Theme Of Cruelty In Tartuffe

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Deeply embedded within Tartuffe, the concept and act of cruelty enhances and flourishes throughout the lives of the developing characters. Cruelty is a concept that is usually associated with negativity and often seen as degrading to one’s mental and/or physical stability. However, it is an illuminative key element of life that divulges the dormant aspect of oneself and guides them to truly see “how far they will go.” In other words, it will bring out the side that not even oneself could have ever imagined, thus raising awareness of one’s primal nature and labelling cruelty as a necessity. Portraying its significant development through the appalling yet essential strifes of the dynamic characters in Tartuffe, Molière reinforces the absolute …show more content…

Fed up with Tartuffe’s unnecessary amount of influence upon Orgon and the household, Elmire decides to play fire against fire; she plans to captivate Tartuffe and his lust to expose the dirty sleaze he truly is in front of Orgon. She asks of Orgon to hide under the table and warns him in advance of the “sweet speeches in the task of making that imposter drop his mask” (Molière 121) that she will say. As Elmire meets with Tartuffe, she takes advantage of the women’s stereotype back in that era and excuses herself as another “poor proof of woman’s modesty” (Molière 123) in order to convince him of this “love,” for Tartuffe was skeptical of it at first. Alas, Tartuffe allows his emotions to take control and his guard down, saying that “each day [Orgon] grows more gullible” (Molière 128) and, thus angering Orgon greatly. Contrary to women’s stereotype, Elmire is quick and witty to recognize such a devious tactic, taking advantage of Tartuffe’s undeniable infatuation with her to draw out the truth from the source of …show more content…

Cruelty, therefore, is necessary in unveiling and raising the understanding of the truths of the authenticity of emotions, the dangers of how powerful emotions are, and how extreme one can yield to the primal nature. In order to accurately perceive every aspect of oneself, do not completely obscure from cruelty, for it is a necessity that influences how one discerns

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