—Lin Xi
If I were asked what a great work is, I would say that it should contain the theatricality of dramas and the authenticity of our real life. In my opinion, Tartuffe is such a work. As a person with little knowledge of Catholicism and church, I thought it was a ridiculous story about a fool when I first read this story. It is hard to imagine that Orgon would entrust all the property to an outsider who met with him in church. But rereading more carefully, I felt that Molière “weaves” all the absurdities into a real-life story. Following his work, I know that this is a “ridiculous” drama, but obviously feel that this is like human natures.
Religion had a great impact on people’s spiritual world in that era. But even if we look at the story in different cultural backgrounds, it can represent something that has a profound impact on people’s thoughts. Hypocrisy in modern society is possibly more superior to Tartuffe’s behavior. For example, in the workplace, colleagues who seem to be your friends are secretly trying to frame you and mask themselves by all means in front of your boss. In the text, Orgon hides under the table and reveals the original shape of Tartuffe. (Moliere 4.5-4.7) This is not only a satire regarding Orgon’s stubbornness and inability to distinguish hypocrisy, but a jocular way to show the basic characteristics of people like Tartuffe: greed, lascivious and hypocritical. He gathered the defects of humanity in himself, and almost successfully destroying a family by “wearing a mask”.
At the same time, the impact of this work in the society was also remarkable. The work was banned because of its pungent satire and criticism of the hypocrisy of the Catholics and the stubborn forces in the court and the church, which just proved the existence of such phenomenon. It achieved great success after lifting the ban, which criticized the hypocrisy in the feudal church and the arrogance of the aristocracy. In summary, I think it is a great work.
Works Cited
Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. “The Project Gutenberg EBook, Tartuffe, by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere, Translated by Jeffrey D. Hoeper.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tartuffe, by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere, Jeffrey D. Hoeper, 1 Oct. 2009, www.gutenberg.org/files/28488/28488-h/28488-h.htm.”
