When I think of a great work among the readings we have done thus far, Tartuffe by Moliѐre is the one that comes to mind. I, at first, found the read a little difficult, but as the story progressed it pieced together, and I really enjoyed it and I would consider this piece of literature to be a “Great Work”. For any piece of literature to be great, I feel as if there should be some underlying message being told by the author, even if it isn’t transparent at first or requires a form of deeper abstract thought. The story focuses on Tartuffe who is a holy man of piety that people consider to be fair, just, holy, etc. just because of who he is and what his position is, but Tartuffe is actually quite a hypocrite and his hypocrisy is apparent to the audience.
While this story is seen to be a comedy, there is an underlying theme throughout the play which touches on the concerns of society without blatantly coming out and stating it, which I believed makes this a great work. Moliere’s ability to encompass the issues of society and expected social norms as the central theme throughout the story is what makes this great. The work touches on hypocrisy, especially among those of power. We often are inclined to believe those above us in power strictly due to their position, but a person’s position doesn’t necessarily make them an honorable person. I grew up baptized Catholic and in the Catholic church there are numerous accounts of scandals involving priests, who are supposed to be and expected to be people of God, which makes it difficult for people to believe they would do these things, just like Madame Pernelle refused to believe Tartuffe was a hypocrite because she believed he was a man of holiness and zeal.
