"Tartuffe," a play written by the French playwright Molière in the 17th century, is a satirical depiction of religious hypocrisy. The titular character, Tartuffe, is a wealthy man who poses as a devout and holy man, but is actually a fraudulent and manipulative individual. Throughout the play, Molière uses Tartuffe as a way to critique the corrupt and self-serving nature of religious hypocrisy and the dangers it can pose to society.
At the beginning of the play, Tartuffe has ingratiated himself into the household of Orgon, a wealthy man who is highly devoted to him. Orgon's family, however, is skeptical of Tartuffe's true motives and accuse him of being a fraud. Despite their concerns, Orgon refuses to listen to their warnings and becomes increasingly blinded by his faith in Tartuffe.
As the play progresses, it becomes clear that Tartuffe is only interested in using Orgon's wealth and influence for his own gain. He constantly manipulates and lies to Orgon, even going so far as to try to seduce Orgon's daughter and attempt to steal Orgon's property.
Molière uses the character of Tartuffe to highlight the dangers of blindly following religious figures and placing too much trust in them. Tartuffe's false piety and manipulation of Orgon demonstrate the dangers of allowing oneself to be swayed by superficial displays of holiness, rather than critically examining the actions and motivations of those who claim to be religious leaders.
In addition, Molière also uses the play to criticize the concept of "false piety," or the act of pretending to be more religious or holy than one actually is. Tartuffe is a master of this, using his supposed devotion to God as a way to gain power and influence over others. Molière's depiction of Tartuffe serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing oneself to be fooled by such false piety.
Overall, "Tartuffe" is a powerful critique of religious hypocrisy and the dangers it can pose to society. Through the character of Tartuffe, Molière highlights the importance of questioning the actions and motivations of those who claim to be religious leaders, and the dangers of blindly following them.
Tartuffe Religion
Enlightenment thinkers believed that reason was the highest belief. An indirect but rather compelling evidence for this may be found in the character of Cleante, a character speaking most clearly for Moliere himself. In this essay, the focus is mainly on Act IV scene IV and the speech of Hamlet and the essay focuses on answering the question of the effect Hamlet had on the audience in the Elizabethan era, specifically culturally, socially, and economically. Works Cited: Moliere, Jean-Baptise Poquelin. At the time of the Enlightenment, the most prominent thinkers in Paris believed that their role was to show their compatriots the ills of hereditary aristocracy and religion; therefore, Tartuffe is a perfect example of a literary work the sole aim of which was to enlighten Brians par. Perhaps had Moliere never republished Tartuffe the world of literature would still lack satire and courage to test the common held beliefs of Hypocrisy In Molière's Tartuffe 1010 Words 5 Pages This can lead to extremism, which some might label as false piety or religious fanaticism.
For a man to come and tell the public what they are doing or what they have done is seen as a comedy, is rather upsetting and degrading to say the least. The representation of these concepts coupled with dramatic tension conflicts with traditional plots of the Elizabethan era thus creating a sense of enduring value. The author emphasizes that being religious and living a good life is not confined to citing the Bible and preaching about good behavior. Tartuffe address gender roles and stereotypes with its characters. She would rather hide her own virtue than upset her husband. Shakespeare is not content, however, with the simple notion of thought as a mere signifier of the battle between the mind and the body. The problem in the story concerned with not seeing, which is what starts this sequence of events.
For instance, Tartuffe is being regarded as a hypocrite because it is Thesis Statement Of Tartuffe Tartuffe What is Tartuffe? Furthermore, due to the culture at the time of studying humours, the melancholic character and psychology of Hamlet would have been of great interest to the audience. Public refute, which is where the social aspect comes in, first appears in document 1. At the end, the family commends the officer for apprehending the true criminal by saying, "Heaven be praised! Throughout the play, Cléante speaks his opinions and tries to set the characters on the right path. Mariane has to express her opinion and defy her father, so that she will not marry a hypocrite and liar, despite being a generally submissive person. This controversial comments made by the church made it one of the most famous theatrical comedies of Moliere, although religion was considered the main theme in Tartuffe. The context surrounding the period in which Tartuffe was written in, the 17th Century is remembered as being a time of extreme power for the French Monarchy. This fact is particularly ironic considering that at the beginning of the play Madame Pernelle condemns Elmire for her impious ways, noting how she wears stylish clothes and entertains many callers.
The author of Tartuffe, Moliére, portrays Cléante as outspoken, wise, and peaceful. The policeman arrests Tartuffe instead, and explains that the King could see through Tartuffe's act. Any discussion of Hamlet, a work steeped in contradictions and doubles, necessitates inquiry into passages concerning opposition to thought, namely those of the corporeal. In Act I, Cleante shares his views with Orgon, who is being fooled by the hypocrisy of Tartuffe, saying, "There is nothing I more revere than a soul whose faith is steadfast and sincere, nothing that I more cherish and admire than honest zeal and true religious fire" p. Orgon Religion And Hypocrisy In Tartuffe them.
On the other hand, there are those who disagree that Moliere only criticizes the clergy as a privileged social class conflicting with the emerging bourgeoisie; they see him as a critic of Catholicism and Christianity in general. Instead of being satisfied with Dorine, Tartuffe was filled with greed. Molière shows how the play is monetary dependent on the King Enlightenment and Tartuffe Enlightenment and Tartuffe The ideals of the Enlightenment can be found in many of the writings from this time period. Did I mention that Dimmesdale is a male? In disbelief, Damis is anxious to tell to tell his father about the conversation between his step-mother and Tartuffe. Damis tries to tell his father that Tartuffe is acting like the Devil. I repeat "between" not only for anaphoric effect, but to suggest Shakespeare 's conception of thought; that is, a set of perspectivally-splintered realities which can be resolutely conflated, for better or worse, only by the mediating hand of action.
However, a notary uncovered his diary in a drawer in his home, in which he entailed his tendencies and cravings for murder that no one had expected of him. An example of this is when the church threatened him with excommunication. The Ten Commandments are so important within …show more content… In Will G. Later in Act I his "illnesses" prove to have relevance to the conflict when she speaks of Cleante, the man she loves. This in due course challenges the Neo-Classical belief that logic and reasoning is more important than emotion because Orgon acts solely on his emotions. By showing his audience that Tartuffe was a fraud, Molière decries religious hypocrisy that was so dangerous in the era with an extremely limited supply of alternative worldviews. However, what has also become clear is the fact that instead of people being complete hypocrites, they may just be naive, and this could be seen as an attack on the Catholic Church as it shows that the education given by the Catholic Church is reductionist.
A Theme Of Religion In Tartuffe By Moliere: Free Essay Example, 1215 words
Also featured are bibliographies of recent dissertations and books and announcements of fellowships, prizes, and conferences of interest to French historians. Nothing will convince Orgon of the deception, rather he will rationalize anything he is told. Enlightenment might be able to explain through text or words, but being able to receive it or truly understand it, we must learn in it our own path. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. The character Moliere used to represent true spirituality is Cleante who proclaims that a true man does not brag about himself or condenm others, not prideful or showy. This shows that Tartuffe is completely ignoring the Ten Commandments, something which a religious person would consider a sin they are the basic guidelines of Christianity. This essay will examine why Molière was inclined to use this style of comedy and how the comedic techniques accentuate the main theme of the play.
When Orgon, blinded by his reverence for Tartuffe, announces that Mariane is to marry Tartuffe, it causes conflict between characters. This may not be a direct attack on the Catholic Church but it may be undermining its power. He feels as if his family has turned against his friend so he operates upon his feelings. The obligatory cultural baggage that comes along with Hamlet heeds little attention to the incestuous Claudius while focusing entirely on the gloomy Dane 's legendary melancholia and his resulting revenge delays. The main conflict of the play is Argon's unwillingness to accept that he is not ill and he is, in fact, a very healthy man. While he felt that hypocrisy and corruption did exist in the Church, he did not advocate the abandonment of faith and religion. Special issues in preparation discuss recent perspectives on the history of Paris, colonialism and the writing of French history, and visual arts in the writing of French History.
Instead, Moliere created the character of Cleante, who demonstrates both reason and religion, which is extremely prominent in Tartuffe. Importantly, Moliere does not question religious principles and norms. Tartuffe conforms to this because Molière nearly writes the entire last scene to honor King Louis XIV. At the beginning of this project, I thought religious persecution was a black and white topic with a clear definition. . It sets the tone for the play, entertains the audience and most importantly helps the playwright to achieve their theatrical objectives. However, the audience notices that despite this strong superficial belief in God, faith is not what truly motivates them, but it is rather money and reputation.
