we are from people 350 years ago. Same foibles, same concerns...and same sense of humor, obviously, because the audience I was in loved the jokes.

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Jul 30, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have to read Tartuffe for French class, but I don't mind reading anything by Moliere. I'm almost done with it...

Wow. I was pleasantly surprised by Tartuffe. I found it very entertaining! Even though it was written centuries before my time, I didn't find it hard to read at all (that may be because I'm used to reading older books, though). Sometimes I feel like I completely skipped my teen years. I've never been very interested in young adult books. Instead, I skipped to more mature books (I real...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: plays-drama

This clever comedy was written in the mid-17th c. during the early stages of the Enlightenment. Moliere employs classic comic devices of plot and character in a way that comments on his own immediate social scene. During the Enlightenment, social status was the root of an individual's worth. Moliere creates a character, Tartuffe, who outwardly shows piety, but is truly just a religious hypocrite and a cheat. He attempts to gain social status and worth through an insidious plan to take over a hou...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, play

Like everyone else has said before in so many reviews, I'm shocked that this was written in the 17th century. The humor translates so well to modern day that it almost seems like a rewrite or a satire of older, stuffier plays. I know that the language was shifted and modified during the later translation, but even the themes of the play translate well to modern times.

I also love how the women are portrayed. Elmire doesn't fall for Tartuffe's shit and she proves to her husband that she was right...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Amandine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: théâtre-et-opéra, 17e-siècle

C'est une pièce que j'avais lue il y a quelques mois et que j'ai vu représentée hier. J'ai de très loin préféré la représentation à la lecture : les acteurs étaient très bons et ont su donner vie au texte, bien qu'il soit en vers (j'ai plus de facilité à lire des pièces en vers qu'à les voir représentées). Les personnages de Molière ont toujours autant tendance à m'agacer, surtout les personnages principaux, ici Tartuffe et sa dupe, mais le frère de la femme d'Oronte, plus raisonnable et "Philin...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have been Tartuffied, and like poor Mariane, I was also forced into it since I needed to read this for a class. I am not big on 17th century French literature, so I knew it was gonna be rough going.
Thankfully, Tartuffe reads very easily and fast, really fast. Moliere very obviously wanted to teach a lesson here, the constant sermonizing (Cleante I'm looking at you), was not subtle at all, though I suppose not a lot was subtle in this play. The characters are a bit one sided (this ain't Shakesp...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Marc rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rages-and-sages-of-the-stage

How can Molière be translated in English and still be a comedy?
Tartuffe is one of its best, and the main character has given birth to a name in French. "Un tartuffe" is someone who, through false morality, gains undue privileges. Though the action relies mostly on the same farcical knacks as other plays, mostly derived from italian Commedia dell'Arte, some scenes are famous (Act IV for instance) and the play could be a tragedy, were it not for the final deus ex machina.
Of course, Molière plays a...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Evelyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, 1600-1850

I read this play in one night and it was thoroughly entertaining. My translation (the play was originally written in French) was by Richard Wilbur, and his rhyming couplets gave the play an even more whimsical feel.

The play is about a man and his family who have a guest staying with them, a hypocrite by the name of Tartuffe. While the rest of the family see right through him, the father is completely taken in and allows him to stay. Tartuffe makes out to be a holy man, but in reality is anything...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Megan Fletcher added it

Tartuffe by Moliere is a play that is a comedy set in France in 18th century. Tartuffe is a charlatan who preys on a family through false piety and deception.

Orgon invites Tarruffe Into his home to live and gives him the best of everything a ove his family. He find religious counsel in Tartuffe as he really believe that he is a genuine and good man. He even plans to wed his daughter to Tartuffe.

Molier cleverly crafts a Play with outlandish character like Dorine, the household servant who does n...more

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Sep 29, 2008 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rachel by: Caleb Hill

Shelves: school

i liked this play a lot... a bit slow at the beginning, but the plot and writing were great. it was so witty and funny, i laughed out loud a lot ;)

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Feb 09, 2013 Thalia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Historical Drama

Recommended to Thalia by: AP English

Shelves: i-own, classics

We’re still in the drama unit of my AP English class, and this was the next gem that was waiting for us to read. Honestly, I had never heard of Tartuffe, nor does the idea of French drama thrill me, but I was surprised; it wasn’t perfectly captivating, but it was definitely decent. The constant rhyming couplets were both a blessing and a hindrance. All in all, though, I had fun and I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it either. I feel like a lot of traditional or old stories like this (and Sh...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Dina Nabil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

طرطيف هو اسم رجل "شبه نصاب" يتقرب من بيوت احد الاغنياء باسم الدين و بالفعل ينجح فى ان يميل صاحب الدار و ان يشغله حتى عن اهله...فيقرر ان يزوجه ابنته على غير ارادتها بل و ان يورثه كل امواله

مسرحيه كوميديه فى خمسه فصول و الحقيقى اللافت للنظر كون مسرحيه بالمستوى الدرامى "الغير سئ" ينتج فى القرن السابع عشر و الاغرب كونه لا يفرق كثيرا عن اى فيلم عربى خاصه النهايه الساذجه المفرحه نوعا

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Feb 02, 2009 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: french, why-not-call-it-poetry

When I read this play for the first time, I had a strange feeling that I'd seen it somewhere before. Cretinous Orgon can't understand what's obvious to the audience and everyone else in the play, namely that the slimy cleric Tartuffe is not only trying to ruin him, but also to get into his wife's pants. He seems to have neatly engineered his own downfall when - hey presto! - a deus ex machina saves the day. It's very funny.

After a little thought, I realized that this is the basic structure of se...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Tristan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A hilarious comedy about the early, french Con-Man, holds with such poetics the flaws of man and his blind adoration and faith in religion. Religion, although popular during this time (1660s), is being criticized in that one could not blindly believe in a preacher preaching, so one must tread carefully in lying faith.

Although the ending felt tacked on, it served for two meanings for me. One that faith in the King could be blindly assured; and the irony of allowing yourself to do so in the forme...more

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May 17, 2012 Lauren Elyse rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, for-university

Four stars for sentimental reasons once more. French neoclassicism is not my thing (Neither was the translation I read, which was entirely in rhyme. Oh no, no, no!) However, it's quite lovely if staged well, & the concept itself is neat.

&, You know, it's one of those you'll-work-on-this-play-at-least-once-in-your-career sort of writings. This along with "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Romeo & Juliet", "Annie", "The Crucible", "The Importance of Being Earnest", & so on & so fort...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Bethanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read Tartuffe for my Later World Literature class. I found it extremely hilarious considering it was written during the Enlightenment and was banned for a few years before the author finally got permission from the King to have it published. The characters are all very unique, especially the quirky maid, Dorine, who expresses her opinions very freely through out the play.
I gave Tartuffe three stars because the ending was rather dull. I won't say why for fear I might spoil the book for future...more

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About Molière

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his stage name, Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among Molière's best-known dramas are Le Misanthrope, (The Misanthrope), L'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), L'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), Le Malade...more Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his stage name, Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among Molière's best-known dramas are Le Misanthrope, (The Misanthrope), L'Ecole des femmes (The School for Wives), Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), L'Avare ou l'École du mensonge (The Miser), Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Bourgeois Gentleman).

From a prosperous family and having studied at the Jesuit Clermont College (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand), Molière was well suited to begin a life in the theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his comic abilities while he also began writing, combining Commedia dell'Arte elements with the more refined French comedy.

Through the patronage of a few aristocrats including the brother of Louis XIV, Molière procured a command performance before the King at the Louvre. Performing a classic play by Pierre Corneille and a farce of his own, Le Docteur amoureux (The Doctor in Love), Molière was granted the use of Salle du Petit-Bourbon at the Louvre, a spacious room appointed for theatrical performances. Later, Molière was granted the use of the Palais-Royal. In both locations he found success among the Parisians with plays such as Les Précieuses ridicules (The Affected Ladies), L'École des maris (The School for Husbands) and L'École des femmes (The School for Wives). This royal favour brought a royal pension to his troupe and the title "Troupe du Roi" (The King's Troupe). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments.

Though he received the adulation of the court and Parisians, Molière's satires attracted criticisms from moralists and the Church. Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite) and its attack on religious hypocrisy roundly received condemnations from the Church while Don Juan was banned from performance. Molière's hard work in so many theatrical capacities began to take its toll on his health and, by 1667, he was forced to take a break from the stage. In 1673, during a production of his final play, Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), Molière, who suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, was seized by a coughing fit and a haemorrhage while playing the hypochondriac Argan. He finished the performance but collapsed again and died a few hours later. In his time in Paris, Molière had completely reformed French comedy.
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