Response to Tartuffe, Moliere
— 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 theme of masks in Moliere’s Tartuffe is shown throughout the play through many different characters. The most recognizable deceptive character in the play is Tartuffe, who appears to be a zealous God-fearing man, but has shown otherwise. For example, he claims to whip himself and wear his hair-shirt to emphasize his devoutness towards God but he ironically has lived a life of leisure in Orgon’s household. He was a gluttonous pig enjoying piles of food and endless amounts of wine whereas he would supposed to help Madame Elmire when she suffered from her illness.
Furthermore, the role of masks can be shown through other characters such as Madame Elmire. When she realized that Tartuffe had real intentions to seduce her, she appeared to lead him on so she can save her daughter’s marriage as well as show her husband of Tartuffe’s evil intentions. This theme is repeated again towards the end with Monsieur Loyal wearing the appearance of being against Orgon’s house but was intentionally leading Tartuffe’s schemes on to indefinitely prove that he was guilty.
