Melissa Hacken: Tartuffe Blog Post
Hi everyone!
So, after reading the final acts in Tartuffe, I noticed some common themes within the play. Among many obvious themes, I became intrigued that foolishness played a major role, and had a heavy relation on the outcome of some of the characters’ lives. More specifically, I believe that Orgon and Tartuffe’s foolishness lead to their disfavor.
Moliere made it pretty easy to see Orgon’s foolishness. From the very beginning of the play, Orgon’s admiration of Tartuffe is so intense that Tartuffe’s clear hypocrisy couldn’t be proved. It was made clear that Tartuffe’s obvious manipulation caused Orgon to see Tartuffe as a loyal, trustworthy, devout man of God. Orgon was foolish for blindly believing everything that Tartuffe said, and believing he was a virtuous man. Not just his children, and his own wife attempted to convince him otherwise, to no avail. The audience witnesses Tartuffe’s betrayal through his incessant advances towards Elmire. His son Damis had witnessed this disloyalty first hand, and although he was being truthful, Orgon’s adoration of Tartuffe fooled him to distrust Damis. His blind support of Tartuffe led him to disinherit his son, while making Tartuffe the sole heir of his estate, and entrusted him with the lockbox. These fateful actions caused Tartuffe to be able to attempt to drive Orgon and his family from their estate and cause legal issues with the King.
It was Tartuffe’s own foolishness that eventually saved Orgon, although it made things worse for himself. Tartuffe proves to be a man that cunningly captures the weakness of people, using it to his advantage. I personally believe it was foolish that Tartuffe hit on Elmire. Orgon had given him shelter, food, and constant gifts. Even so, Tartuffe was far too foolish to accept that. By hitting on Elmire, he started the inevitable downward spiral of his defeat. I find it even more foolish that when she was attempting to prove his hypocrite ways to Orgon in Act 4, Scene 5, he even suspected her advances of being a trick. His foolishness caused him to allow his desire for her to prove himself untrustworthy – right in front of Orgon. It was this specific act that showed Orgon his true hypocrisy eventually leading to his arrest.
Moliere introduced in “Tartuffe” interesting themes about foolishness people, the institute of the church of seventeenth century, gender role in the society. But nobody mentioned how Moliere describes the true love in his poem. After reading “Tartuffe” I had a sense of the foolishness love, that people played with fillings of each other. Tartuffe plays with Orgon’s feelings as well as feelings of Elmire and Mariane. In the beginning of the poem in act 1 scene two Moliere let us think about Tartuffe as an idol of Orgon’s desires and beliefs. From Dorine’s word we notice it:
“But he is quite lost his senses since he fell
Beneath Tartuffe’s infatuating spell.
He calls him brother, and loves him as his life,
Preferring him to mother, child, or wife.
…He made him his confessor and his guide;”
Does not it remind you the feeling of love of one person to another? Or maybe it is LOVE…Don’t you think it is the Moliere’s description of true love?
“He pets and pampers him with love more tender
Than any pretty maiden could endanger”
Reading those lines you get the interest to know what kind of relationships between Tartuffe and Orgon. And all those words were powerful for me until I read other impressive words of Tartuffe about love to Elmire:
“A love for heavenly beauty does not preclude
A proper love for earthly pulchritude;
… How could I look on you, O flawless creature,
And not adore the Author of all Nature,
Feeling a love both passionate and pure
For you, his triumph of self-portraiture?”
However, so meaningful words of Tartuffe about love compare with the true love of Elmire and Valere. Tartuffe’s words sound so lovely that it is impossible to believe in it. However, all his words are covered by Elmire’s wishes to suicide herself if she will not marry to Valere. Only they represent the true love. They do not say loud words about love, but show the true action and desire. The true love, where one can sacrifice herself to the favor of another person.
sorry i mean true love of Mariane and Valere
Pingback: produk kosmetik wanita
Pingback: perlengkapan jalasenastri