Act V: Scene III
MADAME PERNELLE.What's this? I hear of fearful mysteries!
ORGON.Strange things indeed, for my own eyes to witness;You see how I'm requited for my kindness,I zealously receive a wretched beggar,I lodge him, entertain him like my brother,Load him with benefactions every day,Give him my daughter, give him all my fortune:And he meanwhile, the villain, rascal, wretch,Tries with black treason to suborn my wife,And not content with such a foul design,He dares to menace me with my own favours,And would make use of those advantagesWhich my too foolish kindness armed him with,To ruin me, to take my fortune from me,And leave me in the state I saved him from.
DORINE.Poor man!
MADAME PERNELLE.My son, I cannot possiblyBelieve he could intend so black a deed.
ORGON.What?
MADAME PERNELLE.Worthy men are still the sport of envy.
ORGON.Mother, what do you mean by such a speech?
MADAME PERNELLE.There are strange goings-on about your house,And everybody knows your people hate him.
ORGON.What's that to do with what I tell you now?
MADAME PERNELLE.I always said, my son, when you were little:That virtue here below is hated ever;The envious may die, but envy never.
ORGON.What's that fine speech to do with present facts?
MADAME PERNELLE.Be sure, they've forged a hundred silly lies ...
ORGON.I've told you once, I saw it all myself.
MADAME PERNELLE.For slanderers abound in calumnies ...
ORGON.Mother, you'd make me damn my soul. I tell youI saw with my own eyes his shamelessness.
MADAME PERNELLE.Their tongues for spitting venom never lack,There's nothing here below they'll not attack.
ORGON.Your speech has not a single grain of sense.I saw it, harkee, saw it, with these eyesI saw--d'ye know what saw means?--must I say itA hundred times, and din it in your ears?
MADAME PERNELLE.My dear, appearances are oft deceiving,And seeing shouldn't always be believing.
ORGON.I'll go mad.
MADAME PERNELLE.False suspicions may delude,And good to evil oft is misconstrued.
ORGON.Must I construe as Christian charityThe wish to kiss my wife!
MADAME PERNELLE.You must, at least,Have just foundation for accusing people,And wait until you see a thing for sure.
ORGON.The devil! How could I see any surer?Should I have waited till, before my eyes,He ... No, you'll make me say things quite improper.
MADAME PERNELLE.In short, 'tis known too pure a zeal inflames him;And so, I cannot possibly conceiveThat he should try to do what's charged against him.
ORGON.If you were not my mother, I should saySuch things! ... I know not what, I'm so enraged!
DORINE (to Orgon)Fortune has paid you fair, to be so doubted;You flouted our report, now yours is flouted.
CLEANTE.We're wasting time here in the merest trifling,Which we should rather use in taking measuresTo guard ourselves against the scoundrel's threats.
DAMIS.You think his impudence could go far?
ELMIRE.For one, I can't believe it possible;Why, his ingratitude would be too patent.
CLEANTE.Don't trust to that; he'll find abundant warrantTo give good colour to his acts against you;And for less cause than this, a strong cabalCan make one's life a labyrinth of troubles.I tell you once again: armed as he isYou never should have pushed him quite so far.
ORGON.True; yet what could I do? The rascal's prideMade me lose all control of my resentment.
CLEANTE.I wish with all my heart that some pretenceOf peace could be patched up between you two
ELMIRE.If I had known what weapons he was armed with,I never should have raised such an alarm,And my ...
ORGON (to Dorine, seeing Mr. Loyal come in)Who's coming now? Go quick, find out.I'm in a fine state to receive a visit!
Words in this poem
- madame n.
- My lady; -- a French title formerly given to ladies of quality; now, in France, given to all married women. [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) + dame dame. See Dame, and cf. Madonna.]
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
- suborn v. t.
- To procure or cause to take a false oath amounting to perjury, such oath being actually taken. Sir W. O. Russell. [F. suborner, L. subornare; sub under, secretly + ornare to furnish, provide, equip, adorn. See Ornament.]
- intend v. t.
- To stretch' to extend; to distend. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, s]
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
- ingratitude n.
- Want of gratitude; insensibility to, forgetfulness of, or ill return for, kindness or favors received; unthankfulness; ungratefulness. [F. ingratitude, L. ingratitudo. See Ingrate.]
- cabal n.
- Tradition; occult doctrine. See Cabala Hakewill. [F. cabale cabal, cabala LL. cabala cabala, fr. Heb. qabbaleh reception, tradition, mysterious doctrine, fr. qabal to take or receive, in Piël qibbel to abopt (a]
- pretence n.
- The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act V: Scene III is in the public domain. This text is taken from Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite, Project Gutenberg ebook #2027, the Curtis Hidden Page translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Molière, Act V: Scene III, in Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite (1908), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2027, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/moliere-tartuffe/act-v-scene-iii.html, id L26948.
Form and metre
Act V: Scene III is 114 lines in 34 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 2 ------A--A----- orgon · witness · kindness · beggar · brother · day · fortuneA · wretch · wife · designA · favours · advantages · with · me · from
- 10 --AA pernelle · little · everA · neverA
- 16 -AA pernelle · lackA · attackA
- 18 -AA pernelle · deceivingA · believingA
- 20 -AA pernelle · deludeA · misconstruedA
- 24 -A-A pernelle · himA · conceive · himA
- 26 -AA orgon · doubtedA · floutedA
- 30 AA----- cleanteA · warrantA · you · cabal · troubles · is · far
- 34 -AA in · outA · visitA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| What's this? I hear of fearful mysteries! | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| Strange things indeed, for my own eyes to witness; | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| You see how I'm requited for my kindness, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| I zealously receive a wretched beggar, | 11 | ·/˘˘˘/·/˘/˘ |
| I lodge him, entertain him like my brother, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| Load him with benefactions every day, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Give him my daughter, give him all my fortune: | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And he meanwhile, the villain, rascal, wretch, | 10 | ··/··/˘/˘· |
| Tries with black treason to suborn my wife, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| And not content with such a foul design, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| He dares to menace me with my own favours, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And would make use of those advantages | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| Which my too foolish kindness armed him with, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| To ruin me, to take my fortune from me, | 10 | ·/····/˘·· |
| And leave me in the state I saved him from. | 10 | ·········· |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Poor man! | 2 | ·· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| My son, I cannot possibly | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| Believe he could intend so black a deed. | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| What? | 1 | · |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Worthy men are still the sport of envy. | 10 | /˘······/˘ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| Mother, what do you mean by such a speech? | 10 | /˘········ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| There are strange goings-on about your house, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And everybody knows your people hate him. | 11 | ·/˘·˘··/˘·· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| What's that to do with what I tell you now? | 10 | ·········· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I always said, my son, when you were little: | 11 | ·/·······/˘ |
| That virtue here below is hated ever; | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| The envious may die, but envy never. | 11 | ·/˘˘···/˘/˘ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| What's that fine speech to do with present facts? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Be sure, they've forged a hundred silly lies ... | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| I've told you once, I saw it all myself. | 10 | ·········/ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| For slanderers abound in calumnies ... | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/·/˘˘ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| Mother, you'd make me damn my soul. I tell you | 11 | /˘········· |
| I saw with my own eyes his shamelessness. | 11 | ··········· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Their tongues for spitting venom never lack, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| There's nothing here below they'll not attack. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| Your speech has not a single grain of sense. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I saw it, harkee, saw it, with these eyes | 10 | ·········· |
| I saw--d'ye know what saw means?--must I say it | 11 | ··········· |
| A hundred times, and din it in your ears? | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| My dear, appearances are oft deceiving, | 11 | ··˘/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| And seeing shouldn't always be believing. | 11 | ·/˘/˘/··˘/˘ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| I'll go mad. | 3 | ··· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| False suspicions may delude, | 7 | ·˘/˘·˘/ |
| And good to evil oft is misconstrued. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| Must I construe as Christian charity | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘˘ |
| The wish to kiss my wife! | 6 | ······ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| You must, at least, | 4 | ···· |
| Have just foundation for accusing people, | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| And wait until you see a thing for sure. | 10 | ·········· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| The devil! How could I see any surer? | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Should I have waited till, before my eyes, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He ... No, you'll make me say things quite improper. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| In short, 'tis known too pure a zeal inflames him; | 11 | ········˘/· |
| And so, I cannot possibly conceive | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| That he should try to do what's charged against him. | 11 | ··········· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| If you were not my mother, I should say | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Such things! ... I know not what, I'm so enraged! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| DORINE (to Orgon) | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| Fortune has paid you fair, to be so doubted; | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| You flouted our report, now yours is flouted. | 11 | ·/˘/˘/···/˘ |
| CLEANTE. | 1 | · |
| We're wasting time here in the merest trifling, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Which we should rather use in taking measures | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To guard ourselves against the scoundrel's threats. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| DAMIS. | 2 | ·· |
| You think his impudence could go far? | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| ELMIRE. | 2 | ·· |
| For one, I can't believe it possible; | 10 | ····˘/·/˘˘ |
| Why, his ingratitude would be too patent. | 11 | ··˘/˘˘···/˘ |
| CLEANTE. | 1 | · |
| Don't trust to that; he'll find abundant warrant | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| To give good colour to his acts against you; | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| And for less cause than this, a strong cabal | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Can make one's life a labyrinth of troubles. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| I tell you once again: armed as he is | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| You never should have pushed him quite so far. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| ORGON. | 2 | ·· |
| True; yet what could I do? The rascal's pride | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Made me lose all control of my resentment. | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| CLEANTE. | 1 | · |
| I wish with all my heart that some pretence | 10 | ·········· |
| Of peace could be patched up between you two | 10 | ·········· |
| ELMIRE. | 2 | ·· |
| If I had known what weapons he was armed with, | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| I never should have raised such an alarm, | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| And my ... | 2 | ·· |
| ORGON (to Dorine, seeing Mr. Loyal come in) | 13 | ···˘/˘//˘/˘·· |
| Who's coming now? Go quick, find out. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I'm in a fine state to receive a visit! | 11 | ······˘/·/˘ |
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