Molière's classic comedy opens with Orgon's mother, Madame Pernelle, scolding the family for their worldly lifestyle and praising the deeply pious Tartuffe, whom her son has brought into their home. Orgon is utterly infatuated with Tartuffe, treating him with obsessive reverence while ignoring the mockery of the household staff and his own family. Despite the warnings of his brother-in-law Cléante, Orgon decides to cement Tartuffe's place in the family by forcing his daughter Mariane to break her engagement to Valère and marry Tartuffe instead. The household is thrown into turmoil as everyone tries to prevent this disastrous match, realizing that Tartuffe is a manipulative con artist seeking wealth and control.
To prove Tartuffe's true nature to the stubborn Orgon, Elmire, Orgon's wife, orchestrates a trap. She arranges a private meeting where she pretends to welcome Tartuffe's romantic advances while hiding her husband under the table. Tartuffe readily reveals his hypocrisy, making brazen advances and mocking religion as a mere tool for personal gain. When Orgon emerges from hiding in absolute fury, he orders Tartuffe out of the house. However, Tartuffe turns the tables by revealing that Orgon has legally signed over his entire estate and house to him.
The situation escalates into a crisis when Orgon's old friend falls into political trouble, and Orgon realizes he foolishly entrusted a box of treasonous state papers to Tartuffe for safekeeping. Armed with this evidence and the deed to the property, Tartuffe moves to have Orgon evicted and arrested. He arrives with an officer to seize the household, believing he has triumphed completely.
Yet the plot takes a final, unexpected turn. The king, known for his wise discernment, immediately sees through Tartuffe's schemes. Instead of arresting Orgon, the authorities arrest Tartuffe, revealing that the fraud has a long criminal record of past misdeeds. The king nullifies the fraudulent contracts and pardons Orgon for his past mistakes. The play concludes with relief and joy, as the family is saved from ruin and the wedding between Mariane and Valere is happily restored.
