Tartuffe and the Bourgeois Gentleman

A Dual-Language Book

Molière

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486120577
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: French Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Often called the `Father of French Comedy,` Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622–1673) was a master at exposing the foibles and complexities of humanity in plays notable for their dramatic construction, varied and diverse humor, and subtlety of psychological observation. This convenient dual-language volume contains the original French texts and English translations of two of Molière's most praised and popular comedies: Tartuffe and The Bourgeois Gentleman. These timeless theatrical works by one of France's greatest and most influential playwrights can be appreciated not only by students of French language and literature but by any aficionado of classic comedy.
Tartuffe, a 1664 verse comedy with serious overtones, concerns a scoundrel who impersonates a holy man in order to acquire his gullible host's property and wife. The prose farce The Bourgeois Gentleman, an instant success at its 1670 debut, lampoons the hypocrisy of 17th-century Parisian society with a central character who attempts to adopt the superficial manners, accomplishments, and speech associated with the nobility. Both plays abound in humor, the quips of saucy servants, and a host of satirical plot devices.
For this edition, Stanley Appelbaum has provided an informative introduction to the playwright and the plays, and excellent literal English translations on facing pages, offering students an ideal opportunity both to refine their French-language skills and to enjoy Molière in his own words.

Le Tartuffe ou l’imposteur
Comédie en cinq actes

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Tartuffe, or The Impostor
Comedy in Five Acts

ACT I

SCENE 1,—Madame Pernelle, Elmire, Mariane, Cléante,
Damis, Dorine, Flipote.

MADAME PERNELLE

Let’s go, Flipote, let’s go, so I can be rid of them!

ELMIRE

You’re walking so fast we can hardly keep up with you.

MADAME PERNELLE

Leave off, daughter-in-law, leave off; come no further;

All this is ceremony I can do without.

ELMIRE

We’re only performing the duties we owe you.

But, mother, why is it you’re leaving so quickly?

MADAME PERNELLE

It’s because I can’t watch the way this house is run,

And no one here gives any thought to pleasing me.

Yes, I’m carrying away a very bad impression from your home;

No matter what I try to teach you here, I’m thwarted;

There’s no respect for anything here, everyone yells out loud,

And all I can call the place is Liberty Hall.²

DORINE

If…

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² Literally, “the court of King Pétaud,” a medieval “king” of beggars and vagabonds, who naturally couldn’t enforce authority.

MADAME PERNELLE

Vous êtes, ma mie, une fille suivante,

Un peu trop forte en gueule, et fort impertinente;

Vous vous mêlez sur tout de dire votre avis.

DAMIS

Mais …

MADAME PERNELLE

Vous êtes un sot en trois lettres, mon fils;

C’est moi qui vous le dis, qui suis votre grand’mère;

Et j’ai prédit cent fois à mon fils, votre père,

Que vous preniez tout l’air d’un méchant garnement,

Et ne lui donneriez jamais que du tourment.

MARIANE

Je crois …

MADAME PERNELLE

Mon Dieu! sa sœur, vous faites la discrète,

Et vous n’y touchez pas, tant vous semblez doucette;

Mais il n’est, comme on dit, pire eau que l’eau qui dort,

Et vous menez, sous chape, un train que je hais fort.

ELMIRE

Mais, ma mère …

MADAME PERNELLE

Ma bru, qu’il ne vous en déplaise,

Votre conduite, en tout, est tout à fait mauvaise:

Vous devriez leur mettre un bon exemple aux yeux;

Et leur défunte mère en usait beaucoup mieux.

Vous êtes dépensière; et cet état me blesse,

Que vous alliez vêtue ainsi qu’une princesse.

Quiconque à son mari veut plaire seulement,

Ma bru, n’a pas besoin de tant d’ajustement.

CLÉANTE

Mais, madame, après tout…

MADAME PERNELLE

Pour vous, monsieur son frère,

MADAME PERNELLE

You, my good woman, are a lady’s maid

Who’s a little too talkative and quite impertinent;

You stick your nose in to give your opinion about everything.

DAMIS

But…

MADAME PERNELLE

You, my boy, are a downright fool:³

It’s I telling you this, I, your grandmother,

And I’ve predicted a hundred times to my son, your father,

That you were turning out just like a wicked scapegrace,

And would never give him anything but grief.

MARIANE

I think …

MADAME PERNELLE

Heavens! You, his sister, act like a quiet girl,

And you seem so very gentle that butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth,

But, as the saying goes, still waters are the most dangerous,

And under cover you’re leading a life that I detest.

ELMIRE

But, mother …

MADAME PERNELLE

Daughter-in-law, don’t take it badly,

But all of your conduct is totally wrong:

You ought to set a good example in their eyes,

And their dear departed mother behaved much better.

You’re a spendthrift, and your ostentation hurts me,

When I see you going around dressed like a princess.

Whoever wants to please her husband only,

Daughter-in-law, doesn’t need all that finery.

CLÉANTE

But, madame, after all…

MADAME PERNELLE

As for you, her brother,

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³ Literally, “a fool [sot] in three letters [s-...