Tartuffe is not only the most performed work of Molière. It has become the subject of so many discussions, studies, and controversies that not only the plot and storyline are well-known, but also its text.

Besides the name of the central hero, which has become an adjective synonymous with "hypocrite," there are phrases and lines from the work that have entered everyday speech. Two or three of its scenes have been elevated to standalone pieces with their own titles (the Scene of the lovers' quarrel, the Scene of the confession...)

Finally, there are excerpts that are so well-known that a large part of the audience is able not only to recognize them spontaneously in reading or performance but also to recite them. Excerpts to which the audience reacts much like they do to familiar arias in an opera.