I Finally GET Tartuffe!

Tim Mooney describes the plot of "Tartuffe," and parts of it sound oddly familiar! A charismatic pious man has taken over the household of Orgon, Orgon finds himself enraptured by Tartuffe's religious fervor, hoping that his sanctimony will inspire the family to rise to holy aspiration and devout behavior. Little does Orgon imagine that his "holy man" is a con man, plotting to marry his daughter, steal his estate, seduce his wife and get Orgon, himself thrown in jail. Tim describes the odd familiarity of this theme, as it relates to our understanding of human nature, which seems not to have evolved very much over the course of four hundred years. (Molière's 400th birthday is coming up in 2022.)