Madame Pernelle, Orgon's mother, arrives and hears her son explain that he has been the victim of the hypocrite Tartuffe. Madame Pernelle reminds her son that the righteous are always maligned and that the people of the house have been slandering the dear, pious Tartuffe. Orgon tries to explain that he was present and saw everything, but Madame Pernelle refuses to believe anything unfavorable about a man so pious and worthy as Tartuffe. Orgon is at his wits' end when suddenly there appears an officer at the door.
The officer, M. Loyal, announces that he comes with news about Tartuffe. He says that he served Orgon's father and he regrets having to give Orgon an order of eviction. But he explains further that, since everything in the house now belongs to Tartuffe, surely Orgon will honor the law and leave immediately with his family; he hopes that Orgon will honor justice and leave peacefully. He will allow him until tomorrow morning, but he and ten men must stay in the house until then.
When M. Loyal leaves for a moment, Orgon confronts his mother with Tartuffe's treachery, but Dorine reminds Orgon of what he had just said earlier in the day — that material things enslave the spirit and that one's salvation can be endangered by money and property. In a state of confusion, each person maintains that some desperate course of action must be undertaken.
