Tartuffe

by

Molière

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Tartuffe makes teaching easy.

Mariane Character Analysis

The dutiful and docile daughter of Orgon, and stepdaughter of Elmire, Mariane is deeply in love with her betrothed. Valère. As the play opens, however, Orgon wishes to break their engagement and marry his daughter to Tartuffe instead. Although she hates Tartuffe and adores Valère, Mariane can do little to influence her fate, and it takes her stepmother’s plot in order to reunite Mariane with her beloved.

Mariane Quotes in Tartuffe

The Tartuffe quotes below are all either spoken by Mariane or refer to Mariane. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hypocrisy Theme Icon
).
Act 2, Scene 3 Quotes

Dorine: Faced with a fate so hideous and absurd,
Can you not utter one dissenting word?

Mariane: What good would it do? A father’s power is great.

Related Characters: Dorine (speaker), Mariane (speaker), Tartuffe, Orgon
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 3 Quotes

Sir, by that Heaven which sees me here distressed,
And by whatever else can move your breast,
Do not employ a father’s power, I pray you,
To crush my heart and force it to obey you,
Nor by your harsh commands oppress me so
That I’ll begrudge the duty which I owe—
And do not so embitter and enslave me
That I shall hate the very life you gave me.

Related Characters: Mariane (speaker), Orgon
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Tartuffe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tartuffe PDF

Mariane Quotes in Tartuffe

The Tartuffe quotes below are all either spoken by Mariane or refer to Mariane. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Hypocrisy Theme Icon
).
Act 2, Scene 3 Quotes

Dorine: Faced with a fate so hideous and absurd,
Can you not utter one dissenting word?

Mariane: What good would it do? A father’s power is great.

Related Characters: Dorine (speaker), Mariane (speaker), Tartuffe, Orgon
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 3 Quotes

Sir, by that Heaven which sees me here distressed,
And by whatever else can move your breast,
Do not employ a father’s power, I pray you,
To crush my heart and force it to obey you,
Nor by your harsh commands oppress me so
That I’ll begrudge the duty which I owe—
And do not so embitter and enslave me
That I shall hate the very life you gave me.

Related Characters: Mariane (speaker), Orgon
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis: