— 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 that is very similar to the present day is the questioning of authority. An example of this is how the maids and grandchildren do not simply listen to their master and grandmother based off the fact that she is old. They are blantly disagreeing with her with no regrets. The grandmother is shocked because she grew up in a time where elders are seen as the most revered members of society.
An aspect that seems old fashioned is how the father can control the daughter’s love life. Orgon is commanding his daughter to marry someone who sees best for him and his family and something like that would not happen anymore especially in the Western hemisphere. This highlights how out of touch Orgon and his mother is compared to the younger generation in 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?
Dorine is a very outspoken person. She speaks what she thinks and is not afraid of what others might think of her. With this I mean that she does not worry about appearances. Even though she is the maid, she feels that she has the right to express her thoughts about the issues of the household. Dorine plays a strong female lead. She devises a plan to help Mariane marry Valère and also to get Tartuffe out of the house. We can see her strong character when she is arguing with Orgon in Act II, scene 2. In this scene, Orgon even threatens to hit Dorine if she does not stop talking and yet she still has the courage to stand up to him.
Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.
Molier writes from the 17th century in France where the influence of God and religion is depicted through the laws of the state by the King. These influential laws effected every family under the King’s ruling. Pious men and women, wealthy families, and scholars were all held in high respect through the King’s eyes. Even though the play Tartuffe takes place over 4 centuries ago, there are certain features and events that still hold a place in our modern day along with some aspects that are categorized as old school.
I believe the pressure of reputation influences Orgon to attempt a marriage between his daughter and Tartuffe, someone who he believes is a devout Catholic. Orgon’s intentions on a pious or holy reputation are still common in the 21st century. Reputations in general, whether it be your personal, professional, athletic, academic, or political; people want to be respected and known for exceeding in something significant.
The more obvious out dated, or old-fashioned feature from Tartuffe is the monarchy system. However, the more interesting aspect I noticed was the use of servants and hand maids. These servants were essentially with these families until the bitter end. They were there for their masters at birth and lived by them until no longer needed. Everyone from a wealthy background was known to have a servent or maid. Today “the help” are known to have more independence. They typically are hiried through a company and their services are only used for house cleaning or a wet nurse in the beginning stages of infancy. The closest thing the modern day era gets to using servents would also be the use of a loyal “hair and make up” team of a celebrity.
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?
I think Dorine is a very interesting character in this drama. Despite the facts that she plays a role as a servant in this drama, her knowledge and her understanding of whole scenario is way beyond the role of servant. For the first several parts of drama that I have read, I think she is apparently one of the people who knows what is going on in the house. She dares the speak out what is in her mind as well as offers her advisement to Mariane. What I found is interesting is though “Power” is the theme throughout the whole drama, Dorine is one character who dares to challenge power (she reveals her discontent to Orgon). I also believe she is intelligent because she knows exactly the true nature of Tartuffe, while her masters were treated by Tartuffe. Her intelligence can also be revealed as she describes how Tartuffe is a hypocrite to Orgon. I would say Moliere may use Dorine in a sarcastic way to show his audience that a wealthy smart master(Orgon) is unable to identify the true nature of a person while a poor and suppose to be a uneducated servant can easily tell who is a hypocrite.
—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 a sassy and streetwise maid. She is the wise one who sees through all pretense. She likes to speak up when she thinks something is wrong. She is not afraid of challenge the authority. Also, she is the one who always give out some good advises. In the story, she does not like old fashioned obedient lady maid, she likes to speak up whenever she thinks something is not right. When Orgon and his mother, Madame Pernelle strongly believe in Tartuffe, she speaks up and against their thought. she believes Tartuffe is a hypocrite, and he is not religious as they think. Also, Dorine is the one who saves the relationship between Mariane and Valere. When Orgon asked Mariane to marry Tartuffe, Mariane said nothing but obeyed his father. Dorine strongly disagreed with Orgon’s decision. She told Mariane and Valere to fight for their love.
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?
Marriage is depicted as relatively positively throughout Tartuffe. Marriage is seen as a joyous union full of love and fidelity, but the narrative is not seen through rose-tinted glasses. There are realistic struggles within the marriages and/or engagements seen on stage. For example, Valere and Mariane are very in love and devoted to one another, an ideal base for a marriage, but when Orgon revokes his agreement, the two are so upset that they are difficulties in communication. Often during hard times new couples have hard times communicating. Similarly the marriage between Orgon and Elmire is put under much strain when Tartuffe enters the picture, but in the end Elmire remains virtuous and the marriage is sustained. Tartuffe, the epitome of all things evil, yearns to commit adultery and besmirch the monogamy of marriage. In Tartuffe, the model of marriage isn’t an overly romantic one; it one that acknowledges the hardships that any couple goes through and values fidelity, dedication, trust, and communication.
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 isn’t like any other maid, she doesn’t just cook and clean for Mariane but she gives her opinion, unlike any other maid. When something isn’t right, she likes to speak her mind rather than watching how things will play out. In the action of drama in this play, she challenges the power of Orgon. This was one of my favorite scenes knowing that a servant doesn’t usually challenge the master of the house nor do they dare to talk back to him. Dorine is one to try to fix things instead of watching it crumble. For example, when Mariane was forced to marry Tartuffe, her and Valere were about to end things because it was Orgon’s wish for her to marry Tartuffe. Dorine puts her two sense in and makes Mariane and Valere realize their true love for each other, making them fight for it. With this, I sensed a bit of a motherly figure to Dorine as well. What maid actually cares so much? Wouldn’t a mother want to see their daughter happy as well? Dorine is a maid who sees through people and knows when to speak her mind.
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 a very frank and direct person. She has a clear perspective of what is happening in the play and is not afraid to voice out her opinions. She is not like the regular typical 17th century servant that we see in other works or movies. Her position as a maid in the family does not dictate how she acts or what she says. She seems to have more sense than her masters and does not fear challenging their ways or opinions. An important part of her role was bringing Mariane and Valere together. Without her intervention, things could have gone very differently. Despite being a maid, she is smart and is able to devise a number of plans and tactics throughout the story. She is not scared of anybody including Orgon whom his own daughter is somewhat scared of. I think that this shows more about Dorine’s character and how she is the strong female lead in the story.
Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
The character of Orgon is a very annoying character to me. Orgon puts everyone and everything last whenever anything comes down to Tartuffe. Orgon is so vulnerable to Tartuffe because Tartuffe claims that he’s so religious but at the same time he’s not so religious as Orgon thinks he is. All of Orgon’s family see who the real Tartuffe is and tries to tell him that. Instead, Orgon blocks everyone out and only cares of what Tartuffe says or does. Tartuffe is the reason why Orgon’s son, Damis, was kicked out of the house. Also, when Orgon’s wife, Elmire, was really sick, and all Orgon could ask about was how Tartuffe was doing. Orgon finally came to his senses and realized who Tartuffe really was when he saw that he was trying to put the moves on his wife Elmire. In all, Orgon was the type of person that would put Tartuffe first in front of his own family and for someone to do something like that, he must be really blinded by whatever that person says or does to them.
— 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 that of hypocrisy and false leadership in church, as well the extremity to which people are willing to go to prove their devotion to it. For example, since the very beginning of the play we are exposed to Madame Pernelle’s idea that those opposing Tartuffe’s stay in the household will go to hell; and the genuine fear that those in the family have of God. Orgon took Tartuffe in as a holy man (or a figure of leadership in church), in hopes of ridding the house of sin and essentially gaining acceptance from God. Similarly, today there is false leadership in church because many in prestigious positions within it (priests in specific) abuse of their power; in rare cases by raping young boys. Also, taking extreme measures to showcase your devotion to God is exemplified by terrorist group ISIS, who claim to take action in Allah’s name.
An aspect of the play that I consider very old-fashioned and played out is the idea that the purpose of marriage is procreation; today marriage is the result of many different factors and/or situations. For example, while one may marry to procreate, others may marry for the simple fact that it brings companionship, and those who are unable to procreate are not deprived of the right to marry. Today there is also the very common idea of marriage for legal documentation, and while same sex spouses may look to recreate, they don’t always.
*procreate.
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 of Dorine, who is lady maid in Orgon’s family, shows maximizing other characters’ characteristics. Dorine is not a normal servant in the story. She is not scared to state her opinion without hesitation when Orgon’s family is on the wrong choices and their careless behavior. In my opinion, she has very important role in the story. Dorine’s characteristic help to show more other character’s distinctive characteristics in the story such as Tartuffe’s fake faith, Orgon and Madame Pernelle’s careless, and Marine and Elmire’s irresolution. I also felt that Moliere said what her critical thoughts about social issues and situations’ at that time related to the height of hypocrisy in the story thru the character of Dorine.
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?
In the play, Tartuffe, Dorine is the smartest person. In the 17th century, servants were supposed to obey whatever their master tells them to do. However, Dorine, as a servant, she is brave enough to challenge the authority. Whatever she thinks is not right, she speaks out and argues. When Organ tells her daughter to marry Tartuffe, Dorine opposes his thought. Her role in the action of the drama replies that people should feel free to oppose whatever they think is wrong. She reflect as an intelligent and a brave person who refuse to follow feudal ideas, and believes that love cannot be forced by anyone or anything. In addition, without Dorine, Tartuffe would be a tragedy instead of comedy because no one sees things clear as Dorine does, and everyone would be fooled by Tartuffe without knowing.
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 that rare and special type of maid that we don’t see come around often. She speaks her mind and does not care whether people agree or disagree with what she has to say. Especially in those days maids were seen to be seen as almost servants and would do anything their master desires from them. She challenges Orgon in this story and it was interesting to see that Dorine had given herself this power that isn’t seen with other maids even today. She brings Mariane and Valere back together and stopped what would have been disaster. Without her getting involved these two characters would have been very sad in the end and the outcome that would have happened. This shows that Dorine actually played a crucial role in this story and had a very big impact on multiple characters and essentially saving their futures.
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?
Without the theme of appearances the play would not be what it was. The use of “masks” is what made it so dramatic and surprising. Most of the characters have disguised who they truly are or how they truly felt. As we know Tartuffe is the most disguised person in the play. His actions are the root of all evil that arose throughout our reading. His deception is one of the central concerns of the play and leads to many more moments where characters did not act as how they truly are. In Tartuffe, Moliere only uses the metaphor of the mask once when Elmire says “I’m going to lead him on, to lift his mask…” (l. 16 p. 183). After that statement Elmire puts on her own mask to try and reveal Tartuffe. She pretends to love him and desire him. The whole point of this is to move the play on by allowing Orgon to find out who Tartuffe truly is.
Without this theme of appearances this play would not have transitioned and flowed as it had. With each person that lied was another step closer to outing Tartuffe. When Dorine pretended not to want to help Mariane that made her realize she really did want her help, which is what gave her the courage to stand up to her father, which resulted in his indifference of her feelings. His indifference fueled everyone’s anger against Tartuffe thus resulting in their plans on revenge and most likely their success.
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 was an outspoken maid throughout the play. She spoke her mind, forgetful of consequences to her role as a maid. She was sort of the driver of reason within the family and spoke the mind of Mariane and the rest of the family against Tartuffe. She was a servant that has been in the family for years and has grown with the family, whether in their happiness or sadness, and knows what is right for the family when it comes to additions of other members like Tartuffe. Her role had a significant power in slowing Orgon down with his decision to give Mariane away to Tartuffe and she also planned the plot of Mariane’s and Valere’s plan for marriage. She had the role of giving Orgon everything he did not want to hear. There were multiple scenes where Dorine spoke out of orders from Orgon about his bad decision and affection for Tartuffe and I believe that played a big role in how Tartuffe’s character was perceived in the play by the audience. It was an in-depth insight of Tartuffe’s influence on the family members.
Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
Orgon is a very gullible man. He’s shown to be extremely simpleminded and also very stubborn. Once he thinks something, there’s no changing it. When Orgon is under the table and finally sees Tartuffe’s true colors, he says shortly after to Cleante that he’ll never trust any holy man again. This way of thinking shows that he previously thought ALL holy men were inherently good people no matter what. This is extremely naive and stupid. It’s easy to see from that belief why he was so vulnerable to Tartuffe. Tartuffe most likely just used some sweet words on him and gained Orgon’s trust through that. From that point on, Orgon would believe Tartuffe no matter what he did.
– Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
Orgon is a character who once lived a religious lifestyle and who is apparently easily swayed by new ideas or people. His character is flawed because his way of thinking, in my opinion, is too idealistic. An example of this is that Orgon is at first pleased at the thought of having Valere marry his daughter Mariane but later changes his mind when Tartuffe comes along. Orgon is vulnerable to Tartuffe because he essentially sees in him what Orgon believes to be a righteous and devout way of life; which is a greater ideal than having his daughter marry Valere in Orgon’s mind. Furthermore, the idea of becoming devoted to God and worrying primarily about his acceptance into the Heavens is what consequently allows Orgon to seemingly care less about his family and people around him, on Earth.
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?
Unlike other servant being submissive and obedient to their masters, Dorine is a light spot in this play. She is saucey and sassy. She has her own wisdom though coming out straightfoward like rebutting with Orgon. In a period when social class regulates how certain class people behave, Dorine is totally an opposite. She doesn’ care about her position when she sees Mariane is going against herself will by listening to her father arrangement marrying Tartuffle. She is brave and smart. She stimulates Mariane by encouraging her marry Tartuffle. The role she plays in the play is giving a great sense of humor to this play. She helps to reveal Tartuffle and assist Mariane and Valerer being together.
– Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?
Organ is a complex character. He served the king honorably and had tended to his estates in a rational. However, when he reached middle age, he became a religious person. He didn’t care about his family. He cared more about the holy man who taught him to feel that way than he did about his family had some really serious issues. Tartuffe not only cheated his money, but also let organ marry his daughter to him.
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 servant in this play and she always has an opinion about everything. Dorine gives advice to Mariane because she has been with the family for so long she feels like she is part of their family. Dorine seems to have a lot of power in this play. She was able to bring Mariane and Valere back together. Also at a scene where Orgon tells her daughter to marry Tartuffe, Dorine stepped in and did not agree with that idea. The ability and privilege for Dorine to speak her mind while being a maid/servant shows how important this character was.
— 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?
Characters wear masks in order to achieve their goals or obtain personal interests in Tartuffe. Orgon seeks power to rule his family, but he was fooled by Tartuffe’s false appearance. And Elmire has a clear sense of consciousness, she pretends to like Tartuffe in order to show Orgon that Tartuffe’s real impure characteristic. As a hypocrite, Tartuffe’s monetary lust and sexual desire makes him to cheat people. Tartuffe pretends to be a holy man, furthermore he uses Orgon’s trust to manipulate relationships and threaten Orgon’s economic social status which constitutes a sin. Masking always represents fake appearance, however, it stimulates people to seek the reality behind the mask.
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 supposed to represent the funny character she is the person who brings the comedy to the play. She is like any normal servant but represents more than just serving Orgon’s family. She is like smart person and analytical. When Valere and Mariane were fighting if they should marry or not and Dorine comes into play and tells them that they are acting stupid and that of course both of them should get married. She is a smart woman and that she was the first one to interact with Tartuffe. By that I mean the first person that the audience gets to see Tartuffe interact with. She found out about Tartuffe evils ways when he told her to cover her bosoms. She said a good combat saying that she would never get temptation of sin seeing Tartuffe naked.