Act II. Scene IV. Molière, Jean Baptiste Poquelin. 1909-14. Tartuffe. The Harvard Classics

Fiction > Harvard Classics > Molière > Tartuffe

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Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière (1622–1673). Tartuffe.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

Act II

Scene IV


VALÈRE, MARIANE, DORINE Valère Madam, a piece of news—quite new to me—
Has just come out, and very fine it is.

Mariane What piece of news?

Valère Your marriage with Tartuffe.

Mariane ’Tis true my father has this plan in mind.	5

Valère Your father, madam…

Mariane Yes, he’s changed his plans,
And did but now propose it to me.

Valère What!
Seriously?	10

Mariane Yes, he was serious,
And openly insisted on the match.

Valère And what’s your resolution in the matter,
Madam?

Mariane I don’t know.	15

Valère That’s a pretty answer.
You don’t know?

Mariane No.

Valère No?

Mariane What do you advise?	20

Valère I? My advice is, marry him, by all means.

Mariane That’s your advice?

Valère Yes.

Mariane Do you mean it?

Valère Surely.	25
A splendid choice, and worthy your acceptance.

Mariane Oh, very well, sir! I shall take your counsel.

Valère You’ll find no trouble taking it, I warrant.

Mariane No more than you did giving it, be sure.

Valère I gave it, truly, to oblige you, madam.	30

Mariane And I shall take it to oblige you, sir.

Dorine (withdrawing to the back of the stage) Let’s see what this affair will come to.

Valère So,
That is your love? And it was all deceit
When you…	35

Mariane I beg you, say no more of that.
You told me, squarely, sir, I should accept
The husband that is offered me; and I
Will tell you squarely that I mean to do so,
Since you have given me this good advice.	40

Valère Don’t shield yourself with talk of my advice.
You had your mind made up, that’s evident;
And now you’re snatching at a trifling pretext
To justify the breaking of your word.

Mariane Exactly so.	45

Valère Of course it is; your heart
Has never known true love for me.

Mariane Alas!
You’re free to think so, if you please.

Valère Yes, yes,	50
I’m free to think so; and my outraged love
May yet forestall you in your perfidy,
And offer elsewhere both my heart and hand.

Mariane No doubt of it; the love your high deserts
May win…	55

Valère Good Lord, have done with my deserts!
I know I have but few, and you have proved it.
But I may find more kindness in another;
I know of someone, who’ll not be ashamed
To take your leavings, and make up my loss.	60

Mariane The loss is not so great; you’ll easily
Console yourself completely for this change.

Valère I’ll try my best, that you may well believe.
When we’re forgotten by a woman’s heart,
Our pride is challenged; we, too, must forget;	65
Or if we cannot, must at least pretend to.
No other way can man such baseness prove,
As be a lover scorned, and still in love.

Mariane In faith, a high and noble sentiment.

Valère Yes; and it’s one that all men must approve.	70
What! Would you have me keep my love alive,
And see you fly into another’s arms
Before my very eyes; and never offer
To someone else the heart that you had scorned?

Mariane Oh, no, indeed! For my part, I could wish	75
That it were done already.

Valère What! You wish it?

Mariane Yes.

Valère This is insult heaped on injury;
I’ll go at once and do as you desire.	80

(He takes a step or two as if to go away.) Mariane Oh, very well then.

Valère (turning back) But remember this.
’Twas you that drove me to this desperate pass.

Mariane Of course.

Valère (turning back again) And in the plan that I have formed	85
I only follow your example.

Mariane Yes.

Valère (at the door) Enough; you shall be punctually obeyed.

Mariane So much the better.

Valère (coming back again) This is once for all.	90

Mariane So be it, then.

Valère (He goes toward the door, but just as he reaches it, turns around) Eh?

Mariane What?

Valère You didn’t call me?

Mariane I? You are dreaming.	95

Valère Very well, I’m gone.
Madam, farewell.

(He walks slowly away.) Mariane Farewell, sir.

Dorine I must say
You’ve lost your senses and both gone clean daft!	100
I’ve let you fight it out to the end o’ the chapter
To see how far the thing could go. Oho, there,
Mister Valère!

(She goes and seizes him by the arm, to stop him. He makes a great show of resistance.) Valère What do you want, Dorine?

Dorine Come here.	105

Valère No, no, I’m quite beside myself.
Don’t hinder me from doing as she wishes.

Dorine Stop!

Valère No. You see, I’m fixed, resolved, determined.

Dorine So!	110

Mariane (aside) Since my presence pains him, makes him go,
I’d better go myself, and leave him free.

Dorine (leaving VALÈRE, and running after MARIANE) Now t’other! Where are you going?

Mariane Let me be.

Dorine Come back.	115

Mariane No, no, it isn’t any use.

Valère (aside) ’Tis clear the sight of me is torture to her;
No doubt, t’were better I should free her from it.

Dorine (leaving MARIANE and running after VALÈRE) Same thing again! Deuce take you both, I say.
Now stop your fooling; come here, you; and you.	120

(She pulls first one, then the other, toward the middle of the stage.) Valère to Dorine
What’s your idea?

Mariane to Valère
What can you mean to do?

Dorine Set you to rights, and pull you out o’ the scrape.	125

(To VALÈRE) Are you quite mad, to quarrel with her now?

Valère Didn’t you hear the things she said to me?

Dorine to Mariane Are you quite mad, to get in such a passion?

Mariane Didn’t you see the way he treated me?

Dorine Fools, both of you.	130

(To VALÈRE) She thinks of nothing else
But to keep faith with you, I vouch for it.

(To MARIANE) And he loves none but you, and longs for nothing
But just to marry you, I stake my life on’t.

Mariane (to VALÈRE) Why did you give me such advice then, pray?	135

Valère (to MARIANE) Why ask for my advice on such a matter?

Dorine You both are daft, I tell you. Here, your hands.

(To VALÈRE) Come, yours.

Valère (giving DORINE his hand) What for?

Dorine (to MARIANE) Now, yours.	140

Mariane (giving DORINE her hand) But what’s the use?

Dorine Oh, quick now, come along. There, both of you—
You love each other better than you think.

(VALÈRE and MARIANE hold each other’s hands some time without looking at each other.) Valère (at last turning toward MARIANE) Come, don’t be so ungracious now about it;
Look at a man as if you didn’t hate him.	145

(MARIANE looks sideways toward VALÈRE, with just a bit of a smile.) Dorine My faith and troth, what fools these lovers be!

Valère (to MARIANE) But come now, have I not a just complaint?
And truly, are you not a wicked creature
To take delight in saying what would pain me?

Mariane And are you not yourself the most ungrateful…?	150

Dorine Leave this discussion till another time;
Now, think how you’ll stave off this plaguey marriage.

Mariane Then tell us how to go about it.

Dorine Well,
We’ll try all sorts of ways.	155

(To MARIANE) Your father’s daft;

(To VALÈRE) This plan is nonsense.

(To MARIANE) You had better humour
His notions by a semblance of consent,
So that in case of danger, you can still	160
Find means to block the marriage by delay.
If you gain time, the rest is easy, trust me.
One day you’ll fool them with a sudden illness,
Causing delay; another day, ill omens:
You’ve met a funeral, or broke a mirror,	165
Or dreamed of muddy water. Best of all,
They cannot marry you to anyone
Without your saying yes. But now, methinks,
They mustn’t find you chattering together.

(To VALÈRE) You, go at once and set your friends at work	170
To make him keep his word to you; while we
Will bring the brother’s influence to bear,
And get the step-mother on our side, too.
Good-bye.

Valère (to MARIANE) Whatever efforts we may make,	175
My greatest hope, be sure, must rest on you.

Mariane (to VALÈRE) I cannot answer for my father’s whims;
But no one save Valère shall ever have me.

Valère You thrill me through with joy! Whatever comes…

Dorine Oho! These lovers! Never done with prattling!	180
Now go.

Valère (starting to go, and coming back again) One last word…

Dorine What a gabble and pother!
Be off! By this door, you. And you, by t’other.

(She pushes them off, by the shoulders, in opposite directions.)	185

CONTENTS · BOOK CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · CHARACTERS

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