Tag Archives: enlightenment

Cleante and Elmire: Characters of True Wit and Reason

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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 Tartuffe Acts 1-3

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From the beginning of the play we immediately see the tension caused by Tartuffe’s presence. Tartuffe, an older, poor, religious man, is brought into a wealthy family with blind trust from the families father Orgon. The initial scene sets the tone with Orgon’s mother Madame Pernelle’s anger as her grandchildren mention their distrust and unease with Tartuffe. This brings severe objection from Madame Pernelle. She states “He’s showing you the way to heaven,” “His very presence casts the devil out.” Another character is introduced, Dorine, the lady maid to Orgons daughter Mariane.  Dorine isn’t just a voice of reason, but also the free-thinking mind that stubbornly speaks out of her place throughout the play. She speaks, and thinks, where Mariane is afraid to. While others believe Tartuffe to be a charlatatan, Orgon treats him like he is a King, allowing Tartuffe all that he wants. Dorine states “He hands him money. They’re not even loans-““It’s gone too far. To watch Tartuffe play him like a guitar!” The play takes an unexpected turn when Orgon tells his daughter that he wants her to marry Tartuffe. This going back on Orgon’s word allowing his daughter to marry her true love Valere. The thought of marrying Tartuffe confuses and terrifies Mariane, but she is unable to speak against her father’s demand. He even tells her what she will say, “He is a perfect man in every way; in body and soul, I find him divine.” This is where the reader starts to believe Orgon isn’t just easily influenced but also “born bizarre,” as Dorine states people will believe of him. During this conversation Dorine interjects and angers Orgon by speaking up and out of place, trying to reason, sometimes sarcastically, sometimes manipulatively to convince Orgon that this is a terrible idea. “And the gossip! Your friends will talk a lot, because you are a man of wealth and he is not.” Then the conversation turns to pure anger, Dorine even goes as far as to tell Orgon that Mariane will commit adultery and further humiliate him with this decision. Mariane is unwilling to deny her father’s demand and informs Valere. After a disruptive, prideful and stubborn conversation between Mariane and Valere; Dorine once again shows her strength in bringing the two back together and deciding on a plot to make Orgon change his mind.  Some interesting factors about this play, for one, the reader, in acts 1 to 3 has yet to meet Tartuffe. There is little indication of what Orgon was like before meeting Tartuffe, but we see how easily he is manipulated by him. Orgon states, “Yes, I was changed after I talked with him.” “He’s taught me to love nothing and no one!”   There are aspects of the play that show the nature of the times. Obedience to one’s parent, piety and blindly following the religious, but enlightenment is also shown. Orgon’s criticism of Valere because “He thinks things a Christian would abhor. It is from free thinking that all evils stem.” The most enlightened aspect is Dorine’s character. Not only is she a woman but also a servant, and she is the most outspoken and strong character in the play.