TARTUFFE OR THE
HYPOCRITE
by JEAN BAPTISTE POQUELIN MOLIERE
Translated By Curtis Hidden Page
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Jean Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name of Moliere,
stands without a rival at the head of French comedy. Born at Paris in
January, 1622, where his father held a position in the royal household, he
was educated at the Jesuit College de Clermont, and for some time studied
law, which he soon abandoned for the stage. His life was spent in Paris
and in the provinces, acting, directing performances, managing theaters,
and writing plays. He had his share of applause from the king and from the
public; but the satire in his comedies made him many enemies, and he was
the object of the most venomous attacks and the most impossible slanders.
Nor did he find much solace at home; for he married unfortunately, and
the unhappiness that followed increased the bitterness that public hostility
had brought into his life. On February 17, 1673, while acting in "La
Malade Imaginaire," the last of his masterpieces, he was seized with
illness and died a few hours later.