Self-Image in Tartuffe
In Tartuffe, Orgon illustrates what happens when we allow society's image of our lives to dictate our own self-image. In the 1600's a society existed in which social conventions held individuals more responsible for their public images than for their private lives. Individuals were deemed worthy or unworthy by the image they projected in their public lives. Orgon had shown himself to be worthy to society by having supported the kingdom in a civil war, "By these decrees, our Prince rewards you for / Your loyal deeds in the late civil war,". (5.7.79 -- 80) However, Orgon recognized that he had tarnished his public image and made questionable his loyalty to the kingdom by accepting and secretly hidden private papers of a friend that had been exiled. "My poor friend Argas brought that box to me / With his own hands, in utmost secrecy; / 'Twas on the very morning of his flight. / It's full of papers which, if they came to light, / Would ruin him -- or such is my impression." (5.1.7 -- 11) Orgon felt great guilt due to this presumed indiscretion, "Those papers vexed my conscience." (5.1.13) His image of how society viewed him had lessened and his self image followed suit. Image being everything the damage must be repaired.
In an attempt to assuage his guilt and regain his loyal image to society, Orgon befriended Tartuffe, who he believed to be held in high esteem by the church. Orgon's first encounter with Tartuffe was at the church. "He used to come into our church each day / And humbly kneel nearby, and start to pray." (1.5.25 -- 26) I think that Orgon was more taken with what he perceived to be the reaction of others present than he was with the actions of Tartuffe. "He'd draw the eyes of ev...
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...was, "That strong-box has me utterly upset; / This is the worst of many, many shocks." (5.1.4 -- 5) The image-tarnishing secret was out. In the end everyone in town knew of the papers and of Orgon's being completely duped by Tartuffe.
In the 2000's a society exists in which social conventions hold individuals more responsible for their public images than for their private lives. An individual is deemed worthy or unworthy by the image they project in their public lives. This is true now as it was then, only in the eyes of the beholder. One can live one's life to the specifications of society if that is his/her choice.
Works Cited
Moliere, Jean -- Baptiste Poquelin. Tartuffe. Reprinted in The Anthology of World Masterpieces: The Western Tradition. Seventh Edition, Volume 2. Edited by Sarah Lawall, et.al. NY: Norton and Co., 1999, 11- 68
Tartuffe, a con artist, knows that if he can give an answer to the ultimate question then he must be of great importance. Tartuffe uses the established hierarchy and ideology of Orgon’s faith to mold himself into an exemplified “holy” individual. Blinded by his own faith Orgon fails to see through the carefully crafted facade. Tartuffe’s holiness resigns Orgon to, “my heart…surrendered to him” (1.5.24) certifying Tartuffe’s influence over Orgon. When questioning Tartuffe, the other characters are questioning Orgon’s faith. Once established an authority figure’s power will be met with confirmation bias. Nothing will convince Orgon of the deception, rather he will rationalize anything he is told. Tartuffe uses Orgon’s faith to manipulate him into evicting Damis who accused Tartuffe of infidelity by a display of faith: “I beg you on bended knee, to pardon him.” (3.6.40-41) This reaffirms Tartuffe’s holiness to Orgon and through this
Partikian, David. "Critical Essay on Tartuffe." Drama for Students. Ed. David A. Galens. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.
Page 321 is a conversation between Cleante and Orgon in which Cleante accuses Orgon of defending Tartuffe and saying that anyone who disagrees is in want of reverence. Which I believe means that he thinks that the accusers think that they are better than Tartuffe.
Krstovic, Jelena O, ed. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.
Ruskin, John. “Grotesque Renaissance.” The Stones of Venice: The Fall. 1853. New York: Garland Publishing, 1979. 112-65. Rpt. in Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1989. 21-2.
in the end they were all enlightened. In "Tartuffe", Orgon was manipulated by Tartuffe, a
Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to. " (I, i, 44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tartuffe. Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: ".vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth.
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Comp. Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee. Trans. Wilbour, C.E. Only Complete and Unabridged Paperback Editon ed. New York, New York: Signet Classics, 1987. Print.
What prompts Sarty to betray his own moral character is his fear of Abner, who he describes as the “black, flat, and bloodless . . . voice harsh like tin and without heat like tin”(279). Time and again, Sarty has witnesse...
In every generation there are certain rules and etiquette that play a large role in dictating the appropriate behavior for the time. An individual may choose to live his or her life according to this code of conduct and do fairly well, or in contrast live a life full of trials and hardship as a result of their transgression. This is especially true for the early inhabitants of 17th century colonial America, a period rife with the religious zeal and harsh castigation carried out on behalf of the Puritans who settled the area. During this time, as is still the case today, offenders of this societal moral code were made examples of and forced to suffer so that they may serve as a warning to the rest of the population. This is the case in The Scarlet Letter where the protagonist Hester Prynne is ostracized from her conservative community after committing the then unforgivable sin of adultery. In his novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses both themes of guilt and redemption to create trials that test his character Hester Prynne and in the process transforms her from a pitiable sinner, to a symbol of strength.
This was the age of reason. People at this time began to apply rational thoughts to figure out and understand nature and to guide their human existence. In Moliere’s Tartuffe, this ideal is expressed through the character of the king. In the end, Tartuffe has brought an officer of the king back to take Orgon away. However, in Tartuffe’s attempt to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial.
10. Walter N. King. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 , Vol. 8, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1968) , pp. 283-306
It is in the duality of Orgon, the believing subject, and Tartuffe, the manipulating hypocrite (or impostor), that Moliere takes his digs at the extremes of enthusiastic belief. Tartuffe plays the role of a man whose greedy actions are cloaked by a mask of overwhelming piety, modesty and religious fervor. Orgon is the head of a household who has taken Tartuffe in. We laugh at Orgon because everyone else (except his mother) knows that Tartuffe is a fake. All of Orgon's relatives warn him of Tartuffe's gluttony and of the false nature of his pious proclamations.
The play Tartuffe is a comedy written by French playwright Moliere. Most of his plays were meant to critique common behaviors he saw in his society. In Tartuffe, he is criticizing those people who pretend to be very pious and religious, when in fact, they are simply pretending devotion to God to further their own personal desires.
"The Renaissance In Europe, William Shakespeare." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 1778-781. Print.