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An essay about hypocrisy
An essay about hypocrisy
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Hypocrisy is the act of claiming to have moral beliefs to which one’s own conduct does not accommodate. As La Rochefoucauld said, “Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue.” In other words, it is the form of respect that immoral behavior pays to virtue because it’s the closest way a person can pretend to be righteous and have high moral standards. Even though a hypocrite knows that what he or she is doing is not the truth, they are still able to deceive the people around them. In this case, social interaction is treated as a performance. One’s virtues are one’s own vices in disguise and an individual’s vices are overshadowed by the fake act that they put on. In Molière’s play, the hypocritical character, Tartuffe, uses his hypocrisy …show more content…
Before she could speak, Tartuffe pulls out a handkerchief for her to cover her breasts with. He says, “Cover that bosom, girl. The flesh is weak. And unclean thoughts are difficult to control. Such sights as that can undermine the soul” (1434). In other words, Tartuffe feels that Dorine is too exposed and having to look at her chest will distract him and cause him to have a strong sexual desire. That sexual desire then becomes present once Elmire comes to talk to him. Therefore, Tartuffe is guilty of the vice lust and disloyalty. As Elmire approaches Tartuffe, he instantly lavishes her with blessings and is ecstatic that he has alone time with her. He says, “It floods my heart with bliss to find myself alone with you like this. For just this chance I’ve prayed with all my power. But prayed in vain, until this happy hour” (1435). Tartuffe has been praying to get the chance to be alone with Elmire and now that he has gotten the chance he is experiencing great joy. He uses this alone time as an opportunity to seduce her. His lust has grown too strong which leads him to constantly touch Elmire. He goes from pressing her fingertips, placing his hand on her knee, to stroking her lace collar. Tartuffe then confesses his love for her while using the excuse that even though he is pious, he is still a human being (1437). This proves his disloyalty towards Orgon. Orgon has welcomed Tartuffe into his …show more content…
Before reacting, Orgon immediately approaches Tartuffe to see if what Damis is saying is accurate. He confesses that Damis is telling the truth and that he is nothing but a wicked man. Tartuffe says, “I’ll not defend myself, but take the blame. Believe what you are told, and drive Tartuffe like some base criminal from beneath your roof” (1440). He tells Orgon to trust Damis and to kick him out of his home for committing such a sin. Therefore, he is putting on a fake performance. Tartuffe is trying to manipulate Orgon by using reverse psychology. However, Orgon does the complete opposite. He does not believe Damis and ends up lashing out his anger on him. He says, “Out of my house this minute! Be off with you, And never dare set foot in it again” (1441). Orgon disinherits Damis and forbids him to come back to the house. Finally, Orgon becomes an unfaithful family man and decides to make Tartuffe his only heir which is what Tartuffe has been striving for. Tartuffe’s hypocrisy has officially led him to defraud an entire family out of its morality and happiness in order to achieve his
Tartuffe is the embodiment of the seven sins masquerading as the exact opposite. His gluttony is on display in scene four when Dorine informs Orgon of his overconsumption. Tartuffe has blinded Orgon to his nature and made him disregard his wife’s wellbeing. Lust and Envy are most likely his greatest follies, leading to his ultimate downfall. Tartuffe accepts Orgon’s daughter as his bride and lust after his wife. Tartuffe makes no attempt to deny the engagement which was conscripted because of his position to Orgon. Tartuffe under the guise of making sure Elaine stay pure reporting her every movement to Odom uses the opportunity to confesses she is his “peace, my solace, my salvation on you depends my bliss-or desolation.” (3.3.79-80) He demonstrates his pride when attempting to seduce Elmire comforting her concerns by telling her “if Heavens is all that holds you back, don’t worry. I can remove that hindrance in a hurry.” (4.7.95-96) Tartuffe so entranced with getting what he wants, he makes the same mistake as Lucifer, calling for action against Heaven. Tartuffe is the embodiment of sloth, acting indifferent towards others in his pursuits; from Elaine being ill to feigning defense of Damis. Tartuffes’s final stop on the “how damned are you” show culminates with wrath and greed. When he is confronted by Orgon after lusting for his wife, Tartuffe divulges his intentions to acquire all Orgon’s
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere wrote Tartuffe during the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the main characteristics of the Age of Enlightenment was a push towards using reason over emotions to make decisions. The leaders of the enlightenment truly believed that the world could be made a better place if people did this. In Tartuffe, when the characters use their emotions to make their decisions they find themselves in undesirable situations. While those who let their emotions rule them find their lives spinning out of control, there are other characters in the play who try to approach them with reason and logic. Out of these characters the lady’s maid Dorine stands out as the voice of reason.
Moliere’s Tartuffe assumed set of social conventions were shaped by all the characters within the play, however the authoritative figure was established depicted by the father, Oregon. Oregon’s character assumed the role of king or lord of his household. He believed that as the head of household, he had the right to rule over his kingdom as he saw fit. His kingdom had to run smoothly in order for it to be effective. No matter how harsh, unfair and painful it was for his, wife daughter or servants. In the social arena there is always a central powerful family, or first family that everyone in the community aspires to be, or in more recent term “keeping up with the Jones”, “or the one with swag”. The title, position and authority was so entrenched in their social community, that it came down to even choosing one’s mate through arranged marriages. We see in Moliere’s Tartuffe, that authoritative power was as precious as gold, in the realms or patriarchal power that was prevalent in the 17th Century, political and economic power, and also religious power (in which Oregon) wanted association
In Tartuffe, Moliere creates a play that is interesting in so many ways. His comedy reflects a lot on the role of men and women within a family. During this time, it was common for the man to be the head of the household and women to be submissive to the men. Men held the power in the family and made all the decisions. In this play, a man's point of view is the only view that matters. All else do not serve an importance. His lack of trust and awareness for other people's feelings and needs has caused great conflict in his family. The actions taken by Orgon and his family members express how this play views marriage and relations between men and women. It is a extremely different view (in some cases) of marriage today in average American family.
In "Tartuffe", Orgon was manipulated by Tartuffe, a. religious hypocrite, which Orgon had offered all his belongings to Tartuffe. Elmire, wife of a man.... ... middle of paper ... ... Though the stories, in these ways, share endings and morals, religious purposes, they are distinct and individual: "The Journey to The West" and "Tartuffe" were both created in two.
Moliere rocked the 17th century French world with his comedy "Tartuffe" in 1664. Although, religious factions kept the play banned from theatres from 1664-1669, "Tartuffe" emerged from the controversy as one of the all-time great comedies. Tartuffe is a convincing religious hypocrite. He is a parasite who is sucking Orgon, the rich trusting father, for all he is worth. Orgon does not realize that Tartuffe is a phony, and caters to his every whim. For instance, he reneges on his promise to let his daughter Mariane, marry Valere. Instead he demands that she wed Tartuffe, whom she despises. He also banishes his own son, Damis, from his house for speaking out against Tartuffe and all of his son's inheritance is promised to Tartuffe.
She takes the insults thrown her way with a grain of salt. Not reacting to what her mother-in-law has to say, she does try and stand up for Mariane. Content to let Dorine and Cleante argue with Mme. Pernelle, Elmire does her duty and walks out Madame. Elmire is also portrayed as not having control over Damis. Tartuffe lusts after Elmire though she tries to use this advancement to her advantage. She tries to trap Tartuffe into backing out of the marriage with Mariane. Damis foils her plans with his hotheadedness. Elmire tries to spare Orgon’s mind from the unpleasantness of the previous situation. Believes herself to be the calm in the storm. Her virtue intact, she proposes to trick Tartuffe with Orgon hiding in the room to witness. Elmire doubts she would’ve went through such a ruse if she would’ve known what all could’ve been lost. She is quite happy at the ending. Elmire had to go to great lengths to have Orgon believe that what she was saying was true. Between that and having Tartuffe trying to paw her was victimizing. It is a pity that her husband wouldn’t listen to her. Comparing Elmire to another lady that would go to a great length to look after another. Voltaire first portrays the Old Lady as a kind and caring individual who takes care of Candide for three days before reuniting the young loves. The Old Lady is a very amusing character and very strong willed. She knew she was the daughter of a pope and a princess. Her fiancé was poisoned by an exgirlfriend of his. In getting away from that her mother’s ship was taken over by pirates. All on board were striped and private areas searched. The Old Lady was deflowered and had to watch as her ladies in waiting and mother were fought over and torn limb from limb. This is a small bit that she had to go through and still she lined her own fate with that of Cunegonde had taken some strength of character. The Old Lady is a natural survivor for continuing life in
Throughout the play, many characters can see that Tartuffe is a fraud and that he does not practice what he preaches. He says “I’ve certain pious duties to attend to.” (Molière Act 4, Scene 1, 84). Yet in reality, he’s flirting with Elmire but he does not admit to his actions when Damis exposes him. He says “Yes, my dear son, speak out now: call me the thief/Of sinners, a wretch, a murderer, a thief/ Load me with all the names men most abhor/ I’ll not complain; I’ve earned them all, and more/ I’ll kneel here while you pour them on my head as a just punishment for the life I’ve led.” (Molière Act 3, Scene 4, 29-34). Within these line, Tartuffe pretends to be hurt because Damis accuses him of flirting with Elmire. Of course, Orgon is distracted by his actions and does not believe Damis. Therefore, Tartuffe indirectly does not admit or deny to his mistakes but he takes full responsibility of what Damis thinks he did. So, he apologizes for his unspecified sins which Orgon thinks it is highly impressive of him. Then again, it will take a lot more than the truth to reveal
"Ah. And Tartuffe?"(21). When she tells him of Tartuffe's unconcern and zealous consumption in spite of Elmire's condition, he says, "Poor fellow!" Poor Orgon is so caught up in his own
Tartuffe is a satirical comedic play written by Molière in 1664. It is focused around the family of Orgon and the character of Tartuffe, who has become Orgon’s personal holy man. Before being brought into Orgon’s home, Tartuffe was nothing more than a common beggar who learned how to act pious. Throughout this play, we see Orgon give everything he owns to Tartuffe: his love, his money, his daughter, and even the deed to his house. While everyone else in the household sees Tartuffe for who he really is, Orgon remains blind to it throughout most of the play. Orgon is warned many times by different members of the household, including his own son, yet he only chooses to lash out against those speaking. From early on in the play we as readers are able to recognize that Tartuffe is no more than a hypocrite and Orgon is a blind fool. In the play Tartuffe by Molière there are several different important themes that impact this work,
Imagine the Paris home of Orgon, who meets Tartuffe at church and is completely taken in by him...so much so, that he foolishly not only invites this relative stranger, Tartuffe, to live in his home, but also promises his daughter (Mariane) in marriage to the man, though she has promised her heart to Valère.
Elmire understands that she is a woman and that men see her as a sexual object. She actually uses this to her favor. She uses Tartuffe’s affection for her against him. She makes him look like a fool after she seduces him. This woman understands that gender roles for men and women are very different and that she can use men to get her way. This gives Elmire a type of freedom. Elmire is an independent woman that knows how to get what she wants. In the play Elmire wants Tartuffe out of her husband’s house. She does not understand why everyone likes him so much. Elmire has an idea; she decides she will seduce Tartuffe. When...
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
Moliere's Tartuffe is a satire based on religious hypocrisy. Every character is essential in Tartuffe. All of the characters play an important role, but it is easy to say that Tartuffe and Orgon are the main characters. First, we must know the definition of satire. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, satire is defined as "literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn" ("satire"). In other words, a satire is defined as literary work that uses humor to point out the foolishness of a person or just in human nature. Religious hypocrisy can be self-defined as a false assumption of a person. What follows are examples of how I believe Tartuffe exposes humor through religious hypocrisy.
Tartuffe is a comedy, but it still follows these characteristics. Firstly the appearance of a tragic hero. In this play, our tragic hero is not Tartuffe for whom the play is named, but is instead Orgon, the head of the household where the play takes place. Orgon is our tragic hero because he really isn’t a bad person. He isn’t seeking to ruin anyone with hidden plans or deception, he is just very unaware of what’s happening right under his nose. The tragic flaw that Orgon shows is just taking everything that tartuffe says as absolute truth and not questioning it at all. This is what ultimately leads to his error in judgement which is telling his daughter that she is to marry tartuffe and not Valere who she’s already proposed to. Of course, this doesn’t