Chapter: SCENE V

  ORGON, MADAME PERNELLE, ELMIRE, CLEANTE, MARIANE, DAMIS, DORINE


  ORGON
  Well, mother, am I right or am I not?
  This writ may help you now to judge the matter.
  Or don't you see his treason even yet?

  MADAME PERNELLE
  I'm all amazed, befuddled, and beflustered!

  DORINE (to Orgon)
  You are quite wrong, you have no right to blame him;
  This action only proves his good intentions.
  Love for his neighbour makes his virtue perfect;
  And knowing money is a root of evil,
  In Christian charity, he'd take away
  Whatever things may hinder your salvation.

  ORGON
  Be still. You always need to have that told you.

  CLEANTE (to Orgon)
  Come, let us see what course you are to follow.

  ELMIRE
  Go and expose his bold ingratitude.
  Such action must invalidate the contract;
  His perfidy must now appear too black
  To bring him the success that he expects.

 Orgon turns to his mother and says, "I told you so." Of course now she's shocked by what she's seen. Dorine tells them all not to be so ungrateful ; after all, Tartuffe's just trying to rid them of all the earthly things that are separating them from heaven. Orgon tells her to shut up. Cleante reminds everyone that they still don't have a plan. Elmire proposes that they let everybody know what a liar and cheat Tartuffe is, in the hope that the resulting backlash - let's call it really, really bad publicity - will prevent Tartuffe from carrying out his plan.

