The play begins with Orgon’s mother, Madame Pernelle, unleashing her unsolicited and shameless opinions upon her grandchildren as she prepares to take her leave. She begins with her grandson Damis, who she claims is a dunce, unworthy of his noble father’s love and affection. She then turns her attentions to his sister Mariane, who she believes to be a manipulative and mysterious girl who plays at being wholesome and shy. To her daughter-in-law Elmire, Madame Pernelle offers up her thoughts on Elmire’s bad examples for her children, stating that she is too free with her expenses and that her brother Cleante is much too experienced in the ways of the world to be considered decent company to keep. In fact, the only words of kindness she has to offer are to Tartuffe, a religious man who has found his way into the good graces of her son Orgon. …show more content…
She believes that their distaste for Tartuffe stems from his ability to condemn their sins and point out their moral flaws. At Dorines’ intimation that Madame only spends her time so harshly criticizing the world around her due to her fear of abandonment, Madame Pernelle takes her leave, reminding them that they should count themselves fortunate to have such a holy and blessed man such as Tartuffe present among them. Upon her departure, the remaining family puzzles at how their grandmother, as well as their father, could be so blind to Tartuffe’s insincerity, recounting the many instances in which Tartuffe deceived Orgon and Madame Pernelle with his charms. As Cleante leaves to rest, Damis asks her if she would inquire as to the status of Mariane’s marriage to Valere because, should they not wed, Damis would then not be able to marry Valere’s
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.
The band of characters is drawn from every level of the class system. Unique interactions among characters from different social standings are conveyed, from the distressed, kindly gardener, to the impertinent daughter of the village innkeeper, to the prosperous de Luce family, and to the royalty. What appealed to me was that Flavia could trace her family’s history back many generations, and for one to be able to make these personal connections is extremely rare. Of course, this awareness of their past is correlated to the de Luce’s chain of affluence.
When a character in the play Tartuffe talks about seeing, they aren't talking about actually seeing, but understanding or believing. The problem in the story concerned with not seeing, which is what starts this sequence of events.
The play begins at Reverend Parris' home, whose daughter Betty is ill. Parris is living with his daughter and his seventeen-year old niece Abigail. Parris believes that is daughters illness is from supernatural causes, so he sends for Reverend Hale. Betty first start to look ill after her father discovered her dancing in the woods with Abigail and his Negro slave, Tituba along with several other local girls. There are rumors going around that Betty's sickness is due to witchcraft. Parris doesn't want to admit to seeing his daughter and niece dancing in the woods, but Abigail says that she will admit to dancing and accept the punishment.
Literature is often used to convey messages to their audience, through art, play or poetry. Whether it is intentional or not, an author can not help to include some aspect of the political events that happened during that time period. Two movements discussed in this essay are Enlightenment (17th – 18th Century) and Romanticism (18th – 19th Century) and through literature, we come to acknowledge the presence and representation of evil and how they shape society. Enlightenment thinkers value reason, rationality and moderation, whereas Romanticism encouraged imagination, emotion and individual sensibility. Tartuffe by Moliere demonstrates all of the Enlightenment values in his play, whereas Frankenstein by Mary Shelley emphasizes emotion, passion and the natural world. This essay will explore ways in which human reason and society can be evil and deceiving; although some individuals may think that evil is instilled in us from the day we were born.
Tartuffe is nothing more than a traveling confidence man who veils his true wickedness with a mask of piety. Orgon and his mother Madame Pernelle are completely taken in by this charade. On the other hand, Cleante, Elmire, and Dorine see Tartuffe for the fake that he really is. Cleante is Orgon's wise brother who speaks elegantly about Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Through Cleante, Moliere most plainly reveals his theme.
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
inexperience with the evils of the world leads to her demise. One's innocence attracts all types, yet this attraction may become lethal. Her husband, Othello, will protect her at any means. He will sacrifice himself for the love of his beloved wife.
The ideals of the Enlightenment can be found in many of the writings from this time period. There are a few characteristics that are commonly associated with the Enlightenment.
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
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. When Dorine tries to tell Orgon about Elmire's illness, all Orgon can say is,
The play centers on what is seen and what is believed. Orgon believes what Tartuffe wants him to believe—Tartuffe paints himself as a holy and virtuous man. Orgon cannot judge Tartuffe beyond the image he has of him in his mind even though he is cautioned repeatedly by several characters. His brother-in-law, Cléante, warns Orgon. Dorine, lady's maid to Mariane, outspoken not only as a woman, but also as a member of the hired staff—berates Orgon for not seeing Tartuffe for what he really is. Even Orgon's own son, Damis, is the most outraged by Tartuffe's behavior, reacting impulsively and threatening violence on several occasions. Even when Damis hears Tartuffe attempting to seduce his stepmother (Elmire) and tells his father, Orgon will not listen, throws his son
The play’s major conflict is the loneliness experienced by the two elderly sisters, after outliving most of their relatives. The minor conflict is the sisters setting up a tea party for the newspaper boy who is supposed to collect his pay, but instead skips over their house. The sisters also have another minor conflict about the name of a ship from their father’s voyage. Because both sisters are elderly, they cannot exactly remember the ships name or exact details, and both sisters believe their version of the story is the right one. Although it is a short drama narration, Betty Keller depicts the two sisters in great detail, introduces a few conflicts, and with the use of dialogue,
In a class lecture, the professor pointed out that the word/name Tartuffe means hypocrite, which can easily be seen as the drama unfolds. Early in the story, the audience learns that Tartuffe has a sleazy talent to receive piety in Orgon's household. In Act I, it is implied that Orgon has offered his daughter's hand in for marriage to Tartuffe, although Damis, Orgon's son, believes that Tartuffe does not wish to do so. Damis states, "I think Tartuffe's against it, and that he's been urging Father to withdraw his blessing" (Tartuffe 1.2.8-9). At this point, it is obvious to see that Orgon has a lot of respect for Tartuffe, although others may think differently. Cleante, Orgon's brother in law, is shown as the voice of reason and questions Orgon by saying,
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray is an effective, well-made play because of its structure and the way it impacts the audience in the end. As the elements of the well-made play entail, we are introduced to all of the characters and have an understanding of their history and the troubles that their history can cause. More precisely, this is a story of a very non-conventional woman of this audience's time and by going through the play I will identify its key representations of the well-made play. Aubery Tanqueray, a self-made man, is a widower at the age of forty two with a beautiful teenage daughter, Ellean whom he seems very protective over. His deceased wife, the first Mrs. Tanqueray, was "an iceberg," stiff, and assertive, alive as well as dead (13).