It becomes clear that Tartuffe, as he becomes increasingly powerful in the play, considers himself above the others, and because of his "spirituality," he is above the laws of God, too. He tells Elmire, Orgon's wife, "I'll teach you, Ma'am, that Heaven's contradictions, give latitude to men of pure convictions. it's true that Heaven frowns on some dark acts, though with great men, our Lord makes higher pacts" (Moliere, Act IV, Scene 5). He tells her this as he is attempting to seduce her, so it is clear that Tartuffe thinks he is above everything, including sin, and that he has a "special" pact with God that allows him to pretty much do as he pleases. This is another jab at religion, which often takes itself too seriously, and so do some members of organized religions, and this is who Moliere is parodying in the play.
In the end, Orgon discovers Tartuffe attempting to seduce his wife, and then he learns, in a complex part of the plot, that Tartuffe has obtained ownership of Orgon's house, and he is going to force the family to leave, leaving them in financial and personal ruin. Tartuffe has denounced Orgon to the king, and Orgon is devastated. The man he trusted and gave so much to has betrayed him, and has shown himself to be nothing more than an evil manipulator. When it seems as if nothing can intervene, the police arrest Tartuffe and restore the home to Orgon and his family. The king, who is pure and good, saw the evil in Tartuffe's heart and knows that he has committed crimes in the past.
Moliere wrote this play for the king, and so gave him the best qualities in the play, which are directly opposite of Orgon's qualities. Orgon is not wise enough to see through Tartuffe, but the king is, and that is the only thing that saves the family. Tartuffe will not be able to hurt anyone else, Orgon's daughter can marry the man she loves, and everything will turn out all right in the end. Again, the most pious and fanatical character in the play, Tartuffe, turns out to be the villain in the play, and that is Moliere's commentary on religion. It is better to be wise and...
Moliere's Tartuffe Tartuffe (Hypocrite) became public in the year 1664 for the first time as a three act play that, when produced, attracted unfavorable denigration from religious factions. In this paper, I am going to analyze the religious instinct of the play with examples and citations from the play in addition to critical analysis from scholarly sources. In the play, the writer Moliere derided unnecessary godliness that he opinionates as being a
Tartuffe, Swift and Voltaire In his own way, Moliere's Tartuffe represents one aspect of the Enlightenment, if only a negative one, since he is a purely self-interested individual who cares only about advancing his own wealth and status. He is a fraud, a con artist and a hypocrite who puts on a show of religion but is really only interested in stealing Orgon's estate -- and his wife. Orgon is too
Tartuffe "Let's not descend to such indignities. / Leave the poor wretch to his unhappy fate, / And don't say anything to aggravate / His present woes; but rather hope that he / Will soon embrace an honest piety, / And mend his ways, and by a true repentance," states Cleante at the final scene of Moliere's Tartuffe. The fact that Cleante offers forgiveness in a most noble manner reveals that
Tartuffe An Analysis of Hypocrisy in Moliere's Tartuffe No greater example of the religious hypocrite exists in all history than the example of the Philistine. What characterizes the Philistine (and all hypocrites) is something Richard Weaver describes as a barbarian desire to see a thing "as it is" (24). What Weaver implies is that the hypocrite, while making a great show of piety and the possession of virtue, actually lacks the interior
The places they live in and the things that surround them are in varying degrees atmospheric and expressive. In Tartuffe material objects, the props and the house itself, and the places alluded to? Paris and province, heaven and earth, palace and prison? have a particular importance (Hope 44). This does not tie the play to a particular time and place, however, but only shows the importance of locale to the action of
Tartuffe Moliere's Tartuffe is from 17th century France, during the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was the ruler of France at this time. People in Paris were interested in Enlightenment values such as rationality, moderation, and order. Also, social graces, good manners, and gender roles were strictly enforced during this period. Moliere demonstrates all of these Enlightenment values in his play. The
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