d and produced once more by 1669. The plays emotional energy derives not from the simple discrepancy of man and mask in Tartuffe ("Is not a face quite different from a mask?" inquires the normative character Cléante, who has no trouble making such distinctions) but from the struggle for erotic, psychic, and economic power in which people employ their masks. One can readily imagine modern equivalents for the stresses and strains within Orgons family. Orgon, an aging man with grown children, seeks ways to preserve control. His mother, Madame Pernelle, encourages his ef
             ...