S TU DY GUIDE
PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
Tartuffe
By Molière
Translated by Richard Wilbur
Feb 15 – May 24, 2014
California’s Home for the Classics
Tartuffe
Study Guide Table of Contents
3
Tartuffe: Characters
5
Molière: Biography
4
6
7
9
10
12
13
14
15
18
20
23
24
25
About the Play: Synopsis
Molière: Timeline & Works
Richard Wilbur: Translator Biography
Molière: Verse Format & Rhyme Scheme
Molière: Themes
Interview with Director
About the Production: Scenic Design
About the Production: Lighting Design
A Memorable Imposter
French Baroque Theatre
Questions and Activities
Resource Guide
About Theatre Arts & Key Terms
About A Noise Within
A NOISE WITHIN’S EDUCATION PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY:
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Ross Endowment Fund, Anonymous, Terry & Jeanie Kay, Alan M. & Sheila R. Lamson, John K. & Barbara Lawrence, Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Terri Murray, National Endowment for the Arts: Shakespeare for a New Generation,
The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division,
Leonard Pronko, The Charles & Elizabeth Redmond Scholarship Fund, In Loving Memory of Charles R. Redmond — Father, Robert & Ann Ronus,
The Rose Hills Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Lyn Spector, The Steinmetz Foundation, James & Trevessa Terrile, Wells Fargo Foundation,
Roy H. Wishard & William O. Boden, WWW Foundation
2 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Tartuffe: Character Map
TARTUFFE
A hypocrite and
imposter posing
as a holy man. He
attempts to seduce
Elmire and keep
Valère from
marrying Mariane.
CLÉANTE
Brother of Elmire,
brother-in-law and
friend of Orgon
VALÈRE
The young romantic
lead, who struggles to
win the hand of his true
love.
MADAME PERNELLE
Mother of Orgon
ORGON
Parisian gentleman
and father of the
house. In his quest
for religious piety,
Orgon has allowed
Tartuffe into his home.
MARIANE
Daughter of Orgon,
fiancé of Valère
ELMIRE
Wife of Orgon
DAMIS
Son of Orgon
DORINE
Mariane’s lady maid.
She tries to help
expose Tartuffe and
help Valère.
A KING’S OFFICER/
THE EXEMPT
An officer of
the king
FLIPOTE
Servant of Madame
Pernelle (Does not
speak in the play)
MONSIEUR
LOYAL
A bailiff
Source:
McCarter Theatre http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/2.html,
and http://www.gradesaver.com/tartuffe/study-guide/character-list/)
3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
About the Play: Synopsis
PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
MADAME PERNELLE visits her son Orgon’s
house and proceeds to criticize all of the members
of the household while praising their boarder,
Tartuffe, for his holiness and zeal. The family
protests that Tartuffe is false and hypocritical, but
Madame Pernelle dismisses their objections. As
she leaves, she admonishes everyone to follow
Tartuffe’s precepts.
When Orgon arrives, Damis tries to inform his
father about Tartuffe’s proposition, but Orgon is
so blind that he thinks his own son is evil in trying
to defame Tartuffe’s good name and he immediately disinherits his son. When Orgon is alone with
Tartuffe, Orgon reveals that he plans to make Tartuffe his sole heir and his son-in-law. They leave to
execute this plan.
After Madame Pernelle’s departure, Cléante,
Orgon’s brother-in-law, and the maid Dorine
talk about Tartuffe and both agree that he has
beguiled Orgon. Damis, Orgon’s son, wonders
whether his father will still allow Mariane to
marry Valère; Damis must know Orgon’s feelings
because he wants to marry Valère’s sister. He asks
Cléante to question Orgon about his promise to
allow the marriage to take place.
Later, Cléante tries to reason with Tartuffe, but
Tartuffe only responds in religious clichés and he
hastily excuses himself from the room.
Orgon arrives and seems much more concerned
about the welfare of Tartuffe than he is about his
wife Elmire’s illness. Cléante tries to discuss Tartuffe’s hypocrisy with Orgon, but he fails and discovers that Orgon is only interested in singing Tartuffe’s praises. When Orgon is questioned about
the intended wedding, he dodges the issues and
refuses to give a direct answer. When his daughter arrives, Orgon tells her that he wants to ally
Tartuffe with his house; this he can best do by
Mariane’s marrying Tartuffe. Mariane is so shocked
that she cannot believe her ears!
After Orgon departs, Dorine reprimands Mariane
for not having refused to marry Tartuffe. Mariane’s
beloved, Valère, arrives and accuses her of consenting to the marriage. Dorine listens to them
argue and then, after they are reconciled, she
promises to help them expose Tartuffe’s hypocrisy.
In an attempt to reveal Tartuffe’s hypocrisy, Damis
hides in a closet when he hears Tartuffe entering
the room followed by Elmire. Thinking that they
are alone, Tartuffe professes his love to Elmire
and suggests that they become lovers. Damis
reveals himself and threatens to expose Tartuffe.
4 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Orgon tells Elmire of his plan to make Tartuffe his
son-in-law and sole heir. She convinces her husband to hide and observe how Tartuffe acts when
Orgon is not around. When Tartuffe arrives, he
makes declarations of his love for Elmire as well as
derogatory comments about Orgon.
Finally convinced of Tartuffe’s hypocrisy, Orgon
emerges and orders Tartuffe to leave the household. Tartuffe then reveals that legally he is now
the owner of the house, since Orgon has signed
over all his property. Orgon tells his wife that he
is frightened because, earlier, he had entrusted
some secret documents to Tartuffe’s care — documents which could ruin Orgon’s trusted position in
the court.
When Madame Pernelle arrives, Orgon cannot
convince her that Tartuffe is a hypocrite until she
hears the news that Tartuffe is having the entire
family evicted.
Tartuffe arrives with officers of the court and
orders them to remove the family from the house.
When all hope seems lost, one of the officers
reveals that the king has seen through the hypocrisy of Tartuffe and ordered that Tartuffe should
be imprisoned and Orgon’s property restored. ❖
Source:
Utah Shakespeare Festival Study Guide (edited).
Molière: Biography
MOLIÈRE was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, born
in 1622, to a prosperous Parisian upholsterer. At the age of 21,
Jean-Baptiste left the family business and abandoned his legal
studies and birth name to take up a career in the theater. His first
appearances on stage were with the Illustre Théâtre, a young
ensemble whose fortunes soon faltered. After a brief stint in
debtors’ prison, Molière rededicated himself to a life in the theater,
spending most of the next fifteen years touring the provinces
with Madeleine Béjart, the Illustre’s leading lady and his mistress,
and other itinerant performers, honing his skills as a comic actor
and playwright (though he longed for success as a tragedian), and
turning out a number of farces inspired by the Italian commedia
troupes he encountered in his travels. Portrait of young Molière, attributed to Pierre Mignard
(circa 1660)
The company returned to Paris in 1658 with Molière as their manager. Invited to perform before Louis XIV, they quickly won his
favor, and Molière was granted the use of the Petit Bourbon (a
court theater adjacent to the Louvre) and later the Palais-Royal for
the troupe’s farces, character comedies, and lavish court entertainments—with music by Jean Baptiste Lully. In 1662, Molière married Armande Béjart (the younger sister–or the daughter, some
insinuated–of his mistress), who became a leading actress in his
company, beginning with his next play, The School for Wives, which
demonstrated the playwright’s maturing talent and propelled him
into the ranks of France’s greatest dramatists.
Not all of Molière’s plays were unqualified successes, however,
and not even the patronage of Louis XIV could protect him from
the censure provoked by Tartuffe (1664). Its story of a pious
hypocrite and his willing dupe was interpreted by many as a
condemnation of religion, and five years elapsed before the play,
in modified form, passed official muster. Molière fared little better
with Don Juan (1665); its free-thinking title character incurred
the wrath of the censors immediately after opening night and
the play soon disappeared from the repertoire. Still, by 1665,
Molière’s company was awarded regular pensions from the crown,
and took the title of La Troupe du Roi. The Misanthrope and The
Doctor in Spite of Himself premiered a year later, followed by The
Miser (1668) and The Learned Ladies (1672). Molière’s next play,
The Imaginary Invalid (1673), which featured the playwright as a
grousing hypochondriac, was to be his last; Molière, who suffered
from tuberculosis, took ill during a performance and died shortly
thereafter. A Christian burial was initially denied him because he
had not received last rites nor had he made a deathbed recantation
of his profession (as tradition required), but the archbishop of Paris,
responding to petitions from Molière’s widow, grudgingly allowed
a private burial in the parish cemetery, on condition that it be
carried out at night, without ceremony. ❖
Author: Janice Paran
Source: McCarter Theater Audience Guide.
5 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Molière: Timeline and Works
1622 B
orn, son of Paris upholsterer in the
service of the king
Chronological List of Molière’s Works
1643 L
eft home in 1643 and eventually joined
Béjart family theatre company
• The Flying Doctor (c. 1648)
1644 T
ook stage name, Molière; Real name,
Jean Baptiste Poquelin
• The Jealous Husband (c. 1645)
• The Scatterbrain (1653)
• A Lovers’ Quarrel (1656)
1658 F
irst performed for Louis XIV with Béjart
company
• Affected Young Ladies (1659)
1659 The Affected Young Ladies (Les Précieuses
Ridicules) (also known as The High-Brow
Ladies), Molière`s first success; about two
provincial girls affecting elegance and wit.
• The Jealous Prince (1661)
1662 Married Armande Béjart
1662 T
he School for Wives (L`ecole des femmes),
the first performance caused a great scandal;
the pedantic Arnolphe is afraid of women
and decides to marry a girl without any
experience of the world; the young woman`s
natural intelligence and perceptiveness are
used as a vehicle of Molière`s critical insights
1664 T
artuffe (Le Tartuffe ou l`imposteur; Tartuffe
or the Impostor), originally a 3-act play,
banned and later reissued in 5-acts in 1667
(also banned) and 1669 (current version);
about a religious hypocrite and scoundrel
who deceives the gullible Orgon, tries to
seduce his wife, and takes possession of his
house and property.
1665 C
ompany adopted by the king as
Troupe du roi
1666 T
he Misanthrope (Le Misanthrope), Alceste
(originally played by Molière) has very high
standards and finds fault with everyone but
is in love with Célimène, a witty and worldly
society lady.
1673 T
he Imaginary Invalid(Le Malade Imaginaire),
Molière`s last play; about a hypochondriac
afraid of death and of doctors
1673 C
ollapsed on the stage, and later died, while
performing his play, The Imaginary Invalid
• The Imaginary Cuckold (1660)
• The School for Husbands (1661)
• The Nuisances (1661)
• The School for Wives (1662)
• The School for Wives Criticized (1663)
• A Versailles Improvisation (1663)
• The Forced Wedding (1664)
• The Princess of Elida (1664)
• Tartuffe (1664, 1667, 1669)
• Don Juan (1665)
• Love’s CureAll (1665)
• The Misanthrope (1666)
• A Doctor Despite Himself (1666)
• Mélicerte (1666)
• A Comic Pastoral (1667)
• The Sicilian (1667)
• Amphitryon (1668)
• The Confounded Husband (1668)
• The Miser (1668)
• Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (1669)
• The Magnificent Suitors (1670)
• The Bourgeois Gentleman (1670)
• Psyche (1671)
• Scapin’s Schemings (1671)
• A Pretentious Countess (1671)
• Learned Ladies (1672)
• The Hypochondriac, or The Imaginary
Invalid
6 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Richard Wilbur: Translator Bio
RICHARD WILBUR “is a poet for all of us, whose
elegant words brim with wit and paradox,” announced
Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin when the
poet succeeded Robert Penn Warren to become the
second poet laureate of the United States. Wilbur won
the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for his
collection Things of This World: Poems in 1957 and
a second Pulitzer for New and Collected Poems. He
has won the Wallace Stevens Award, the Frost Medal,
the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry,
two Bollingen Prizes, the T.S. Eliot Award, the Edna
St. Vincent Millay Memorial Award, the Prix de Rome
Fellowship and many more honors, fellowships and
awards for his poetry. His translations of French verse,
especially Voltaire’s Candide and the plays of Molière
and Jean Racine, are also highly regarded by critics; his
translation of Molière’s Tartuffe won the 1971 Bollingen
Prize.
we can infer them from his writings: that love is more
powerful than hatred; that nature is a source of values
and of reassurance; and that there is a strong creative
urge in both man and nature which constantly seeks
and finds expression in images of graceful plenitude
. . . But in the 1940’s,” Reibetanz concludes, “the utter
disparity between what he saw and what he wished to
see made him run for cover.” But Wilbur himself has
dismissed the notion that being a poet of praise and
not complaint is a matter of running from reality. “I
feel that the universe is full of glorious energy,” he
explained in an interview with Peter Stitt in the Paris
Review, “that the energy tends to take pattern and
shape, and that the ultimate character of things is
comely and good. I am perfectly aware that I say this
in the teeth of all sorts of contrary evidence, and that I
must be basing it partly on temperament and partly on
faith, but that’s my attitude.” Robert B. Shaw comments
in Parnassus: Poetry in Review that while “it is true that
some of Wilbur’s earlier poems veer with disconcerting
abruptness from the naturalistic to the esthetic. . . . He
has never, in fact, avoided negative subject matter as
completely as some critics have charged.” The critic
later asserts that several poems in his third collection,
Things of This World, deal directly with humane and
political issues.
Wilbur’s grandfather and great-grandfather were
both editors, and Wilbur showed an early interest in
journalism. As a student at Amherst College in the early
1940s, Wilbur wrote stories, editorials, and poems for
his college newspaper and magazine. His experience
as a soldier in World War II, however, drove him to
“versify in earnest.” He has described the influence of
his experiences in war on his poetry: “One does not use
poetry for its major purposes, as a means to organize
While Wilbur continued to produce composed,
oneself and the world, until one’s world somehow gets
reflective, and largely optimistic poetry in collections
out of hand.” This emphasis on order and organization
like Things of This World, (1956), Advice to a Prophet
shapes Wilbur’s first collection, The Beautiful Changes
(1961) and Walking to Sleep (1969) using traditional
and Other Poems (1947), which “treat his war
patterns of rhyme and meter, the poetic landscape of
experiences in a style so elaborately formal that the
the times meant that his work was often judged harshly.
most awful subjects are sublimated into irony, or even
“The typical ghastly poem of the fifties was a Wilbur
black comedy,” noted Adam Kirsch in the New Yorker.
poem not written by Wilbur,” wrote Donald Hall in
Wilbur’s concern with order and his restrained, formal
1961, “a poem with tired wit and obvious comparisons
touch opened him to charges of sacrificing real emotion and nothing to keep the mind or the ear occupied.”
for smoothness. James Dickey, in his book, Babel to
Hall knowingly added: “It wasn’t Wilbur’s fault, though
Byzantium, wrote that one has “the feeling that the
I expect he will be asked to suffer for it.” When the
cleverness of phrase and the delicious aptness of
Confessional poets of the 1960s and ‘70s came into
Wilbur’s poems sometimes mask an unwillingness or
vogue, Wilbur’s reputation began to suffer. “Public
inability to think or feel deeply; that the poems tend
taste,” Stephen Metcalf wrote in the New York Times,
to lapse toward highly sophisticated play.” Of Wilbur’s
“courtesy of ‘Howl’ and Lowell’s ‘Life Studies’ and the
second book, Ceremony and Other Poems (1950),
phenomenon known as Sylvia Plath—edged away from
Randall Jarrell famously complained that Wilbur “never
Wilbur, and from his dedication to urbanity and metrical
goes too far, but he never goes far enough.”
poise. Wilbur, it used to be said, coasted along a little
too smoothly; he wrote the poem bien fait.” However,
Wilbur’s work has always enjoyed critical acclaim, and
John Reibetanz speculated in Modern Poetry Studies
his third volume, Things of This World, won both the
that “for Richard Wilbur, the sights offered by World
Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1957.
War II contradict and threaten his most basic beliefs, as
7 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Richard Wilbur: Translator Bio
The volume contained one of Wilbur’s most famous
poems “A Baroque Wall-Fountain in the Villa Sciarra,”
which Jarrell himself described as “one of the most
marvelously beautiful, one of the most nearly perfect
poems any American has written.” Another poem from
the same collection, “Love Calls Us to the Things of This
World,” is one of his most anthologized.
Wilbur’s collections from the 1970s and ‘80s continued
his reputation as a formalist writing important
work, though writing it somewhat on the fringes of
contemporary poetry. Poems like those in The Mind
Reader (1976) manage “to stand up against every
kind of poetic chic,” said Bruce Michelson in Southern
Review. As Wilbur has grown older, however, his
work has become more personal—in a Paris Review
interview, he admitted “I’ve begun to crumble a bit,
and write more shamelessly of what is near to me.” He
was awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for New and
Collected Poems (1988). His nomination for the poet
laureate position came soon after. Analyzing New
and Collected Poems, the Los Angeles Times Book
Review contributor Joshua Odell noted how the new
poems “clearly show a continued evolution in style
from an ornate elegance found particularly in Wilbur’s
first collection, The Beautiful Changes, toward a simple,
direct and crisp verse.” Still, as some critics have noted,
the changes in Wilbur’s poetry have not affected the
basic philosophy his verses have always shown: a
belief that the “glorious energy” of the world tends
toward “pattern and shape.” Wilbur’s detachment, his
refusal to complain or “glamorize” the self, his formal
brilliance and his reliance on meter and rhyme have
helped him regain critical attention, and the publication
of his Collected Poems in 2005 was met with much
acclaim. Writing in Slate, James Longenbach wrote
that “Wilbur’s poems matter not because they may or
may not be stylish at any given moment but because
they keep the English language alive: Wilbur’s great
poems feel as fresh—as astonishing, as perplexing, as
shocking—as they did 50 years ago.”
Wilbur is also a gifted and prolific translator. His
aptitude and facility with formal verse have benefitted
his work translating French poetry and plays. Speaking
of his “tactful, metrical and speakable translation
of verse drama,” Hudson Review critic Alan Shaw
comments: “Wilbur’s [translations] are almost the
solitary example of this kind in English.” The expertise
8 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
and importance of the poet’s translations of plays by
Moliere, Voltaire, and Racine has been little questioned
by reviewers. “The rendition [of Moliere’s The
Misanthrope], delightful and literate, made Moliere
accessible for the first time to a wide American
audience,” wrote David H. Van Biema in People.
Comparing Wilbur’s version of The Misanthrope (1955)
to other translators’, John Ciardi wrote that “instead of
cognate-snapping, as the academic dullards invariably
do, Wilbur has found English equivalents for the turn
and nuance of the French, and the fact that he has
managed to do so in rhymed couplets that not only
respect themselves as English poetry but allow the
play to be staged . . . with great success is testament
enough.”
Wilbur has also published a number of works for
children. These include a trio of word-play books
devoted to synonyms and antonyms: Opposites (1973),
More Opposites (1991), and Runaway Opposites (1995).
Self-illustrated, these books offer amusing poems
devoted to words with opposite meanings. A Game of
Catch, another work for children, was first published
in the New Yorker in 1953 and reprinted as a separate
volume in 1994. Other books for children include The
Disappearing Alphabet (1998) and The Pig in the Spigot
(2000). Wilbur’s children’s literature often investigates
language and words in a witty, inventive way. Jennifer
M. Brabander of Horn Book noted that “Wilbur’s poems
are filled with small, satisfying surprises.”
Richard Wilbur’s books of prose include Responses:
Prose Pieces, 1953-1976 (1976 / 2000) and The Catbird’s
Song: Prose Pieces 1963-1995 (1997). Mary Maxwell,
reviewing the book for the Boston Review thought that
readers “may be surprised by melancholy undercurrents
swelling below the book’s expectedly sane and sunny
acumen.” Wilbur taught for twenty years at Wesleyan
University and helped found the influential Wesleyan
University Press poetry series in 1959, which first
published important poets like James Wright, Richard
Howard, and Roberty Bly. The press continues to
publish important new and established contemporary
poets to this day. After Wesleyan, Wilbur spent ten
years as writer-in-residence at Smith College. He has
also served as Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of
American Poets. ❖
Source: www.poetryfoundation.org
Molière: Verse Format & Rhyme Scheme
VERSE FORMATING
Molière wrote Tartuffe in one of the most popular
literary formats of 17th Century France, Alexandrine
verse. Each Alexandrine line consists of 12 syllables.
Syllables 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 are unaccented. Syllables
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 are accented. In the middle of
the line, between syllables 6 and 7, is a brief pause
called a caesura. Occasionally, an Alexandrine line
contains 13 syllables, the last one unaccented. In
English versification, an Alexandrine line is equivalent
to iambic hexameter, iambic referring to the succession
of unaccented/accented pairs and hexameter
referring the total of six two-syllable pairs. Following
is the eighth line of Tartuffe in the original French,
demonstrating the Alexandrine scheme with the
caesura after the comma.
The accented syllables are in bold, translations in gold.
Example:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
Et que de me complaire, on ne prend nul souci.
Loose English translation: And no one makes
any effort to please me.
MOLIÈRE’S RHYME SCHEME
Molière wrote Tartuffe in rhyming couplets. A couplet
is a pair of lines in which the final syllable of each line
rhymes. Following are lines 7-12 in the original French,
demonstrating this rhyming pattern. Madame Pernelle
is the speaker.
The rhyming syllables are in boldfaced blue,
translations in gold.
Example:
C’est que je ne puis voir tout ce ménage-ci,
Et que de me complaire, on ne prend nul souci.
Oui, je sors de chez vous fort mal édifiée;
...Madame Pernelle announces that she is
ending her visit because no one in ... Dans toutes mes leçons, j’y suis contrariée
...her son’s household takes her advice or
treats her with respect.
On n’y respecte rien; chacun y parle haut,
Et c’est, tout justement, la cour du roi Pétaut.
The Alexandrine format does not apply to lines
with only a few syllables, as in the following line
spoken by Orgon:
Ah! mon frère, bonjour. Ah! Good morning, brother.
Source: Cummings Study Guide.
9 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Molière: Themes
HYPOCRISY
The central theme of Tartuffe is hypocrisy, as exhibited in the
holier-than-thou attitude of the antagonist. Tartuffe is the
personification of hypocrisy, pretending to be morally upright and
extremely pious when he is really a scoundrel. The main theme of Molière’s Tartuffe refers to the hypocrisy
of religion versus Christian virtues, or people who claim to be
religious but are hypocrites instead.
The Absurdity of Zealotry
Costume Design by Angela Balogh Calin
During Molière’s time, a rogue Roman Catholic movement that
advocated extreme piety gained a modicum of popularity. Called
Jansenism, it promoted the Calvinist tenet of predestination along
with an austere, almost unforgiving moral code. Pope Innocent
X condemned Jansenism in 1653 in a papal edict entitled “Cum
Occasione” (“With Occasion”). In Tartuffe, Molière, a Roman
Catholic educated at a Jesuit school, lampooned Jansenism in
particular—and fanaticism of any kind in general—through his
characterization of Tartuffe. Thus, Molière was doing with his play
what the pope had done with his edict. However, when the play
opened before the king and his court at Versailles Palace, the
clergy frowned on it because they thought its purpose was to
satirize all clergymen, as well as the Catholic religion in general.
Molière had to revise the play twice before the king approved it
for public performance. Oddly, Molière, though a lifelong Catholic,
remained out of favor with the church for the rest of his days
because he chose to act in plays as well as write them. Acting
at that time was considered a sinful profession, and the church
refused full communion to those who performed on the stage. GULLIBILITY
Orgon foolishly believes in everything Tartuffe says and does. Even
though his family members call his attention to Tartuffe’s obvious
hypocrisy, Orgon stubbornly supports Tartuffe, even making him
his heir and offering him the hand of his daughter. Orgon’s utter
gullibility represents the attitude of churchgoers who accept
sham religion characterized by zealotry. It also represents the
foolhardiness of anyone who falls victim to hypocrisy in any form.
However, in his mockery of Orgon and Tartuffe, Molière does not in
any way impugn sincere religious attitudes.
Underdogs Can Bite
Though only a lowly servant girl, Dorine is perceptive, witty, and
bold—an astute judge of character who is not afraid to speak
her mind. In many ways, this maid of steel is the most admirable
character in the play, demonstrating that one does not have to be
1 0 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Molière: Themes
highborn to be high-minded. Her opposition to female
subservience in a male-dominated society is centuries
ahead of its time, as evidenced by the advice she gives
Mariane after the latter’s father, Orgon, orders her to
marry Tartuffe:
Tell him one doesn’t love by proxy; Tell him you’ll marry for yourself, not him; Since you’re the one for whom the thing is done, You are the one, not he, the man must please; If his Tartuffe has charmed him so, why let him Just marry him himself—no one will hinder. All-Consuming Power of an Obsession
In Tartuffe, Molière satirizes preoccupation with
abnormally rigid piety and morality. But it is not the
antagonist, Tartuffe, who suffers from a fixation or
mania; he is a charlatan who only pretends to be a
religious perfectionist. Rather, it is the protagonist,
Orgon, who labors under an obsession. His neurotic
fascination with Tartuffe’s perfidious preachments on
religion and holiness is so powerful that he forcefully
betroths his daughter to Tartuffe, ignores his ailing
wife, and disinherits his son in favor of Tartuffe. At
a time when such men as Tartuffe actually existed—
preaching an austere form of spirituality that narrowed
the passageway to heaven—Molière well realized the
need for remedial laughter to expose the hypocrites
and their perverse obsessions.
DRAMATIC IRONY
Molière uses dramatic irony effectively in Tartuffe. The
most notable example of it—one which undergirds the
entire play—is Orgon’s unwitting approval of Tartuffe,
whom the rest of his family and the audience know is a
scoundrel. Orgon exhibits his naiveté again and again
in the lines he speaks, including the following lines
praising Tartuffe for watching over Elmire, Orgon’s wife.
(Tartuffe, of course, is not really looking out for Elmire’s
welfare; he is trying to seduce her.)
He censures everything, and for my sake
He even takes great interest in my wife; He lets me know who ogles her, and seems Six times as jealous as I am myself. Dramatic irony is also evident in the words spoken by
Madame Pernelle, who is adamant in her high opinion
of Tartuffe. After Orgon at long last realizes that
1 1 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Costume Design by Angela Balogh Calin
Tartuffe is a trickster, he informs her of the hypocrite’s
machinations. But, refusing to believe Orgon, Madame
Pernelle tell him:
My dear, appearances are oft deceiving,
And seeing shouldn’t always be believing.
She also observes:
False suspicions may delude,
And good to evil oft is misconstrued.
Source: Cummings Study Guide.
Interview with the Director
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
DIRECTOR
EDUCATION DIRECTOR: What drew you to this play?
Alicia Green
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
young woman who perhaps has very different priorities
than his and the marriage is going though a challenging
JULIA RODRIGUEZ-ELLIOTT: I love working with
phase. Because I think there is generational conflict
Moliere because the comedy can be fierce. While
in the play, I liked the idea of a “young wife” with
Moliere’s plays are most often played as broad
a middle-aged husband. Orgon, I believe, is a good
comedies — I believe that there is a dark urgency
man. He is a respected member of the community,
within his plays that I am always interested in exploring. successful, and sees himself in a situation that he is not
able to manage. Enter Tartuffe...
In the case of Tartuffe, I am most interested in the
dynamics that exist within an individual/group that
ED How does Tartuffe’s presence affect the
allow someone like Tartuffe to gain entry and take
household?
hold. Why do we allow another individual to have that
kind of power over us? What is it that we fear? The
JRE: Their world is turned upside down and the
other aspect of the play that I’m drawn in by is the
household is essentially held hostage by Tartuffe.
destructive power of extremism which plays a central
Prisoners in their own home if you will.
role in the play.
ED That’s a bit dark for a comedy. Does it have a happy
ED Why do you think Orgon and Madam Pernell were
ending?
so willing to trust in Tartuffe?
JRE: Ultimately, there is a happy ending in the sense
JRE: I think that for any of us there are times where we that they are shaken up and perhaps better able to
can all be vulnerable to the machinations of a Tartuffe
look at each other in a more profound way given their
type figure. Whether we are unhappy, dissatisfied and
journey; but while vanquishing Tartuffe restores justice
searching for an answer or are living in a sort of fear,
it does not ensure immediate happiness for the family.
if someone comes into our lives that seems to have all
They have been brutalized by Tartuffe and the family
the answers and provides a direction, we will follow
will need to heal. All this being said — the humor in the
them. There is something very compelling about a man
play will not be lost but there is something unsettling
like Tartuffe.
about the events that take place during the course of
the play.
If we are to believe what Madam Pernell says, this is
potentially a household/family that has lost its way.
ED Can you speak to why you chose the Richard Wilbur
They are living large, i.e. spending lots of money ,
translation of the play?
partying until late at night etc. I started thinking about
JRE: Wilbur is the pre-eminent translator of Molière.
what she says and the fact we are looking at 2 young
His translations leave the integrity of the rhyming
people who lost their mother (Damis/Marianne) and
couplet throughout the text and through this retains
now find themselves with a stepmother (and in our
the feeling of the original French.
production we are pushing the idea that she is close
in age to Damis & Marianne). So Orgon has married a
1 2 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
About the Production: Scenic Design
Frederica Nascimento
A SCENIC PROJECT always starts with the reading
of the play. As a designer, I read it several times and
let it wash over me. Once I have formulated initial
impressions, I then have the first meeting with the
director and begin to share ideas. The director is
really the most important person in the team, and as a
designer the goal is to work together as one.
When I read a text, as a designer my thoughts
immediately go to the shapes. I see so many possible
geometries. It is exhausting and exhilarating. When
your physical vision for the production and the
director’s vision are one and the same, as has been
the case working with A Noise Within Director Julia
Rodriguez-Elliott, then it’s magic. That kind of
synchronicity between director and designer is a real
thrill for a designer.
With Julia, the process is fluid and continuous and
everything is possible. Some ideas were there since
the start: hypocrisy, generational conflict, monumental
scale, color, lack of color, hostages, eroticism, wild
humor, extremes, a big window, a table, places to
watch from, a large scale portrait, religious artifacts, a
chandelier, a sort of dance, a prisoner. The main ideas
for the set colors were glossy black, red and grey with
touches of pattern and antique gold. All of these
images/ideas were thrown into the mix and eventually
a scenic design emerged.
Tartuffe is always present, observing from above,
listening through the walls, his presence is felt since
the moment the play begins. He is a dark presence,
invading the house, penetrating the space and taking
over. This presence affects the set as the audience
begins to see the colors fading as life drains away
throughout the play. There is also a large portrait and a
black back drop that slowly take over the set, mimicking
Tartuffe’s presence growing as the play goes on.
The architecture of the theatre creates opportunities,
while also setting limits, on what is possible in creating
a scenic design. With this knowledge, my research
and the practical notes from the play complete, I am
1 3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
able to start the final drawings, final drafting and final
model. Even when we decide to make a change, the
initial concept remains in the design.
Tartuffe by Molière is a great play for a scenic designer
because a million things are happening in the same
room. I like to design classical texts particularly
because they offer a complex structure to work with.❖
Frederica Nascimento (Scenic Design, Tartuffe) With
ANW: Debut Other Theatres: Frederica works in theatre,
opera, dance and film. Directors worked with include
José Álvaro Morais, Manoel de Oliveira, Wim Wenders,
Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson, Rogério de Carvalho, João
Canijo, Ruben Polendo, Ron Sossi, Chris Fields, Simon
Levy, Shishir Kurup, Laurie Woolery, Larry Biederman,
Bart DeLorenzo, Shirley Jo Finney among others. Collaborates with Johannes Wieland Dance Company in New
York and is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop. Education/Training: Awarded the Tisch School
of the Arts Scholarship and received her MFA from
Tisch/ NYU with the J. S. Seidman Graduating Award for
Excellence in Design. Graduated from Lisbon School of
Theatre and Film, IFICT Theatre Institute, and Faculty of
Architecture at the Technical University of Lisbon. She is
a scholar with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, LusoAmerican Foundation and member of the Portuguese
Architects Association. Frederica is faculty at Los Angeles Film School and member of the United Scenic Artists
USA 829, IATSE.
VOCABULARY
Back Drop The rear curtain of a stage setting.
Drafting is the act and discipline of composing plans that
visually communicate how something functions or is to be
constructed.
Scenic Design (also known as scenography, stage design,
set design or production design) is the creation of
theatrical, as well as film or television scenery.
Model A small object, usually built to scale, that
represents in detail another, often larger object.
About the Production: Lighting Design
Kenneth Booth
IN APPROACHING the lighting design I take my clues
from the director and from the other designers with
particular attention to the set and costumes. The design
for ANWs production of Tartuffe is highly stylized and
has a modern sensibility. While there is furniture and
architecture of the period, there is a modernity to it as
well. The costumes also have a period silhouette with some
very modern accessories. The entire design is a hybrid of
expressionism and classicism. With that in mind I thought
the lighting should be subtle and not call attention to itself.
Set Design by Frederica Nascimento.
There is a good deal of white in the set, which caused
much of the lighting to bounce everywhere. This provided
soft and indirect lighting. But to avoid the lighting looking
flat, I used minimal front lighting and stronger top and
back lighting. I like the costumes and wigs to look a little
“crispy.” The bounced lighting also helped to light the set.
Sometimes a set looks better when there is minimal light
hitting it. This also helps to keep the focus on the actors.
The play progresses from a very festive (almost carnival
feel) at the start and eventually all the color is slowly
stripped away and it goes to an atmostphere of decay.
So the lighting design will mirror that transformation with
the use of lots of color in the beginning to a more gloomy
(colorless) stark look by the end. I am also incorporating
the use of footlights to highlight the comedy and
theatricality of the play and also as a way to accentuate
the more stark moments as the play progresses. ❖
VOCABULARY
Lighting Designer Works with the director,
choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and
sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere,
and time of day for the production in response to
the text.
Indirect Lighting Lighting in which the light
emitted by a source is diffusely reflected (as by the
ceiling).
Footlights Lights placed in a row along the front of
a stage floor.
1 4 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Ken Booth (Lighting Designer, Tartuffe) ANW Resident
Artist. With ANW: Ken has designed more than forty
productions for A Noise Within since 1998. Some of his
favorites include Pericles, Prince of Tyre, A Christmas
Carol, Cymbeline, The Bungler, The Chairs, Noises Off,
Great Expectations, Richard III, Taming of the Shrew,
Ubu Roi, Oliver Twist, Life is a Dream, Dear Brutus, A
Wilde Holiday, Skin of our Teeth, Buried Child, and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Hollywood Bowl.
A Memorable Imposter
By James Mills
MOLIÈRE FIRST PRESENTED Le Tartuffe at the “Pleasures of the
Enchanted Isle,” a royal extravaganza held at Versailles under the
auspices of Louis XIV, as the second featured play after his Princess
of Elide. Performed on May 12, 1664, on the sixth day of the fête,
under the title, Tartuffe or the Impostor, the unfinished threeact play initially received the king’s approval, but not that of the
church, which condemned its treatment of the “subject of abuse
and religious zeal by a confidence man and his victim” (Hallam
Walker, Molière [Boston: G. K. Hall, 1971], 81). Its portrayal of
credulity, distorted faith, and blind obedience earned the censure
of the archbishop of Paris, who was irate over its possible bad
effects on society, as well as the disapproval of the Queen Mother,
who similarly expressed her strong dismay.
PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
1 5 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Molière was obliged to battle for the next five years against
great odds to have his play accepted and was reduced to giving
private readings because of legal sanctions against it. In an
attempt to curry favor, he offered a revised version in five acts in
1665, which was rejected. In 1667 he presented another version
under the title, Panulfe or the Impostor, in which he attempted
to mollify his enemies by modifying Tartuffe’s near clerical garb
and changing his name to Panulfe. However, his efforts were in
vain, for the play was suppressed by the archbishop of Paris who
forbade involvement with it on pain of excommunication. It was
not until 1669 that the present format was offered on stage in a
published version with official approval at the Palais-Royal Theatre.
Although scholars disagree as to what was contained in the earlier
versions, most feel that they differed substantially from the 1669
play (James F. Gaines, Social Structures in Molière’s Theatre
[Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1984], 199). It was during
the “Quarrel of Tartuffe” that Molière came to realize that he was
no longer able to count fully on the political backing of the king
nor the moral support of the public (Ronald W. Tobin, “Tarte à la
crème”—Comedy and Gastronomy in Molière’s Theatre [Columbus:
Ohio State University Press, 1990], 46). However, this period also
witnessed the appearance of the masterpieces of his maturity: Dom
Juan (1665), The Misanthrope (1666), Amphitryon (1668), George
Dandin (1668), and The Miser (1668). Tartuffe is a contemporary
play that mirrors the religious struggles of the seventeenth
century. Only recently (1647-1650), there had been violent conflicts
called “Frondes” during which religious groups sided with the
various factions of nobles vying for power. And France still felt
the repercussions of the bloody
civil strife between Catholics and
Huguenots that witnessed the
massacres on Saint Bartholomew’s
Day in 1572 and continued in
Molière’s time with the ongoing
harassment of the Protestants.
The Jesuits continued to oppose
the heretical Jansenists, a conflict
whose fires had been recently
stoked by Blaise Pascal’s Provincial
Letters (1656-1657) which served
as an apologia for the Jansenists
and as an indictment of the Jesuits.
Gallicans, who sought greater
French autonomy from Rome,
opposed the Ultramontanists, who
gave primary allegiance to the
Pope. Quietists fought to worship in
private without church control, while
various cults practiced their secret
rites, including black magic, at all
levels of French society. Religion
and politics were inextricably bound
together, with the way to temporal
power being ecclesiastical. Cardinal
Richelieu had cemented that
symbiotic relationship during the
reign of Louis XIII, while Cardinal
Mazarin, who had just died in 1661,
had continued the centralization of
power during the early ascendancy
of the maturing Louis XIV. The
sources for Tartuffe are unclear.
Although Philip Wadsworth
indicates that Flaminio Scala’s Il
Pedante, published in 1611, is the
only serious source still considered,
he nevertheless dismisses it and
suggests instead that a novel by
D’Audiguier and a Spanish novella
adapted in French by Scarron are
more contemporary to Molière and
offer many of the same features
1 6 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Frontispiece and title page of “Tartuffe or The Imposter” from a 1739 collected edition of his works
in French and English, printed by John Watts.
as those found in Tartuffe (Molière
and the Italian Theatrical Tradition
[French Literature Publications
Company, 1977], 20-23). Molière
spent fifteen years on the road
working his early plays and
sketches for commedia dell’arte
skits. The Italians and Spaniards
taught him elegance and cynicism,
as well as the use of disguises,
trap doors, stock characters, and
mysterious happenings. Reflections
of his formative training appear
in Tartuffe in his use of such
theatrical devises as Orgon hiding
under the table, the clowning of
Dorine, and the quarrel between
Mariane and Valère. He made
fun of royalty, criticized society,
admired the common sense of the
lower classes, saw the similarities
in life, presented a nobility that
was not always admirable, and
offered his own views of life.
Finely wrought comedy was for
Molière a disrespectful attitude to
a potentially tragic situation (Albert
Bermal, trans, One-Act Comedies
of Molière, [New York: The World
Publishing Company, 1964], 5). The
themes of knowledge and blind
ignorance, reality and appearances,
and love and its distortions served
as social criticism designed to
educate society (Walker, 83).
Tartuffe is an essentialist view of
men and women. It has to do with
“a city morality, where life is more
a matter of perpetual contact with
others than with nature or things”
(Percy A. Chapman, The Spirit of
Molière [Russell and Russell, Inc.,
1965], 232). Ultimately, the whole
play tends to be greater than the
sum of its parts as its appeal is
largely attributable to its coherence
and wholeness as a comic structure
(Wadsworth, 112 113).
Tartuffe is probably Molière’s
most sinister character. While
the name is apparently from the
Italian tartufulo, meaning “truffle,”
there is a subtle hint of deception
in the French verb truffer, which
could mean “tromper,” or “to
deceive” (Gaston Hall, Molière:
Tartuffe [London: Arnold, 1960],
24). The play’s ominous quality
has been emphasized by Harold
Knutson, who has discussed its
sense of imminent defeat and ritual
death. He sees a symbolic death
for Mariane when she ponders
extinction at the prospect of a
forced marriage to Tartuffe and
metaphoric suicide in her pleas to
enter a convent. Orgon “murders”
Damis when he replaces him with
Tartuffe as his legal heir. Ironically,
he, in turn, experiences ritual death
when he tries to expel Tartuffe only
to have the latter demand that he
leave his own home. The overall
mood is one of perfidy, betrayal,
and despair (Molière, an Archetypal
Approach, [Toronto: University of
Toronto Press, 1976], 77 78). It is
significant that Du Croisy, the actor
who usually played comic roles,
played Tartuffe, while Molière played
Orgon. Where Tartuffe is “a country
boor aping Town manners, especially
in his effort to play l’honnête homme
amoureux” (Knutson, The Triumph of
Wit [Columbus: Ohio State University
Press, 1988], 91), Orgon has high
social standing, is wealthy, owns
his own home, has an abundance
of money, is a man of power, and
perhaps a royal officer or officier de
longue robe, either of the sovereign
courts or the financial administration
(Gaines, 200 206). In fact, Lionel
Gossman treats Orgon as the pivot
of the play and suggests that a true
understanding of it is based on the
relationship of the blind obedience
of Orgon and the hypocritical
wickedness of Tartuffe. He observes
that “dupe and deceiver—and
which is which?—are seen to be
partners in the same enterprise”
(Men and Masks, A Study of Molière
[Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press,
1963], 101). It is his opinion that
Orgon, a Christian who is unable to
give love or receive it, views Tartuffe
as a kind of Christ-figure and is not
interested in the real qualities of his
guest but only in the authority that
he commands (104).
1 7 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Set Design by Frederica Nascimento.
This is a play about
authority and power,
from him to return it to Orgon,
and the reality is that “Orgon
and, indirectly, to himself. Yet, as
himself is largely responsible for
Knutson points out: “Whatever the
Tartuffe’s imposture” (Gossman,
comic force of many scenes, the
112). Even Madam Pernelle, who
ominous mood that hangs over the
is possessive and tyrannical, seeks
play remains with us long after the
to usurp her own son’s place in
dénouement. A cancer of bondage
his home and covets power over
and corruption has set into the
others through Tartuffe. It also
play’s society, and, even after it is
has to do with the family and its
extirpated at the comic reversal,
potential destruction by an intruder.
the concluding verses speak more
The play takes place indoors
of relief and gratitude than of
with the word, “céans,” which
exultation and victory” (Archetypal,
means “on these premises,” being
76).
used an unprecedented fourteen
times. It is Molière’s first realistic
Molière’s was a vision of
picture of a bourgeois interior.
reconciliation, with the family
It revolves around a traditional
unit serving as an emblem for
bourgeois family consisting of three societal harmony. His was a ritual
generations, as well as extended
view of comedy that celebrated
family. The unity of the family, a
regeneration. It is nevertheless
symbol for continuity and social
ironic that in Tartuffe the
renewal, is temporarily threatened
dénouement is the fantasy, while
and destabilized by the presence
the body of the play represents
of the intruder. Molière’s intent was
the reality of life. In other words,
not to destroy society but to teach
the komos reveals the fantasy,
the lesson that false power and
while it is the tragic that is the real
false piety were not for the public
world. Ultimately, Molière sought
good. When the officer of the king
to paint a France “in which some
arrives during the dénouement, he
sort of compromise is hit upon
enters a home filled with confusion,
between vigor of personality,
usurpation, treachery, and despair.
stability of custom, and enlightened
It is his duty to restore order in the
acceptance of authority” (Chapman,
name of Louis XIV. He functions
248). In Tartuffe he succeeds in
as deus ex machina, or rex ex
creating one of his most successful
machina, in order to reinforce the
and best-loved masterpieces
ultimate power of the monarch
and one of his most memorable
over his people to restore authority
characters, even if he is an
to where it properly belongs in
impostor. ❖
an orderly society (Tobin, 113).
Ironically, while Tartuffe seeks honor Source: From Midsummer Magazine, 1993
and glory in Orgon’s home, it is the
king who symbolically takes it away
French Baroque Theatre
HAMLET’S ADVICE to the players offers a philosophy of
the theater that was widespread throughout the baroque
period, that of art mirroring nature. This philosophy was
equally applied by playwrights and visual artists of the time-not surprising, since theater and painting had long been
considered sister arts (Lee). But what is the “nature” the
baroque artist and dramatist were to mirror? Renaissance
scholars had inherited a clear perception of a hierarchical
universe from the Middle Ages. According to this view,
the world was a perfectly ordered structure, in which God
reigns from heaven above, man exists on the earth below,
and hell is an underworld lower still. The hierarchical
structures of earthly institutions--led by divinely ordained
representatives in both the political and religious spheres-mirror this larger, eternal order (Denton).
Costume Design by Angela Balogh Calin
The purpose of playing…
both at the first and now,
was and is,
to hold as’t were
the mirror up to nature.
—William Shakespeare,
Hamlet, act 3, scene 2, lines 20-22
1 8 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
This vision came under assault as the dominance of Catholic
theology--which placed man (earth) at the center of God’s
universe--was challenged both by scientific advances and the
Protestant Reformation. In response to these tensions, the
Church codified its doctrine at the Council of Trent (1545-63),
leading to the establishment of the Counter-Reformation
movement. This continuing theological controversy was
a manifestation of a general need to restore a sense of
harmony and order to the world. Baroque artists operated
within this context, creating dynamic works that superimpose
concerns about order and disorder upon the traditional
representation of hierarchies, both earthly and heavenly.
The metaphor of theatrum mundi, or the world as stage,
derives from classical sources such as Plato and Horace and
from early Christian writers such as Saint Paul (Curtius, 13844). While not a new concept, it was frequently employed
by baroque thinkers to express an ordered world and the
forces that threatened it. Throughout Europe, playwrights
such as Molière and Shakespeare used the motif in their
works to emphasize the close relationship between the
stage and life.
Nowhere was this metaphor more pronounced than in
Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s 1635 work
El gran teatro del mundo (The Great Theater of the World).
In this play, Calderón proposed that (to quote William
PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
Shakespeare) “all the world’s a stage” with God as the
ultimate director. As the play opens, the Autor, both
director of the play and a characterization of God, uses
multiple metaphors to connect the creation of a play
to the creation of the world. As actors arrive for their
assignments, the Director/Creator gives each one a
role that corresponds to a social category (i.e. Beggar,
Peasant, King, Rich Man). As the play progresses, the
actors must relinquish their earthly roles and pass into
the eternal realm. Actors/souls are only allowed into
God’s presence if they have proven their worth in their
roles/lives. Calderón not only reinforced the existence
of a temporal or earthly hierarchical order, but he also
stressed the ultimate supremacy of the eternal hierarchy
found in God’s kingdom. There is an illusory quality to
the earthly hierarchy, as each man’s assigned role in this
world is only a shadow of the more permanent part to
come.
1 9 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
This idea was presented on various stages throughout
Europe. Shakespeare employed it (with temporal
rather than theological focus) in works such as Hamlet,
Macbeth,and most famously, As You Like It:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
—act 2, scene 7, lines 138-42
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How would you characterize the relationship
between the Catholic Church and the theater?
How did the Church use the stage to support its
authority, and how was the theater viewed as a
threat by Rome?
Questions and Activities
Essay Topics
1. Who are famous Tartuffes of today—that is, people who pretend to be upright in order to get
money, property, or power?
2. Name several genuinely pious, upright people in recent years who gained worldwide
recognition because of their goodness.
3. It appears that Orgon is not a good judge of character, for he accepts as gospel everything that
Tartuffe says.
4. Who is the most sensible person in the play?
5. In what ways does the play resemble a modern situation comedy?
6. Do you believe Molière ridicules religion in the play?
Source: http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/9.html
Classroom Activities
Designing Tartuffe: Character Collage*
Theatrical visual designers, such as those who
create a play production’s scenery, costumes,
makeup, and lights must find ways to communicate
their preliminary design ideas to the director
with whom they collaborate. One form of visual
communication is collage, in which cutout images
and text, material/fabric, and other small objects
are glued to a piece of paper to symbolize the
world of the play, its inhabitants, and/or its themes. Ask your students make a character collage of the
character from Molière’s Tartuffe that they find the
most compelling or interesting.
They will need an 8½” x 11” sheet of paper
(either colored paper or paper that can be
painted), magazines with visual images/
photographs, scissors, additional color paper
for cutouts, colored pencils or paint for a
background, and glue.
They should think about how they might
use color, images, and text to symbolize the
character and what happens to him or her in
the course of the play
Educators might also opt for their students
to create electronic collages by utilizing
PowerPoint technology and images gleaned
from the Internet.
Students should be given time to show
their finished collages to the class and to
explain how the objects and images in their
collages express and symbolize their favorite
character from Tartuffe.
*Source: McCarter Theater Audience Guide
2 0 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Qui était Molière?: Molière and the
French Renaissance.*
To prepare your students for Molière’s Tartuffe
and to deepen their level of understanding of and
appreciation for the period in which it was written,
have your students research, either in groups or
individually, the life, times and works of Molière.
Topics for a study of Molière and seventeenthcentury France and French culture might include:
Molière (born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin)
birth, family and education
early career
rise to prominence
Louis XIV
Cardinal Richelieu
The French Academy
French Neoclassical tragedy
French farce
Pierre Corneille
Jean Racine
Hôtel du Bourgogne
Théâtre Italien (commedia dell’arte)
Alexandrine verse
Jansenism
The School for Wives
The Misanthrope
The Would-be Gentlemen
The Imaginary Invalid
Have your students teach one another about their
individual or group topics vial oral and illustrated
(i.e., posters or PowerPoint) reports. Following the
presentations ask your students to reflect upon
their research process and discoveries.
Questions and Activities
The Challenge of the Ending
At the climax of Tartuffe, Orgon and his family are
suddenly saved from certain ruin by an outside
influence. This kind of ending in dramaturgical/
playwriting terms is called a deus ex machina (or
“god from the machine”). In the theatre of the
Ancient Greeks, tragedies were often resolved
by the entrance of a god who arrived on stage
via machinery just in time to save the good or
wronged or to punish evil. Today, the term is used
to refer to the resolution of a conflict through the
intervention of a person or thing from outside
of the dramatic action; it is often used critically
to suggest an inorganic/artificial or less than
dramatically compelling resolution. Ask your
students to describe the turn of events in Tartuffe
that can be categorized as a deus ex machine.
Do you think it is a compelling or suitable
resolution to the action and ending of the
play? Why or why not?
Why do you think Molière may have chosen
to end the play this way?
If it is not already common knowledge, alert
your students to the fact that the original
production/script of Tartuffe was condemned
and censored by religious members of
the court. The version of the play that has
survived has a revised ending which was not
Molière’s original artistic intention.
Ask your students to consider a better,
perhaps more artful or organic, way of
ending Tartuffe. Have them script their own
versions of the play from Act V, scene iv on
to the end. In a subsequent class meeting
have them cast their classmates in roles for
lively reading of the new endings. Discuss the
joys and challenges of trying to improve upon
the great French dramatist’s art.
Source: McCarter Theater Audience Guide
Two Truths and a Lie
Start by modeling the process by telling two
truths and a lie (preferably something that
could plausibly be true) about yourself. Ex
statements such as:
I have two kids.
I once won a pie-eating contest.
When I was ten, I hated science.
Allow the class to guess which is the lie.
Allow about a minute for every student to
think of two truths and a lie about himself/
herself.
Have the students form groups of four,
preferably with people they do not know
well (or assign at random). They should sit
together for the remainder of the activity.
Within each group, students must first learn
each other’s names. Then they are to tell
each other two things that are true about
themselves and one that is a lie (preferably
something that MIGHT be true). The others
in the group must determine which the lie
is. Allow about five to six minutes for the
groups to complete this.
Tell each group they must choose two of the
truths about the members of their group
and one lie to share with the class. Have
them write them down legibly. For example:
One member of our group once traveled to
Russia, one member… etc.
After the game, ask the class the following questions:
Were you able to guess the lie correctly? If so,
how?
What sort of lies were the most convincing? Big
lies? Little lies? Why?
Why do you think Orgon had trouble seeing
Tartuffe’s lies? Why did the other household
members not believe Tartuffe?
Source: http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/knowyou/
twotruths.cfm
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Questions and Activities
“Dear Dad, Have You Gone Mad?!”
Have each of your students take on the persona of
either Damis or Mariane to write a letter to his or
her father, Orgon. The letter must be imperative in
nature, address the familial discord in the house of
late, offer opinion as to the source of the conflict,
and attempt to offer remedies or advice on how to
resolve the situation and return family to its previous
state of harmony. Students should feel that they
have free-reign to update or relocate the dramatic
scenario, although they should stay true to general
ideas of the world of the play.
Students’ letters may be read aloud for the class and
discussed for the merits of their argument, attention
to dramatic detail and imagination and originality of
their authors.
Source: McCarter Theater Audience Guide
Status Quo
Engage the student actors in a conversation
regarding “status.” What does it mean in life (at
school, at home or in the wider community)? What
does it mean on stage (between characters or
between actors and the audience). We discuss how
status can affect the body language, the voice, the
dialogue...the overall truthful portrayal of a character.
Materials
A deck of cards (in order Ace through King,
you will only need one suit)
8-10 chairs
double sided tape
Space Required
Medium to large open space
Instructions
1. Split the class in half. One set of student actors
becomes the audience and the other half sit in
chairs that are set up in a line. The facilitator
places a playing card on the forehead of each
participant (with a small piece of double sided
tape) without the participant seeing what card
it is.
2. Instruct the actors that an Ace is the highest
status in the room and TWO is the lowest. When
the facilitator claps his/her hands, the actors are
to mill around the room as if they are at a social
engagement, meeting new people for the first
time. They are to treat the other people at the
party according to the status (card ranking) on
their forehead. They are to quickly adapt their
character by responding to the cues given to
them by their fellow actors.
3. The first round is silent and entirely delivered
through body language and facial expression.
Freeze.
4. Clap again and the second round introduces
improvised dialogue. Freeze.
5. The actors sit back down in their seats and are
asked to sit from low to high status, having
to guess what external status they have been
given. One at a time actors remove their cards
and discuss if their predictions were correct,
how they guessed their status, how they were
treated and how it felt.
6. Large class discussion and the groups switch.
The entire activity is repeated for this new
group.
7. Assessment in the form of reflection in class
discussion.
A Noise Within has developed these activities according to The Common Core State Standards for Language,
Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing at the 9th grade level and the 21st Century Learning and Thinking Skills.
2 2 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Tartuffe: Resource Guide
PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
ARTICLES
• T
artuffe: Attacking Hypocrisy, Not Religion By Jerry
L. Crawford From Insights, 1993http://www.bard.org/
education/studyguides/Tartuffe/tartuffeattack.html#.
Up-b3id5H3A
• T
artuffe: A Memorable Imposter By James Mills From
Midsummer Magazine, 1993 http://www.bard.org/
education/studyguides/Tartuffe/tartuffeimposter.html#.
Up-b2id5H3A
• T
he King’s Play: Censorship and the Politics of
Performance in Moliere’s “Tartuffe” Michael Spingler
Comparative Drama
Vol. 19, No. 3 (Fall 1985), pp. 240-257
Published by: Comparative Drama
Article Stable URL: http://0-www.jstor.org.oasys.lib.oxy.
edu/stable/41153180
• “Tartuffe” and the Comic Principle in Molière W.
G. Moore The Modern Language Review Vol. 43,
No. 1 (Jan., 1948), pp. 47-53 Published by: Modern
Humanities Research Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3717969
• Is Tartuffe a Comic Character? Brian Nicholas The
Modern Language Review Vol. 75, No.4 (Oct., 1980),
pp 753-765 Published by: Modern Humanities Research
Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/
stable/3726584
WEBSITES
• http://www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/7.
html
• http://www.gradesaver.com/tartuffe/study-guide/
2 3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
FILM
• (“Additional Resources” from McCarter Theatre http://
www.mccarter.org/Education/tartuffe/html/11.html)
• d
e Sales, Saint Francis. Introduction to the Devout Life,
translated by John K. Ryan. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1950.
• G
ossman, Lionel. “Le Tartuffe.” In Men and Masks. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1963.
• L
ough, John. An Introduction to Seventeenth Century
France. New York: David McKay Company, 1954.
• M
aland, David. Culture and Society in Seventeenth
Century France. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1970.
• P
ardailhe-Galabrun, Annik. The Birth of Intimacy. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991.
• T
oporkov, Vasily Osipovich. “Tartuffe.” In Stanislavski
in Rehearsal, translated by Christine Edwards. New
York: Theatre Arts Books, 1979.
• T
rout, Andrew. City on the Seine. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.
• W
ilbur, Richard. The Misanthrope and Tartuffe. New
York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993.
About Theatre Arts
Key Theatrical Terms
Today, movies and television
take audiences away from what
was once the number one form
of amusement: going to the
theatre. But attending a live
theatrical performance is still
one of the most thrilling and
active forms of entertainment.
blocking: The instructions a
director gives his actors that tell
them how and where to move in
relation to each other or to the set
in a particular scene.
In a theatre, observers are
catapulted into the action,
especially at an intimate venue
like A Noise Within, whose
thrust stage reaches out into
the audience and whose actors
can see, hear, and feel the
response of the crowd.
conflict: The opposition of people
or forces which causes the play’s
rising action.
Although playhouses in the
past could sometimes be
rowdy, participating in the
performance by giving respect
and attention to the actors is
the most appropriate behavior
at a theatrical performance
today. Shouting out (or even
whispering) can be heard
throughout the auditorium, as
can rustling paper or ringing
phones.
genre: Literally, “kind” or “type.”
In literary terms, genre refers to
the main types of literary form,
principally comedy and tragedy.
It can also refer to forms that are
more specific to a given historical
era, such as the revenge tragedy,
or to more specific sub-genres of
tragedy and comedy such as the
comedy of manners, farce or social
drama.
After A Noise Within’s
performance of Tartuffe, you
will have the opportunity to
discuss the play’s content and
style with the performing artists
and directors. You may wish
to remind students to observe
the performance carefully or
to compile questions ahead of
time so they are prepared to
participate in the discussion.
2 4 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
character: The personality or part
portrayed by an actor on stage.
dramatic irony: A dramatic
technique used by a writer in
which a character is unaware of
something the audience knows.
motivation: The situation or mood
which initiates an action. Actors
often look for their “motivation”
when they try to dissect how a
character thinks or acts.
props: Items carried on stage
by an actor to represent objects
mentioned in or implied by the
script. Sometimes the props
are actual, sometimes they are
manufactured in the theatre shop.
proscenium stage: There is usually
a front curtain on a proscenium
stage. The audience views the play
from the front through a “frame”
called the proscenium arch. In this
scenario, all audience members
have the same view of the actors.
set: The physical world created on
stage in which the action of the
play takes place.
setting: The environment in which
a play takes place. It may include
the historical period as well as the
physical space.
stage areas: The stage is divided
into areas to help the director to
note where action will take place.
Upstage is the area furthest from
the audience. Downstage is the
area closest to the audience.
Center stage defines the middle
of the playing space. Stage left
is the actor’s left as he faces the
audience. Stage right is the actor’s
right as he faces the audience.
theme: The overarching message
or main idea of a literary or
dramatic work. A recurring idea in
a play or story.
thrust stage: A stage that juts out
into the audience seating area so
that patrons are seated on three
sides. In this scenario, audience
members see the play from varying
viewpoints. A Noise Within features
a thrust stage.
About A Noise Within
A NOISE WITHIN’S MISSION is to produce great works of world
drama and to foster appreciation of history’s greatest plays and
playwrights through comprehensive educational programs. ANW
is the only theatre in Southern California and one of only a handful
in North America to exclusively produce year-round classical
dramatic literature — from master works by Euripides, Moliere
and Shakespeare, to modern classics by Arthur Miller, Henrik Ibsen
and Samuel Beckett — in rotating repertory with a company of
classically trained resident artists.
The company was formed in 1991. All of A Noise Within’s Resident
Artists have been classically trained, and many hold Master of Fine
Arts degrees from some of the nation’s most respected institutions.
In its 21 year history, A Noise Within has garnered over 500 awards
and commendations, including the Los Angeles Drama Critics’
Circle’s revered Polly Warfield Award for Excellence and the
coveted Margaret Hartford Award for Sustained Excellence.
More than 27,000 individuals attend productions at A Noise
Within annually. In addition, the theatre draws over 10,000 student
participants to its arts education program, Classics Live! Students
benefit from in-classroom workshops, conservatory training,
subsidized tickets to matinee and evening performances, postperformance discussions with artists, and free standards-based
Study Guides.
Study Guides
A Noise Within creates study guides in
alignment with core reading, listening,
speaking, and performing arts standards
to help educators prepare their students
for their visit to our theatre. Study guides
are available at no extra cost to download
through our website: www.anoisewithin.
org. The information and activities outlined
in these guides are designed to work
in compliance with the California VAPA
standards, The Common Core, and 21st
Century Learning Skills.
Study guides include background
information on the plays and playwrights,
historical context, textual analysis, in-depth
discussion of A Noise Within’s artistic
interpretation of the work, statements
from directors and designers, as well as
discussion points and suggested classroom
activities. Guides from past seasons are also
available to download from the website.
A Noise Within’s vision is to become a national leader in the
production of classical theatre, creating an environment that
continues to attract the finest classical theatre artists, educates,
and inspires audiences of all ages, and trains the leading classical
theatre artists of tomorrow. ❖
California’s Home for the Classics
Study Guide Credits
Alicia Green Editor
Craig Schwartz Production Photography
Teresa English Graphic Design
Allison Post & EJ Marquez Education Interns
California’s Home for the Classics
Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, Producing Artistic Directors
3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
Tel 626.356.3100 / Fax 626.356.3120
anoisewithin.org
2 5 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
California’s Home for the Classics