How did the social hierarchy in seventeenth century France inform the plot of Tartuffe?

A social hierarchy is a system in which various classes are placed at different levels in order to distinguish their “worth,” so to speak, in order from the highest rank to the lowest. Seventeenth century France was comprised of a social hierarchy in which there were three estates: the clergy and the priests, the nobles, and the peasants. Notwithstanding the saying, “Power corrupts,” power was valued greatly in society throughout all of history, and still is to this day. The fact that the priests were included in the upmost estate in France shows that religion, alongside power itself, was a considerably large value. Molière, a French satirist, wrote Tartuffe with the intention of spreading a controversial view on the sociological issues in France during the seventeenth century. Tartuffe, despite being a fictional story, exposes the unsaid truth about people of a higher status. The clergy and priests were supposedly intelligent people with nothing but good intentions. Orgon, a member of the clergy, provides proof that not all powerful people are alert or perceptive. Tartuffe, a religious hypocrite and the center of the comedic aspects in the play, puts on an act of holiness and purity, when in reality, his intentions are only to kick Orgon out of power and overtake his house. Focusing more on the lower classes, Dorine, a mere servant in the household, is knowledgeable of everything that goes on around her, which was believed to be unrealistic in French society during the seventeenth century.