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.