Orgons Obsession in Molieres Tartuffe - Assignment Example

(A1)I think the struggle for power within the family is amusing in the way that everyone is trying to enforce their will on others; there is Madame Pernelle who is snapping at Damis, Elmire and Cleante and not allowing them to speak back to her, there is the confusing and humorous way Orgon is trying to coerce his daughter to marry Tartuffe and the way that he is trying to push Tartuffe on the rest of the family. This resonates with the contemporary family, where the elders of the house, specifically the father and his own parents, try to control everyone else in the house. (A2) Tartuffe was able to deceive Orgon was because of Orgons stubbornness and lack of common sense. Julian Taibi in his article states that "since Orgon blindly believes that Tartuffe can do no evil, he refuses to listen to the accusation and consequently turns on his own son, Damis. Orgon has become so obsessed with the notion of Tartuffe’s saintly piety that he kicks Damis out of his house – hardly an act that would come from a religious, or even a sane person," (Taibi, 15). The reason why even today so many people become deceived by politicians or religious zealots and salespersons is because these tricksters know how to manipulate their audience , by adopting any appearance that they know will attract and please their audience (Abrams & Greenblatt 20-30). (A3) Yes Dorine is correct in calling Orgon mad, because he is irrationally obsessed with Tartuffe, seen from the way he continuously enquires about Tartuffes health while ignoring his own wifes ailments, trying to coerce Marianne into marrying Tartuffe, chiding Damis while consoling Tartuffe and asking him to "rise" against his son, and ignoring everyone elses warnings about Tartuffe. Indeed, "Orgon is almost trying to become a missionary figure in his obsession with Tartuffe, putting aside his own earthly cares in favor of what he perceives to be more spiritual matters: the person of Tartuffe himself," (Taibi, 14). (A4) Since Moliere intended to reveal the hypocrisy of religious people, this line "You are becoming so heavenly minded, that you are no earthly good," is particularly apt since it highlights how some religious zealots give the impression that they are constantly thinking about God and doing spiritual work and helping people, but when it comes to putting these plans into reality, these men do not do anything; they are of "no earthly good" since they do not help mankind as they say they would (Abrams & Greenblatt 30-40). (A5) I feel Moliere has tried to present the two terms, common sense and reason, as interchangeable. Taibi mentions that "Also, since Moliere wrote during the beginning of the Age of Reason, people were beginning to demand adherence to common sense in decision-making and behavior that was rational," (Taibi, 14); maybe for Moliere common sense and reason are synonymous. (A6) Though I do not believe Molieres "Tartuffe" is an attack on religion (Christianity in particular), to the unskilled eye it may seem that way. Indeed, " the dévots, the followers of Cardinal Pierre de Berulle, found the play extremely offensive," and "some audience members misconstrued Moliere’s message and assumed that the playwright had argued that Christianity was synonymous with a lack of the ability to reason with clarity and intelligence," (Taibi,15). Moliere simply wished to reveal the dark side of religious zealots, and wanted people to be cautious around those religious men who deliberately made a show of their piety. (A7) Simply put, Tartuffe is a villain. He is almost like a shape-shifter, taking on whatever appearance he thinks will attract others. He is the embodiment of deceit and manipulation, and he reeks of hypocrisy. (A8) According to Taibi, Dorine embodies "the power of reason to overcome irrationality," (Taibi, 1). She is "superior in intelligence and is able to see through the hypocrisy and two-facedness of Tartuffe," (Taibi, 17) and therefore, she tries to get the other characters to see sense. For instance she tries to talk Marianne out of letting Orgon force her to marry Tartuffe. (A9) From the very beginning of the play, we see Madame Pernelle trying to establish her power over the family, by the way she scolded and constantly interrupted them. Then we see Tartuffe, trying to establish his own power over the household, by trying to take over Orgons wife, his daughter and by taking over his money too. Orgon is trying to establish his power over his household too, by coercing his daughter to marry Tartuffe, by taking Tartuffe into the house, by declaring to cut his son Damis from his inheritance (Abrams & Greenblatt 45-55). (A10) There could be a generation gap in Tartuffe in the way that the characters react to Tartuffe; the elders Madame Pernelle and Orgon are in awe of Tartuffe, whereas the younger family members Damis and Marianne and Cleante for example, are highly mistrustful and cannot see eye to eye with their elders about him. (A11) According to critics, Moliere himself did not think that the government is needed to protect its citizenry; they explain his use of dues ex machina as " Moliere’s appeasement of the aristocracy and the King himself in the hope of lessening the sting of his satirical portrayal of religious hypocrisy," (Taibi, 19). I myself do not believe that the government must step in to solve its citizens problems, especially personal ones that occur within families, like in Tartuffe. People must take responsibility for their own dilemmas at a private level; on a national and larger, socio-political level, should the government step in to help. (A12) I think the strongbox is symbolic of the secrets or sins that men hide inside them; these are what Christians confess to a priest inside a confessional room. Orgon handing the box to Tartuffe is symbolic of the level of trust he has in him, he is trusting Tartuffe with his ultimate secret. (A13) You can relate to the events and characters in Tartuffe; this is what makes the play so popular, the way that it is universally applicable. Taibi ends his paper in an apt way, extolling the relevance of the play to today; "Moliere’s Tartuffe wrestles with issues of reason, irrationality, and obsession that we are still faced with today in 2010. Religious hypocrisy, as well as political hypocrisy, pervades our whole society, and in some form, presents itself in the news every day, often motivating contradictory and dangerous actions. We encounter so many false prophets and leaders in all sectors of our culture, and it is often difficult to tell the sincere and genuine from the masked and deceptive. We should still look for the simple virtues advocated by Moliere through the character of Cleante and always be willing to look for the truth behind the façade," (Taibi, 19). Work citedTop of Form Top of Form Greenblatt, Stephen, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print. Bottom of Form Taibi, Julian. Orgon’s Obsession in Moliere’s Tartuffe: Infatuation versus Reason. N.p.: Esu.edu, 2010. Pdf. http://www.esu.edu/~jhotz/viewpoints/f10papers/F10-4-Taibi.pdf Read More