Dorine, Mariane's outspoken maid, calls for Tartuffe to meet with Elmire at Elmire's request, and while they're waiting for Elmire, Tartuffe assumes a sense of false modesty and hands Dorine a handkerchief to cover her bosom.

TARTUFFE: Cover that bosom, girl. The flesh is weak,
And unclean thoughts are difficult to control.
Such sights a that can undermine the soul.

Dorine effectively calls him out on his hypocrisy.

DORINE: Your soul, it seems, has very poor defenses,
And flesh makes quite an impact on your senses (3.2, translation by Richard Wilbur).

Elmire appears and Dorine exits, leaving Elmire and Tartuffe alone together. Tartuffe uses the opportunity to try to seduce Elmire by taking her hand, placing his hand on her knee, and touching the lace of her gown suggestively while he sweet-talks her.

TARTUFFE. A love of heavenly beauty does not preclude
A proper love for earthly pulchritude;
Our senses are quite rightly captivated
By perfect works our Maker has created.
Some glory clings to all that Heaven has made;
In you, all Heaven's marvels are displayed (3.3, translation by Richard Wilbur).

Over the next five years, Molière rewrote Tartuffe two more times until it was finally permitted to be performed publicly, even though, seemingly hypocritically, private performances of the play for the French aristocracy had always been allowed on the pretense that the upper classes were less likely to be unduly misled or influenced by the play than the lower classes.

Molière's TheMisanthrope wasn't nearly as controversial as Tartuffe, primarily because Molière doesn't satirize amoral religious hypocrites, but amorality and hypocrisy in general.

The Misanthrope is a comedy of manners, a type of comedy that satirizes society, societal standards, and the often trivial but strict social manners and customs. Although a comedy of manners might touch on the topics of religion and morality, the focus of such a play, and of The Misanthrope, is a wider range of what Molière considers society's notable shortcomings and foibles.

In The Misanthrope, Molière uses the main character, Alceste, the misanthrope, to satirize Alceste's rigid principles—particularly his—as well as society's more malleable principles.

The opening scene of the play begins in media res, "in the middle of" a conversation between Alceste and his friend, Philinte. Just prior to the scene, Alceste observed Philinte greeting someone with effusive praise and affection, but when Alceste asks Philinte who the person is, Philinte doesn't even know his name.

The scrupulously and obsessively honest Alceste takes Philinte to task for his petty deceptions.

ALCESTE. My God, you ought to die in self-disgust!
I call your conduct inexcusable, sir,
And every man of honor will concur.
I see you almost hug a man to death,
Exclaim for joy until you're out of breath,
And supplement those loving demonstrations
With endless offers, vows, and protestations;
Then when I ask you "Who was that?" I find
That you can barely bring his name to mind! (1.1, translation by Richard Wilbur)

Philinte counters with society's somewhat more flexible view of the matter.

PHILINTE. In certain cases it would be uncouth
And most absurd to speak the naked truth,
With all respect for your exalted notions,
It's often best to veil one's true emotions.
Wouldn't the social fabric come undone
If we were wholly frank with everyone? (1.1, translation by Richard Wilbur)

Ultimately, because of his inflexible principles and his obsessive honesty, Alceste alienates himself from society, fails in a lawsuit, and loses the love of Célimène, who is, ironically, one of the most obsessively deceitful characters in the play.

Satire is a comic form that ridicules a human foible, either in an individual or in a class of humanity, with the aims of ridiculing those with a defect, and (at least in theory) contributing to the betterment of humanity by underlining its flaws as the first step toward correcting them.  In the largest sense both these plays by Moliere are satires of high society in the French 17th century, of the excesses of the society in power, comic dramatic commentary on those excesses (here, hypocrisy and misanthropy, the unwarranted and indiscriminate criticism of all humans).  Specific examples of satire in the dialogue can be found everywhere.  In Tartuffe, for example, Moliere is satirizing the false piety of all those who pretend a humility they do not feel, and wear a pious, holy countenance while thinking lustful thoughts.  Dorine, the common-sense maid, sees through Tartuffe very early in the play:       Dorine: He passes for a saint in your opinion. In fact, he's nothing but a hypocrite.

Madame Pernell, the mother-in-law, and of course her son, Orgon, do not see Tartuffe’s hypocrisy until near the end of the play, just before the denouement.   The famous under-table scene in which Orgon finally learns the truth about Tartuffe’s lust for Elmira, contains the essence of how satire works:

Tartuffe: Though pious, I am none the less a man;
And when a man beholds your heavenly charms,
The heart surrenders, and can think no more.
I know such words seem strange, coming from me;
(Act III scene iii)

In The Misanthrope, Alceste’s loathing of the hypocrisy of all men is satirically undercut by his affection for Elmira, so that Moliere is satirizing the blanket condemnation that such personalities use to judge everyone.  While it is true that society demands the courtesy of a little restraint when speaking of others, the habit is not to be condemned as an unbearable hypocrisy, but is to be tolerated as a way to spare the feelings of others.  Alceste’s behavior is satirized is such scenes as:

Oronte: It is to you, if you please,that my words are addressed.
Alceste. To me, monsieur?
Oronte. To you. Do you find them displeasing?
Alceste. Not at all. But my surprise is great, for I did not expect the honor I receive.
Oronte. You need feel no surprise at the es teem in which I hold you, since that of the whole universe is yours.
Alceste. Monsieur
Oronte. The State has no reward that is not far beneath the dazzling merit all men see in you.
Alceste. Monsieur (Act I scene ii)

Here, as Oronte offers his friendship to Alceste, Alceste applies his loathing of all persons to Oronte, and replies with a curt “Monsieur”.  In the main conflict, Alceste questions Elmire’s sincerety, almost to the loss of her affection.  The satirical element in all these actions lies in the audience’s understanding of the truth.  The matter of the sonnet Alceste criticizes is a case in point – he absolutely refuses to amend his opinion, even in the face of a lawsuit, rather than compromise his reputation as a truth-teller.

So, in the respect that these human imperfections are exaggerated for instructive effect, these plays are satires.

Farce is a comic style, signifying broad, unsubtle, uncharactered, often physical humor appealing to the “lower” audience appetite, often associated with vaudeville, slapstick routines, and raucous stage behavior.  It purpose is to mock the subtle sophisticated posturing of high society and its pretenses.  Moliere, a quite verbal and subtle writer, limits his “lower humor.” In Tartuffe, an example might be the business of putting Orgon under the table in the drawing room rather in a closet, to hear Tartuffe wooing Orgon’s wife:

Elmire (To her husband, who is now under the table.)

But mind, I'm going to meddle with strange matters;
Prepare yourself to be in no wise shocked.
Whatever I may say must pass, because
'Tis only to convince you, as I promised. (Act IV Scene iv)

In The Misanthrope, the rapid listing of Celimene’s possible lovers, based on the possible recipients of her letter, might be considered “lower humor” of the farcical kind, but since the action is so well imbedded in the play’s theme of honesty vs. duplicity, it lacks farce’s usual distance from character action.  It is from Moliere’s keen eye toward social convention that the play takes its humor. 

Arsinoe (to Celimene). “Alas! and do you really think the number of your lovers, of which you seem so vain, can trouble others; or that we do not find it easy to appraise the price at which you gain them? Do you think to persuade us who see how things are going that your good qualities alone attract your followers; or that they burn for you with honest love, and court you solely for your virtue?” (Act III Scene v)

Celimene. “No, the letter is to Oronte; I wish it to be believed. I receive his attentions with great pleasure; I admire what he says, I value what he is. I am ready to agree to all you say.” (Act IV Scene iii.)

So, while the term “Farce” may seem to apply to these works by Moliere where he exaggerates the action, the true humor lies elsewhere, in his ability to dramatize the hypocrisy and duplicity of social discourse, and his ability to put his condemnations into the mouths of appropriate characters; the term “comedy of manners” gets closer to the essence of his popularity.