Please respond to one of the following questions about Tartuffe. Share your response as a comment on this post, rather than creating a new post. You should also feel free to respond to your classmates’ comments.
— Discuss the theme of appearances or masks in Tartuffe? How does the issue of appearances vs. reality connect with the central concerns of the play?
— Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?
— How is the institution of marriage treated in Tartuffe? What are some of the models or ideals of marriage that are raised by Moliere or his characters?
— Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
— Can you think of a contemporary example of the kind of religious hypocrisy exemplified in Tartuffe?
— Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.
Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.
One aspect of the play that seems very modern to me is people’s ability to be easily persuaded by a person’s ideology. I say this, because in the play Orgon and his mother are easily persuaded by Tartuffe’s piety. They view him as a divine being and they aspire to be like him. Orgon repeatedly defends Tartuffe even though his family members view him in a negative light. This is a modern concept, because during the 2016 United States election, Donald Trump amassed a following so large that he was able to become president. His voters and followers became notorious for defending him no matter the circumstances; after every controversy his followers always seemed to see the “good” in him. Thus, this shows that following a leader with certain ideologies is a modern theme throughout the play. One part of the play that seems very dated or old fashioned to Western culture is the idea of the father having the final say in a woman’s ability to get married, and the father having the control to choose a woman’s husband. I say this is very dated, because nowadays women are free to marry who they choose even if it is without their father’s approval, since women are now equally protected under the law in the United States. However, as a courtesy, sometimes men will ask their girlfriend’s fathers for their blessing in marriage, but again this is more of a formality rather than an actual rule.
Very good post! I like the way you have correlated real life example to the past. You did good explaining “persons ideology”. I can say the same that Orgon and his mother is admired by Tartuffes piety.
In the drama, Orgon can be seen as a naive person who is quick to fall for Tartuffe’s mask. While the other characters see how Tartuffe is nothing but a religious hypocrite who is taking advantage of Orgon’s naivety, Orgon strongly believes that Tartuffe will make their house “free of sin.” I think that Orgon is so vulnerable to Tartuffe because he sees Tartuffe as a vessel for which he can further project his controlling manner through. From what we’ve read so far, it seems that Orgon likes to control the people in the household, especially the women. He told Mariane to do anything that he asks and he controls her by changing her wedding arrangements without her knowledge or consent. He’s reassured by Tartuffe’s interest in his wife and he gladly listens to what Tartuffe tells him about who Elmire is seeing and what she’s doing. When he encountered Tartuffe, Orgon was able to use Tartuffe as an excuse to further control what people in the household can do. They couldn’t invite friends over and they couldn’t do certain activities because Tartuffe said so. This shows that Orgon is vulnerable to Tartuffe not just because he’s naive, but because he sees Tartuffe as someone that can help justify and further enable Orgon’s controlling behavior.
Hi Pauline,
I really enjoyed your insight as to why you think that Orgon is so easily influenced by Tartuffe. Tartuffe gives Orgon an extension of control and power that is exerted over his family. Additionally, Orgon uses Tartuffe sort of like a “get me into Heaven card” in the sense that he claims Tartuffe’s ways are what will save him and his family a spot in the afterlife.
— Can you think of a contemporary example of the kind of religious hypocrisy exemplified in Tartuffe?
Yes, I can. A contemporary example of the kind of religious hypocrisy exemplified in Tartuffe is him going to Church but also taking advantage of Orgon by consuming a lot of the food and drinks at his residence, and just enjoying life in general, as Orgon was told by Dorine. This is religious hypocrisy since at first he looks pious going to Church and all, but then is committing a sin in the Christian religion: gluttony. Being piety in one moment but then sinning in another is quite hypocritical.
— Discuss the theme of appearances or masks in Tartuffe? How does the issue of appearances vs. reality connect with the central concerns of the play?
– The masks we see throughout “Tartuffe” can be seen with the two characters presented to us, which are Orgon and Cleante. Both characters are masked to be Moliere ideas and beliefs. This connects with the appearances vs. reality connect with the central concerns of the play. For example, on page 153 (Tartuffe 1.5) their is a debate between Orgon and Cleante about religion and Tartuffe, this escalates where Orgon is becoming more impatient and angry towards Cleante because of his beliefs in questioning on religion and Tartuffee. This is when we can connect reality from this play, in reality Moliere had issues with the catholic church and Louis XIV because his plays were satire against both parties. Tartuffe is one giant metaphor, we can also compare how Cleante can be seen as the catholic church and Tartuffe is Louis XIV. Cleante (catholic church) is allowing Tartuffe (Louis XIV) to have all this power in the family and does not acknowledge negative impacts it will have on the family.
Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
The character of Orgon is described as influenced, admired and followed by the holy man Tartuffe. Tartuffe is devoted mostly to religion. Tartuffes piety is more described as divine and deriving his right of authority.
I think Orgon is so vulnerable to Tartuffe because he wants to increase his chances of going to heaven. In fact Orgon wants to amplify his families image by introducing and inviting Tartuffe to them.
Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?
The role that Dorine plays a more supportive person to Mariane, she is a sassy kind of servant who is not afraid to speak her mind about situations involving herself or others. She adds more action to the play such as when she stood up to Madame Pernelle even if she is her superior. Or when she stood up to Orgon who is her boss when she found out that Orgon wants Mariane to marry Tartuffe instead of Valere. She sees the intentions of Tartuffe and speaks up about her opinions about him.
In Tartuffe, Dorine’s role is a supporting character; however, she isn’t the typical supporting character that readers would forget. She doesn’t act the way a proper maid would act. She talks back to Madam Pernelle, Orgon, and Mariane. She speaks her opinion about the important matters that are going on in the family, like Tartuffe’s manipulation or Marine’s marriage. She is an honest, keen, and wise servant. She understands everything happening around her. The role she plays in the action of the drama is the person that says things without thinking about the consequences of her words. Whenever she speaks with anyone in the family and if they ask for her opinion, she doesn’t hesitate to give the truth that they need to hear, whether good or bad. It seems like she has a presence within the family, and her opinions are loudly heard.
Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?
Dorine is the type of servant that spits out what she thinks without giving a second thought to other people’s feelings. Although it could hurt someone’s feelings, what she said is true; you could say Dorine is the reality. People would ask her for her thoughts and she will doubtlessly share them. You could also say that she’s a stock character that we discussed in class. Dorine is not one of the main roles, yet she is a supporting character that we can easily recognize; we all know that she’s a maid that talks back to her masters.
I would describe Orgon as a kind man who respects Tartuffe for his religious beliefs even though others view Tartuffe as a hypocrite. Orgon was interested in the spiritual beliefs of Tartuffe because he believes that Tartuffe would free the family of sins. Also, he cares about his family and controls what they do at home. Orgon was vulnerable to Tartuffe because it would grant him his wish to go to heaven. But Tartuffe was using him since he did not go to church and was eating and drinking in their home. But he does have good manners by introducing Tartuffe to his family even though they do not like him. Not only that, but he has control of the house when he expects everything to be ready when he invites Tartuffe. Overall, Orgon is a kind man who tries to impress Tartuffe to give him freedom, even though he does that Tartuffe is not religious.
If we think about the events of Acts 4 and 5, it becomes harder to maintain that Orgon is in control of his household. After all, he comes very close to losing his whole estate to Tartuffe and being arrested by the king’s representatives, doesn’t he?
Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
Orgon is the head of the household, yet he doesn’t act like the master of the house. Tartuffe acts more of the master and Orgon just acts as a follower. He is very easily manipulated by Tartuffe into give him everything he wants. He listens to everything Tartuffe says, and he is willing to follow every advice Tartuffe gives. Orgon is so vulnerable to Tartuffe due to the fact he thinks Tartuffe is holy and can’t do no wrong. He thinks Tartuffe can help him ascent to the heavens in the afterlife. Tartuffe made him not care about his family and other things he possesses. Orgon is a gullible person, he put all his trust in Tartuffe and wouldn’t hesitate to defend him to his family members. While Tartuffe uses Orgon’s trust to his advantage such as eating a feast at his expense.
— Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?
Marianne is a servant who is not at all passive. In fact, I think she is smarter than all the other characters because although she has an inferior status. She told Marianne’s father that she shouldn’t marry Tartuffe. She also stopped Marianne from getting into a fight with her true love out of spite. She is the sort of person that mirrors what the audience thinks and is our representative in the play.
A very dated aspect of the play is when Orgon forces his daughter to marry Tartuffe. This idea is that marriage is ultimately decided by the father of the bride. Today, in America and other parts of the world, men as for a daughters hand in marriage as a form of respect and to gain the fathers blessings and get on his good side. Today, marriage is based on the bonds of the partners which is only as good as the match that’s made.
A modern aspect of the play is when Madame Pernelle tells everyone that Tartuffe is the authority as far as sin is concerned. Nobody listens except for Orgon. This is modern because today, there’s still some people that put their trust in religious figures and believe they can do no evil. However, the rest know/believe that everyone sins. So instead of looking at religious leaders as authority and good-doers, they look at them with respect as a leader of the community.
— Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
It’s pretty clear that Orgon can be characterized as extremely gullible in this play. From the beginning, the reader can see the way that he is easily convinced and tricked into the plot of Tartuffe. This has to come from his desire to lead the household appropriately while exposing his family to religious piety and he believes that Tartuffe is the person to do this. Yet through dramatic irony, the reader knows that in reality, Orgon’s actions paint him as s character with no morals and common sense. The scene where he is hiding under the table as his wife tries to expose Tartuffe by exploiting his lust towards her demonstrates to the audience the epitome of orgons weird character as he seems to t allow tartuffe to do as he pleases to his wife.
The relationship between money and love s limited. The theme of the story is wealth and money cannot buy everything but everything has a price. In the story, there is a quote that says, “friendship based on profit grows cold when profit runs dry“ which adds to the theme tied to the young master, who is only satisfied when he has plentiful riches. When he tells his plan to Du Tenth, drawer by drawer she tossed every treasure she saved into the river. Young master Li was blinded by money so this blinded him to the treasure he had in front of him. Du Tenth tightly held onto her treasured box and plummeted to the bottom of the river. There was no real value of any of it once her lover betrayed her. Master Li is alone in his boat looking at his 1000 pieces of silver. In the end, his shame and guilt drives him insane.
In the play write, Tartuffe, by Molière. The character Tartuffe had shown religious hypocrisy throughout the play. A contemporary example can be seen in Donald Trump and his use of lies to downplay the seriousness of the COVID-19 during his presidency. Throughout early 2020, when the first few cases start showing in the United States, Trump had used his platform to downplay the virus by emphasizing the low cases and giving the public a false hope of a cure in 2019. In my own opinion, the reason why he downplays the virus was due to his greed to get reelected in 2020 and the virus may harm his chances.
Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
Orgon believes that religion is the most important thing. Because Tartuffe is a religious person who works for God, he trusted him very much. Religion played a big role in controlling people. Orgon didn’t realize what Tartuffe was doing actually. Orgon would have believed it was a sin to criticize a religious person.