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Tartuffe / 0-151-00281-9
With scathing satire, gorgeous poetry, clever word choice, and a beautiful English translation, Tartuffe viciously attacks religious hypocrites who posture and preen in public and the dupes who are foolish enough to believe that holiness can only be measured by the outward show of morality. Moliere utilizes the sharp-witted servant girl motif to provide a cutting Greek chorus and to propel the action in a way that the obedient daughter stereotype cannot. In the end, hypocrisy is exposed for the ugly stain that it is, and punished with humiliation and repudiation.
The story here is superb, and Moliere is careful to skewer only the hypocritical religious, and not the true believer. When the once-dupe sees the light of Tartuffe's hypocrisy and declares that all religion is now bunk, he is cautioned to avoid exchanging one extreme for another. Look for the good in all men, he is told, regardless of religious affiliation, but do not shun the religious simply because they are so.
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Intriguing and entertaining, the play Tartuffe is a satire displaying the scandalous truths and facades of the seventeenth century. Although initially written for the people of King Louis the XIV, the book can be read by an every day high school student or adult. Through reading the play the audience is able to see the deception of people and that we can not always judge by what we see. Moliere brings about this concept through his witty play, and in such a manner that you can't put it down. In Tartuffe, Moliere uses the characterization, rhyme scheme, setting, and irony to effectively inform an every day audience about the distinction between appearances versus reality.
Characterization of Tartuffe
The perfect example of a hypocritical facade is displayed in the characterization of Tartuffe; in fact the name can be defined as one resembling false piety of religion. Tartuffe's character doesn't appear until nearly the middle of the play and the very first image the audience receives is of him demanding his servant to, "hang up my hair-shirt, put my scourge in place, and pray Laurent for Heaven's perpetual grace. I'm going to prison now, to share my last few coins with the poor wretches there." (Tartuffe 3.2). The scourge and hair-shirt are used as a means of penance and chastisement. Religious ascetics will operate these items in private, showing their true devotion to God and to no one else. Tartuffe, however, made it obvious to the entire household what he was doing. Cleante, the character of reason, expounds upon Tartuffe's character, "those whose hearts are truly pure and lowly, don't make a flashy show of being holy. There is a vast difference it seems to me, between true piety and hypocrisy." (Tartuffe 1.5). If Tartuffe was truly pious, he wouldn't need ratification from others for his good deeds, self-satisfaction would suffice. Although Tartuffe appears holy and raves about his goodness, in reality it is just for show.
Another example of Tartuffe's hypocrisy occurs with Dorine. He tells Dorine to "cover that bosom, girl. The flesh is weak; such sights as that can undermine the soul." (Tartuffe 3.2). Tartuffe might appear offended by the act of seeing a women's chest, however, he doesn't have a problem with sleeping with another man's wife. In the subsequent scene Tartuffe's counterfeit façade is dissolved with Elmire and he offers her "love without scandal, and pleasure without fear" if she will commit adultery with him. To Tartuffe "it is no sin to sin in confidence" and though "some joys are wrong in heaven's eyes, heaven is not averse to compromise." (Tartuffe 4.5). In the scriptures, committing adultery is the third worst sin to commit in God's eyes. Moliere uses this example of Tartuffe's character to expose the many scandals occurring in the seventeenth century with the priests and their inability to remain celibate. Despite the fact priests and those who act pious [such as Tartuffe] appear holy, in reality they sometimes use young girls, committed adultery, and partake in many other scandals.
Not only does Tartuffe aspire to sleep with another man's wife, but also he indulges in the seven deadly sins. While Orgon is away from the house, Tartuffe ate "a leg of mutton and a brace of pheasants," "snored away until the break of day," and "drank four beakers full of port." (Tartuffe 1.4) Tartuffe is supposed to be a devout follower of the son of God. Nonetheless he overstuffs himself, eats too much meat, drinks and oversleeps. Orgon tries defend Tartuffe by saying he "gave him gifts, but in his humbleness he'd beg me every time to give me less." What Orgon doesn't understand is that a Christ-like figure would not accept gifts, and Tartuffe still takes them in, along with wishing to overtake Orgon's household. Tartuffe's sanctimonious display allows the audience to effectively see that he is a hypocrite. Moliere makes it a point to the audience that just because someone appears holy, it does not always hold true and in reality they could be hypocrites.
Characterization of Orgon
Moliere uses the characterization of Orgon to portray a father attempting to control his household when in reality Orgon is gullible and Tartuffe is running the household. Orgon enforces his "fatherly role" upon Mariane telling her Tartuffe is "to be your husband, is that clear" because "it's a father's privilege." (Tartuffe 2.1). He also repeatedly orders the other members in the family around, announcing he is the one giving the orders in the household. (Tartuffe 3.6). Although Orgon attempts to be the one giving the orders in the house, Tartuffe depicts Orgon as growing "more gullible by the day" and that he "could lead him by the nose." (Tartuffe 4.5) Tartuffe is able to get Orgon to sign papers to make him Orgon's only son and heir and eventually Tartuffe takes over Orgon's household. Moliere uses this example to effectively inform his audience that even though we appear to be in control of situations, giving someone too much power and being gullible can lead to a reversal of fortune.
Rhyme Scheme
Another tool Moliere uses to show the difference between appearance and reality is through the rhyme scheme. Moliere employs rhymed couplets to amplify the reading tempo. A rhymed couplet is two lines where the ending syllable of each line rhymes. For example: "there is nothing that I more cherish and admire than honest zeal and true religious fire." (Tartuffe 1.5). The prompt reading symbolizes the frantic disorder of Orgon's household. Although the family tries to put on a façade that they are a perfect aristocratic family of the time, in reality turmoil and conflict subsist throughout the household. This example was true of many families of the time and is also true today.
Setting
The setting also portrays the turmoil of the home and augments the pace of the play. The whole play takes place in the same room in Orgon's home and the characters are constantly entering and exiting the room. This causes chaos and confusion resembling the situation of the family. Moliere efficiently informs the audience that although households [in the 1600s or today] may appear to be perfect on the outside, if you dig a little deeper into the reality, they can be muddled.
Dramatic Irony
Moliere also utilizes irony to expose the difference between demeanor and veracity to the audience. On two occasions the play uses the dramatic irony of Damis or Orgon hiding in a closet or under the table while a conversation between Elmire and Tartuffe is occurring. The very first instance has Damis hidden in a closet and the audience gets a whim of Tatuffe's true character. Although Tartuffe "may be pious, he is human too." (Tartuffe 3.3). Tartuffe starts touching Elmire and proclaiming his lusts for her and his pious mask becomes undone. It is not until the second occurrence of dramatic irony that Tartuffe's façade is completely gone and the reality of his lasciviousness is unveiled. Tartuffe tells Elmire "to be his pupil" and he will show her "how to conquer scruple." (Tartuffe 4.5). Once again the audience can see the hypocrisy of Tartuffe. Moliere uses this tool of dramatic irony to show the audience that we can not always believe what we see because, once we truly get to know someone they can be a completely different person than they appeared.
I would highly recommend this book to all people fifteen and over because not only does Moliere give you insights on life, but also he is very entertaining and satirical. Due to the rhymed couplets, the book is a very quick read and it is enjoyable because of the irony and witty diction used throughout. Tartuffe is guaranteed to make you laugh and it will institute deep thinking for those wanting to read an academic work.
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For those who knows Shakespeare's story, "Othello", it's amazing how similar this is. The only difference is the knowledge of situation by the sharp-tongued maid. Oh, and the deus ex machina ending that abruptly steals the remainder of your breath away (after having laughed so hard at the ridiculous, satirical antics of the antagonist and the idiocy of the protagonist). If you enjoy French humor, this is for you. If not, or if you prefer to cross the thin line between comedy and tragedy, read Othello instead.
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Beware! The Dover edition is NOT the wonderful Wilbur poetry translation. It is a lumbering, stilted prose translation based on an 18th century version. The play comes through, but barely. Since no translator was listed and so many reviewers indicated that this was the Wilbur version, I ordered this for my theatre class to read -- disaster! Spend the money on the Wilbur -- it's worth it.