What better way to deliver negative criticism than with a good laugh? That is exactly what satire does for writers, poets, and plays that include satire in their work in order to deliver their bittersweet message and give their audience and readers a great time. One of the main satires that were much criticized during its release in 1664 was Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Moliere, which still plays a role in our literature today. The play was not very welcomed by the church which found it offensive and controversial towards their religious beliefs. In Tartuffe, Moliere was not seeking to satire religion or the church itself but rather the hypocrites that would shield themselves with the misuse of religion for their own advantage and the lack of common sense that can lead to tragic events such as those Orgon had to suffer.
A satire is composed of “humor to show the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc.”(Merriam-Webster)in this case religion, but it is only a satire if it is being mocked or made fun of to teach a lesson, “its goal is to stir up human conscience to make changes for the better” (Tartuffe). This is exactly what Moliere did with Tartuffe; he noticed the hypocrisy in religion and used his play to teach the common people about their mistakes in a friendly manner. Unfortunately, not everyone understood his message clearly and accused him of being atheist when in reality he was a devout Christian. Even though Jean-Baptiste knew there were many hypocrites in church among corruption, he did not encourage his audience to give their backs to faith, instead he warned them about the dangers the impostors can bring to their home. Tartuffe is a play about how Orgon, an influential man with a high rep...
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...is kind have power only when ordinary citizens willfully give up their ability to think for themselves” (Tartuffe) and instead of condemning religious people he was condemning hypocrisy. Moliere’s objective is clear in Cleante’s statement “So there is nothing that I find more base than specious piety’s dishonest face- than these bold mountebanks, these histrios whose impious mummeries and hollow shows exploit our love of Heaven” (Moliere), which was to point out the impostors within the church. Throughout the play Moliere shows that the true devout does not need the approval or appraisal from anyone in society as Orgon was looking for, and states at the end his personal opinion on religion through Cleante’s honest wishes for good towards Tartuffe, “don’t say anything to aggravate his present woes; but rather hope that he will soon embrace an honest piety” (Moliere).
Religion can be a powerful form of indoctrination. Religion in the case of Orgon and Voltaire’s situations were used to bypass all critical thought and vetting of their respective influencers. Malice and ignorance often lead to the same conclusions, but intention is key. By aligning with their subjects’ belief systems and establishing themselves, Tartuffe and Pangloss respectively, as powers of authority could sway their subordinates. Though Tartuffe and Pangloss both have authority and hidden motives; the overall means and intentions vary in their approaches.
Satire can be defined as any work in which a human vice or folly is attacked with irony or sarcasm. An example of satire can be found in the song "When the President Talks to God" by Bright Eyes. In this song, the lyrics lay out hypothetical conversations between the President and God, which mocks current President George W. Bush and his use of strong religious influence while in office.
Satire is nothing new. Things have been wrong in the world since recorded history and there have always, and will always be people to criticize the flaws in the way things work. While satire today is often told differently then that of Voltaire's time, the principle is certainly the same.
In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century. Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism.
Satire is a literary method of saying one thing by saying something completely different yet comparable to the intended target of the satire. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, he indirectly criticized America’s Red Scare by writing about the historic Salem witch trials. Zamyatin, through his authorship of We, criticized the future of Russia he foresaw due the changes already being made by Lenin and the rest of the early Bolshevik leaders. His prediction for the future was quite accurate; ju...
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.
There are two vastly differing works of literature that employ similar elements of satire, whether the story is long or short, essay or novella. In these two works, the authors bring light to ongoing social, political, and philosophical issues of their time and age. The two works I am referring to are Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s novella, Candide, or Optimism. In both A Modest Proposal and Candide, there is a portrayal of irony, cold logic and reasoning rather than emotion, and misguided philosophy. Exploring the issues within these texts can implement a better understanding of not only the literature itself, but also the historical context and the issues of the time. By delving even deeper into these works, one will begin to see the connection that can be made between these texts.
In literature, one of the components of satire is verbal irony which occurs when the author depicts his message to the readers indirectly and uses sarcasm to prove his argument. For instance, “Tartuffe” a famous play written by Moliere depicts the life of a religious hypocrite who scams people while using religion as a cover. In the play, many family members recognized Tartuffe as a religious hypocrite except Madam Pernelle who is Orgon’s mother, and Orgon who is the head of the family and married to his wife, Elmire. The play contains many verbal ironies such as when Dorine, Orgon’s maid, states that: “They make a lovely pair” which sarcastically depicts that Orgon’s daughter; Mariane and Tartuffe are not a reasonable couple (33). In an article, “a modest proposal” ...
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.
Voltaire filled his novel, Candide, with attacks and mockery and criticisms on religion. He also made it as easy as possible for men to read for that generation. His satire is shown in many different examples throughout the novel. He mocked religious prejudices by showing an example in which they wrongly judged people, he mocked the corruption of the clergy by writing about the daughter of a wealthy pope, and he mocked the complexity of religion by showing the benefits of a simpler religion in Eldorado which was any religion anyone wanted to practice. In all reality his satire isn’t necessarily only about the flaws in religious belief, but also on the corrupt body of religion and the aristocracy that corrupts it.
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.
Moliere saw religion as a personal and private matter, he believed it should not be forced upon others but be a natural state of being. He ultimately believed religion should not be placed on a higher level of value in the world, more so meaning it should not be used to justify the pursuit of personal wealth and power. All of this can be implicitly seen in the play when Orgon endangers his family by trying to mix his social status with his religious beliefs by inviting Tartuffe in. Moliere was undoubtedly a Christian, but it shown in Cleante's words that there may be room to question what this identity meant to him. For example, when Cleante’s said “They cloak their spite in fair religion's name, Their private spleen and malice being made, To seem a high and virtuous crusade. Until, to mankind's reverent applause, They crucify their foe in Heaven's cause." (1.5.11), he is judging those who sin and go against their religion but still praising religion itself and claiming its
A satirical comedy is an attempt to ridicule a certain aspect of government, religion, or another aspect of society to bring about change through the use of comedy to lighten the blow. Tartuffe is a prime example of a satirical comedy. Molière used this play to point out one of the biggest flaws of organized religion during his time, religious hypocrisy. Although he may not have directly intended it to be about the Catholic Church, it was interpreted by them as such so they made the king ban it for a period of time. By making it into a play, Molière was able to reach a larger audience. People tend to enjoy plays more so due to their quick, lively nature. Plays are always changing, and they are stories being brought to life. A reader may not be interested by a short story or novella, but a play could be the very thing to draw in their attention. Molière was able to reach more people by making this into a play, therefore making the problem of religious hypocrisy more widely
While satire isn’t necessarily a genre of writing in itself, it has proven to be a rather useful and unique form of writing in order to convey many different messages. For the most part, satire is the use of irony, sarcasm, humor, and even exaggeration to express a negative opinion against current events occurring around the writer. According to Megan LeBoeuf, a student at the University of Rhode Island, in an essay she wrote entitled The Power of Ridicule: An Analysis of Satire, she states, “Satire also has the ability to protect its creator from culpability for criticism, because it is implied rather than overtly stated.” Most writers use satire as an undercover and covert way to speak about social and political issues in order to evoke change, without the writer necessarily having to take the blame. In both Don Quixote de la Mancha, one of the first European novels by Miguel de Cervantes, and The Monkey and the Monk: An Abridgement of the Journey to the West, a Chinese novel translated by Anthony C. Yu, the use of satire gives both writers a voice against the religious and political issues of their time.
He focuses on exposing of the hypocrisy of Tartuffe throughout the story. Orgon has taken Tartuffe in his house, and given him food and shelter. In the family, everyone believes that Tartuffe is a hypocrite and fraud, expected Orgon and his mother; Tartuffe isn’t getting any respect from the other characters, Orgon is wealthy and powerful man, he trusts Tartuffe as holy and righteous man and listens to anything he says in which Orgon looks like fool. He does not even realize that Tartuffe takes advantage of him and manipulates his behavior. The character of Tartuffe contains most essential trait of hypocrisy. Moliere depicts his hypocritical behavior and vice in an exaggerative way, it is effective to criticize and uncover the religious hypocrisy in the society through description of the character