512 reviews for:

Tartuffe

Molière

3.55 AVERAGE

funny reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was so much fun.

First of all, the entire thing is written in rhyming couplets, making it completely impossible to take seriously. Second, it's supposed to be a comedy (and not a "the plot gets successfully resolved and the cast doesn't all die" comedy, an actually funny comedy), but there is not a single amusing moment in the entire play. The characters are all flat ON PURPOSE, because the French at the time thought this was cool. The plot, about a fake philosopher/"priest" who dupes a stupid person into letting him move in with his family, eat his food, and marry his daughter, isn't bad in itself, but is handled extremely poorly; much of the dialogue is stupid, and all of it is annoying, and most of the scenes are extremely unrealistic or flat-out ridiculous---but not funny. This play, simply put, is a complete joke, and not in the way it was intended to be. Did I mention that the whole thing is written in rhyming couplets?

This was pretty funny, but I probably won't reread it anytime soon. The deus ex machina ending kind of overshadows a lot of the wit found in the play.
funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

I read this for a class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was entertaining--Dorine was hilarious at times--and the ending was unexpected. I actually read the version translated by Richard Wilbur, which also contains The Misanthrope--which I haven't read yet.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging funny tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
funny reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I played Dorine in a production of Tartuffe at my college and I have been obsessed with French farce ever since. There's a lot to mull over. Being Dorine for a season also significantly changed the course of my life, both emotionally and professionally, so I definitely have some bias. But if you spend some time to explore all of Tartuffe's literary elements and the context of its political ramifications, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes