Through Acts 4 and 5, Cleante continues to display his character as the voice of reason in the play. While being the voice of reason, Cleante illustrates virtuous and enlightened qualities such as moderation, patience, and non-violence. The men in this play so far have not painted themselves as members of the enlightened French nobility. In one case Tartuffe is a pathological liar seeking profit and lust at any cost. Damis, Orgon’s son, throws huge fits of temper and rage without much consideration. Lastly, Orgon goes without much saying that he takes the extreme on any situation and does not often think through big decisions such as marrying off his daughter and signing away his estate. In fact, Cleante talks to Orgon about how why he can “…not be rational?” and that he “…never manage[s] to take the middle course” (Moliere 85). To throw out the word rational, the author, Moliere, is trying to communicate to his readers that rationality may be lost on even the most wealthy and powerful. In addition, Cleante questions Orgon’s ability to find the middle course. To align classical ideals and Enlightenment ideals, the “middle course” was seen as virtuous in the eyes of Aristotle and the prominent Western thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries. With Orgon, Damis, and Tartuffe repeatedly embarrassing their own characters throughout the play, the reader is supposed to view Cleante’s words as wisdom and take his ideas and wishes seriously.
One pleasant surprise in the later half of the play was the emergence of Elmire’s character and intelligence. Playing a more dormant role in the first half, Elmire comes through in the end as being the primary character that foils Tartuffe’s grand scheme to rob the family. For one, Elmire expresses her intellectual capabilities by forcing Orgon to witness Tartuffe’s heinous acts live and by telling him to “Stay till the end, and be convinced completely” until Tartuffe uncovered his own façade (Moliere 80). Elmire, whether it was because she was Orgon’s wife or purely smarter in approach than any other character, was the only one who can persuade Orgon to steer away from his opinion. While other characters tried their approaches, they were too docile, critical, and/or impatient. Elmire through her grand plot against Tartuffe stood out as a model Enlightenment woman. Elmire was loyal to Orgon through the whole play and expressed admirable moderation, but when push came to shove, she came through as a hero who used wit to expose Tartuffe’s scheme. Elmire presents to the reader how even though some women may have had limited roles in the Enlightenment era (or in general), women have the capability to think through situations and persuade men to realize their wrong doings. In this case, she exposed Tartuffe as a liar and Orgon as corruptible and gullible. While Elmire’s character may have been downplayed throughout the play, her impact has been nothing but monumental.
Moliere, a French playwright during the Enlightenment Era, is clearly emphasizing the importance of reason in Tartuffe. The characters Cleante and the King (though his presence is brief) are a breath of fresh air in comparison to the hot headed Damis, damsel in distress Mariane, and dense Orgon. While we initially regarded Dorine as another voice of reason, she too seemed a bit irrational in Acts 4-5 as she threatened Monsieur Loyal, “You have a fine, broad back, and if I had a stick, you’d hear it crack” (Moliere 5.4.91-92). However, as Holden stated, it was refreshing to see another Enlightened female character step up to the plate: Elmire. Unsuspectingly, she executed a rational plan and brought her stubborn husband to the light. We see a shift as Dorine takes a backseat in the last two acts and Elmire reveals her potential.
I do find it ironic that Elmire is the one who ultimately fixes the “problem” they have. At the beginning, Mother in Law Pernelle is all high and mighty yelling at Elmire. She criticized Elmire for how she ran her household, for what she chose to spend money on, and how she dressed. Pernelle was also convinced that Tartuffe was their gateway to heavy. After the story unfolds we come to find that Elmire and everyone else’s suspicions were true. Elmire is the one to prove it to Orgon, the one who is supposed to be the ruler of the house. In all, the one who you would least expect saves the day.
I found it very easy to find respect for Cleante and Elmire as the voices of reason because their words and actions are all said and done in good faith. Although Dorine is also a voice of reason, she does not actually care about Orgon but rather has an ulterior motive to unveil Tartuffe’s tricks so that Marian and Valére can marry. In the end, the only one that could ever expose Tartuffe is indeed Elmire because she is the only one that he expressed true feeling for. The only time Tartuffe is ever genuine through the entire play is when he confesses his love for Elmire.
I am amazed by the fact that it was Elmire who was the one to finally let Orgon get some sense back in Himslef. After all the wholoe family was trying to put some sens into Orgon in thinking that Tartuffe was a fraud and vicarious bastard. She was patient and waited for the right moment to reveal on Tartuffe’s mischevious plans. However, it is kinda sad that the women in this later didn’t get that much screem time they deserved. More like they’re the silent hero, watching over on the side for support.