Tartuffe, The Misanthrope and The Miser

Introduction

These are Molière's three greatest comedies. In Tartuffe a swindler disguised as a pious believer wins the complete trust of the rich Orgon, who means to give him his daughter in marriage and all his property, while Tartuffe secretly tries to seduce Orgon's wife; for its satire of religious hypocrisy the play was banned for five years. In The Misanthrope Alceste, who hates every kind of hypocrisy and polite pretence, falls in love with Célimène, a coquettish young widow and the most accomplished social player of all. In The Miser Harpagon loves money more than life, and when his cash box is stolen he cries out to heaven and earth and even suspects himself of having robbed himself. 'Tartuffe' and 'Harpagon' have become words in French for a hypocrite and a miser.