...Professor Mary Frances Heinsohn English 2210.28 9/27/2012 Tartuffe: Not a Christian! Do Not Be Fooled! In the French play Tartuffe, playwright and actor Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière creates a character whose treachery and capacity for evil know no limits. The character named Tartuffe reveals throughout the play that his nature, though seeming to be humble and pious, actually reeks of foul treachery and deception. His pious shell that he wears so pompously, places him among those who exploit the church for their own means by using an exterior false piety. This false piety fools only two characters, yet the effects of the deception nearly deal very harsh consequences. The Oxford English Dictionary defines piety as “the quality of being religious or reverent .” A negative connotation does not usually resound when the topic of piety is discussed. In fact, those who practice piety generally receive higher levels of respect from all. Tartuffe exploits the trust and respect of a French Nobleman named Orgon, having no intentions other than to bring evil schemes to his household. Tartuffe solidifies his title as a villain because of his air of being pious while having no intentions to bring glory to God, only putting on pleasantries to deceive, thus fulfilling the true definition of false piety. Tartuffe makes it very clear that he has devious intentions from his very first scene of play. In act III scene 2 Tartuffe makes his first appearance and is seen very haughtily requesting...
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...The Man Behind the Mask Moliere’s incredible play Tartuffe, examines the differences between a character’s true face and the mask that they hide behind. Most apparent in this play is the mask of Tartuffe himself, who is seen as a holy, religious man in one scene, and in the next as a perverted hypocrite. Although Tartuffe’s mask is probably the easiest to spot among the characters, there is another character that wears quite a mask himself. Orgon, who is the naïve son, husband, father, and brother, wears such a mask that he himself can probably not even see through it. However, his family can see through the mask, whether they know his true intentions or not, I don’t know. I believe that there are several reasons, or options, if you will, that might explain why exactly Orgon wears this horrible mask and falls for the hypocrisies of Tartuffe. Whatever the reason though, his masked character certainly caused a fair amount of disruption and strife for everyone, including himself. Orgon, being the generous man he was, invited an incredibly unholy man by the name of Tartuffe into his home, offering him shelter, food, his daughter, and even his estate. Why though, would such a practical man as Orgon be so blinded by the true nature of Tartuffe? First, I believe that Orgon, who was of good standing, could have sought to improve his social status, by taking in Tartuffe, a holy faker, who, “By the deep fervor of his heartfelt prayer,” would “draw the eyes of everybody,” at the church...
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...Appearance vs. Reality Moliere’s Tartuffe is a play whose message is of religious hypocrisy however; it also deals with disguise and appearance versus reality. Within this play, Moliere created a character, Tartuffe, who claims to be a man of the cloth. In reality, he is a con man. Tartuffe hides behind his so-called piety and uses this mask to conceal what he truly desires; money and power. Moliere makes Tartuffe transparent enough so that the audience (and the rest of the cast) can easily see through his shenanigans. Nevertheless, the protagonist, Orgon, cannot see through the false appearance. One source that I read suggested that Orgon’s blind obedience to Tartuffe is the true moral of the play. He observes that “dupe and deceiver—and which is which?—are seen to be partners in the same enterprise” (as cited in Men and Masks, 1963). It is his opinion that Orgon basically didn’t care if Tartuffe was truly religious, Orgon just liked to revel in the obsequious attention given to him by Tartuffe (Mills, 2011). Moliere toys with us while expounding on this theme of appearance and disguise. At one point in the play, Orgon angrily disinherits his son, Damis because Damis voices his disgust of Tartuffe. Tartuffe makes the pretense of speaking up for Damis by saying to Orgon, “Believe his story; the boy deserves your trust. Why, after all, should you have faith in me? How can you know what I might do, or be? Is it on my good actions that you base your favor? Do you trust...
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...An Analysis of the Hypocrisy of Patriarchal Roman Catholic Values in Tartuffe by Moliere This drama analysis will analyze the scene in which Tartuffe is attempting to convince Orgon of his credentials as a Roman Catholic priest. Orgon’s status as a wealthy member of the community continually averts the suggests from Dorine (his servant) and Mariane (his daughter that Tartuffe might be a fraud posing as a priest. In this scene, Orgon has just met Tartuffe, but Dorine has become suspicious of his credentials as a Roman Catholic priest. During this time, Dorine warns Orgon that she attempting to “save his soul” from Tartuffe, since he represents a fraud and rake posing as a member of the clergy. However, Orgon refuses to listen to a woman, especially...
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...Moliere: Tartuffe, Comedy in Five Acts (Originally published 1669), Translated into English Verse by Richard Wilbur (1963) Harcourt Press In Tartuffe, Moliere introduces us to Orgon. Orgon, a wealthy family man, befriends a stranger (Tartuffe) who outwardly appears to be a devout Christian; however the reader soon learns that he is a fraud – an imposter. Orgon trusts him implicitly and places him on a pedestal, putting his needs above those of his own family (who quickly see through the transparent behaviors of Tartuffe.). Orgon is warned by many characters that Tartuffe is lying and manipulating him in an effort to get ahead financially and socially. Orgon turns a blind eye to these warnings, but eventually learns about the betrayal when he eavesdrops on Tartuffe trying to seduce his wife. Unfortunately his plan to evict Tartuffe backfires when Tartuffe reveals secrets that Orgon told him in confidence. However, in the end, Tartuffe’s dishonesty is revealed, he is arrested and Orgon’s home life returns to normal. The main theme of Tartuffe is religious hypocrisy, and the character of Tartuffe most exemplifies this trait. He repeatedly claims to be a true Christian when he actually is a fraud. He purports to be morally superior to others, when in fact he acts immorally (by trying to seduce Orgon’s wife, for example). Orgon’s brother-in-law Cleante is the moral opposite of Tartuffe and tries to be the voice of reason throughout the play. Simply, he feels that...
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...Tartuffe is a play that was performed by COS Theatre on October 13, 2016 but was originally written by Moliére but was adapted and translated by Timothy Mooney, The play was directed by Chris Mangels who was also the scenic designer. The play was set up as a comedy with a vibrant sense of humor. The Main conflict in the play is that Orgon is blinded by Tartuffe’s trickery and is willing to do anything for him. As the story goes on Orgon tries to make his daughter Mariane marry Tartuffe, however Mariane does not want to marry Tartuffe. As the story comes to end Tartuffes act is revealed he leaves with the house deed and steals the computer containing top secret political information. The scene with Tartuffe running off with the family’s property...
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...Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Molière is about a play about a foolish father and a man who is a master of deception. Tartuffe tricks Orgon into thinking he is a exemplary man. In reality he is a imposter and is known for numerous false identities. Orgon trusted Tartuffe and believes everything he said was righteous. He turned on his son, got in the way of his daughter love life, and disagreed with anything negative the family had to say about him. Shortly after he saw for himself that Tartuffe was a man in disguise. Tartuffe then showed Oregon how vicious he can be by trying to take everything he had under his name. Then he realized how foolish he was not to see what everyone else trying to show him. For the begging of the story the family believed...
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...original version of Tartuffe, written by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere, and watched the two different versions of Tartuffe on youtube I saw some significant differences between the two versions. In American University version of the comedy a lot of things such as the appearance of the actors, their clothes, the decoration of the house looked embellished and unnatural comparing to the original. In the French version of Tartuffe (Tartuffe 1975 La Societe des Comediens Francais) the house looked older, the scenes were more gloomy and real-life. The appearance and behavior of actors in the French version were very natural and similar to the original. In my opinion some of the actors played better in the American University version and some played better in French version. For example Madam Pernelle in French version was much better than in American and very similar as she was in the original; she seemed to have more authority, was overbearing, and did not like to be contradicted, whereas in American version Madam Pernelle did not look like an older person, and all her arguments with the family did not seem to have enough value. I really liked the way Cleante appeared in French version. The actor who played Cleante was able to transmit wise, honest man from the book into play. In the American “Tartuffe”, on the contrary, Cleante did not look that wise. There is a huge difference between the two “Tartuffes” in these two versions. In French version Tartuffe looks older, he...
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...“Tartuffe Reaction Paper” A few weeks ago I was lucky to see one of Normandale Theatre Department’s Productions of “Tartuffe”, the famous comedy by the French author Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, widely known by his stage name Moliere. It was my first experience of this kind at Normandale, and I was quite impressed by the level of dedication, professionalism and talent of everyone involved in the production. Because the characters were so well presented to the audience, we had a great understanding of the purpose of each person in the play. The two characters that impressed me the most were Dorine- the maid, was played by incredible Katrina Radcliffe, and of course, Tartuffe, who was played by Bryce Jasper. The energy that the two have is absolutely incredible, and I think every one of us in the audience received the exact message the cast was sending. Dorine is quiet an outspoken being, which never misses and opportunity to say what she thinks out loud and make sure that people around her know how she feels about a particular subject. From the very beginning she reveals her somewhat outlandish character. IN Act one, Scene One she tries to convince mother of Orgon, Madame Pernell, that Tartuffe is a hypocrite and a liar, who is taking advantage of the whole family in the most senseless way. Towards the end of the scene Dorine snaps at Madame Pernell, insisting that the woman is seeking attention and respect, therefore she is defending Tartuffe, and trying to force the family agree...
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...Tartuffe Tonight I went to see the play Tartuffe at the main stage of Santa Monica college. As I am a person that love bright colors and bubbly personalities my attention was directed at the costumes and hair wigs immediately. I think I was so taken by the bright colors that I did not really pay a lot of attention to the actual play. I will be writing a review on Gilland Jones discussing her voice, psychological gesture and emotional state. As soon as Mariane started talking I felt like rush after rush of shock and pleasure was going on through my body. My attention zoomed in on her and her voice captured all my attention in less than a second. I have spent half my life trying to reach a voice like hers and here in front of me was this little creature talking my life with her words. She had a bubbly, pink, and cute voice that was high pitched and medium to fast speed. Mariane has a very dramatic nature and very expressive in her hand gestures and body language. Even though she didn’t have a very “Strong character” throughout the play, she was very noticeable. For example is when she was begging her father not to force his will on her and force her to marry Tartuffe, she fell to her knees at the feet of her father and pulled her hair. As everyone was involved in her marriage to Tartuffe they spoke with Orgon on her behalf and when she was present she would do physical gestures to support their argument...
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...Dramaturge Research As the Dramaturge, the first thing that I did was to find different pictures from other productions of Tartuffe. These pictures represented the different costumes, set designs, furniture and decorations that have been used over time. I thought that these would be important for my team members in order for them to have a visual idea of what has been done before, so that we know how to proceed in our own production. It also important to note that since we had changed our production to being set in the 18th Century France, I tried to limit the furniture and decoration examples to what was popular in that time period. Attached are the pictures that I sent out to my team at the beginning in order for them to know how to precede in their own research. In addition to this, I also did a historical research on Tartuffe. On this, I focused on what was happening in France at the time and how the Tartuffe was received. Some of the main things I found out were: * Contrary to what one might think on first reading the play, Moliere did not write Tartuffe in an attempt to highlight any hypocrisy that was going on in the Church at that time. In fact, he was completely surprised with the negative criticism that the Catholic Church had to Tartuffe because he had not intended to target the Church. * Unlike the current 5-Act play that it is, the first play was a 3-Act play that was first produced in 1664. It was performed in front of the King who approved of the...
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...Tartuffe, a man who was a vagrant- is a cunning opportunist who postured himself as a man of grandiose piety- imbued with the ability to speak with God , in order to earn Orgon’s trust – the ultimate goal of climbing out the cliffs of poverty. Orgon is a rather complex character, having always tended to his servitude of the king and other significant matters in a rational demeanor- which raises the question of how an intelligent and well respected man such as Orgon deteriorated into a vacuous puppet of Tartuffes manipulation. Almost to the point of being too obvious, it is dubious that Orgon was attached to Tartuffe simply in hopes of obtaining some sort of spiritual nourishment, but rather was a way for Molliere to epitomize the almost absurd amount of control that religious hypocrisy (hypocrites) can have over even the most rational and respected men. During the time that the controversial and banned theatrical comedy (threats of excommunication were made clear to those who attempted to watch the...
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...Phaedra and Tartuffe Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, embraces the works of ancient Greece and Roman, also neoclassical plays had many requirements in order to fall under neoclassical. Phaedra and Tartuffe both embodies this idea in their own kind of way. There always had to be Five Acts and the play was also told in French Rhyme, that’s why some of the English translations seems like it doesn’t rhyme. It has three unities, time (24 hours only), place (same place), and action (only one plot). I will go in to greater detail on how each play does keeps to these requirements. “Poetic Justice” the evil guy gets what he deserves, and the forbearances of mixing comedy and tragedy, are major contraption on these neoclassical requirements. The plays have to feel real in neoclassical plays. Phaedra and Tartuffe both have perfect examples that show off how these plays are neoclassical. Each play must have 5 acts, that all must be done in one scene. In Tartuffe it was all done in Orgon house. In Phaedra it was done all in the royal palace at Trezene. Everything must be take place in a 24 hour span, it started when Orgon was talking about marrying his daughter to Tartuffe, then he gets arrested the following day by the king. In Phaedra it all starts when Hippolytus is talking about leaving in order to search for his father and then ending when everyone is pretty much dead and when Theseus pardons Aricia and adopts her as a his daughter. These rules must be followed to an exact or the...
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...understanding : the act of giving someone knowledge or understanding”. When applied to an era, such as The Age of Enlightenment, it denotes a cultural and intellectual increase. The Age of Enlightenment was located in Western Europe and was fueled by the desire of people to question anything and everything. Before the Enlightenment nobody questioned hypotheses of the past because there was a feeling of regression as time passed. As Enlightenment thinkers questioned many thoughts through their literature one that appears numerous times is the idea of good and evil. During The Age of Enlightenment writers like Moliere and Voltaire really explored the idea of good and evil. Moliere explores the idea of good and evil through his play Tartuffe. In Tartuffe Dorine speaks about Orgon saying “But what's evil is seeing the deception and upheaval of the master and everything he owns”(P.20 L.37). When Dorine says this it sounds as if Orgon is turning evil, which challenges the traditional beliefs that humans are naturally evil. For example, during Medieval times the popular belief was humans needed to believe in God and follow biblical rules to save their souls. By the...
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...wit as their main weapon. These methods harmonize the mastering of coexisting trivial and serious matters as one sarcasm, showing praise but meaning the contrary to demonstrate irony, and asking questions rhetorically. Additionally, the author might understate an issue in order to maneuver the audience towards the true importance of the topic, adversely; exaggeration is used to lower the impact of an issue to its lesser value. Collectively, these techniques are exercised to bring out the human follies and vices in society. In Molière’s Tartuffe and Jonathan Swift’s essay A Modest Proposal, that both obliquely criticize and burlesque human behavior and the perception we have towards others. Through a satirist delivery, these authors offer an insight past the seemingly obvious, and aim to improve this faulty custom of one sidedness rather than eliminating it. Although these pair of literary pieces illustrates satire, it is Molière’s play Tartuffe that generates a more effective delivery. First of all, this prevailing method is most effective due to its meticulous use of comedic language, as it better captures the attention of its readers. Second, Religious hypocrisy was demonstrated through satirist techniques, as a person's good character is made questionable as the play develops into a twisted irony. Finally, if it...
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