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Early signs of feminism in Molière’s Tartuffe
The female characters in Molière’s Tartuffe display feminist behaviors years before the feminist movement emerged historically. Many of their actions, words and behaviors are completely out of character for women of their time. Moliere makes a strong statement with this play by presenting female characters that go against convention. The gender inequality when the Enlightenment began was extreme. The women in this play try to fight against this inequality and in the end it is the patriarch of the family that is fooled by Tartuffe yet most of the female characters remain un-fooled throughout the play. Two of the female characters in this play, Doreen and Elmire play significantly different roles in the home. They have different personalities, different household duties and drastically different social standing. As different as these women are, they both show signs of early feminism. To various degrees they fight for want they believe is right. Dorine speaks her mind openly and does not hold anything back. Elmire is sneakier and uses her sexuality to get what she wants.
Elmire understands that she is a woman and that men see her as a sexual object. She actually uses this to her favor. She uses Tartuffe’s affection for her against him. She makes him look like a fool after she seduces him. This woman understands that gender roles for men and women are very different and that she can use men to get her way. This gives Elmire a type of freedom. Elmire is an independent woman that knows how to get what she wants. In the play Elmire wants Tartuffe out of her husband’s house. She does not understand why everyone likes him so much. Elmire has an idea; she decides she will seduce Tartuffe. When...
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...ters. Yet, this is not all that she does. She also refuses to listen to the opinion of the men of the house. She is a very strong woman and argues with them to make sure her opinion is heard. She may play a fool, but she also plays a fool that is opinionated and is not afraid to argue with the men. This is not something that was common in the 17th century. During this time, men were believed to know all. Women were meant to listen and follow. Marianne plays the subservient daughter. She is willing to marry a man that she does not want to marry simply because her father demands it. Yet, she plots with her maid Dorine to help her get out of the situation. This is something that does not follow gender norms. A good daughter of the time would listen to her father religiously. Every woman in this play defies gender norms, even if some of they do it in a very minor way.
In Tartuffe, Moliere creates a play that is interesting in so many ways. His comedy reflects a lot on the role of men and women within a family. During this time, it was common for the man to be the head of the household and women to be submissive to the men. Men held the power in the family and made all the decisions. In this play, a man's point of view is the only view that matters. All else do not serve an importance. His lack of trust and awareness for other people's feelings and needs has caused great conflict in his family. The actions taken by Orgon and his family members express how this play views marriage and relations between men and women. It is a extremely different view (in some cases) of marriage today in average American family.
Weakness in Tartuffe The play "Tartuffe", by Moliere, is a work that was created to show people a flaw in their human nature. There are two characters who portray the main flaws presented in the play. Both Madame Pernelle and Orgon are blinded to the farces of Tartuffe and must be coaxed into believing the truth. The fact that Orgon and Madame Pernelle are too weak to see the truth is an important theme of the play.
The Flawed Characters of Tartuffe To be perfect is to be inhuman. Human nature is complete with many flaws and imperfections, one of which is represented in the play "Tartuffe", by Moliere. “Tartuffe” was written specifically to show the reader a basic flaw in human nature. This flaw is shown through two characters, Madame Pernelle and Orgon.
In the plays Antigone and A Doll's House, the playwrights discuss gender roles and how they relate to the characters in each individual play. Antigone, by Sophocles, follows a young girl who defies a law issued by King Creon against burying her brother, who fought against their town in the recent war. Creon orders her to be executed, but she ends up committing suicide. In A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, a wife named Nora takes out a loan by herself, unacceptable for a woman during that time period, and tries to appease the lender who threatens to reveal her loan. In the end, Nora's husband, Torvald, finds out about the loan and Nora ends up leaving him. In each of these plays, Sophocles and Ibsen offer insight into the problems faced by women who are independent, stubborn, and brave.
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, two ladies are presented, that are not necessarily the leading protagonist, but they help unravel the plays’ plots into something amazing. Twelfth Night features Maria, the lady in waiting to Olivia. At first Maria comes off as a dilettante, later on we find out that’s not the case at all. Meanwhile, in The Imaginary Invalid, there is the disputatious Toinette, who is the maidservant and nurse to the imaginary invalid himself, Argan. Maria and Toinette are two strong women characters, their strength and wit is depicted through Maria and Toinette’s deceiving schemes to make their plays more stimulating as well as their objectivity throughout all the chaos in their respective play.
Lastly, the women of the early 17th century to late 17th century differ greatly as it is seen in Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, and Moliere’s Tartuffe; Miranda is characterized as an individual who is dutiful to her father, yet has the strength to revolt against him at any time, meanwhile, Dorine, Mariane, and Elmire are presented as intelligent and blunt as to any other man in the late 17th century.
After reading “The Doll House” and “Trifles”, the idea of females being inferior to men is portrayed. Both plays, are in a much older time period. But from a feminist view, females are still sometimes given the doubtful role in today’s society. Both plays, are very different, but much alike in the ways the females are treated, never taken seriously, nor are they appreciated.
In William Shakespeare's short play Much Ado About Nothing, he focuses on the social standings and the roles of women in 16th Century Europe. The female protagonist of the play, Beatrice, understands the restrictions placed upon her by society and how these restrictions should limit her as a woman, but she inexorably escapes them by refusing to succumb to the unifying hand of marriage. Throughout the play, Shakespeare displays his profound respect for woman as independent individuals who are fully capable of making their own decisions and suffering their own consequences. Through the plot, he proposes the idea that women who deviate away from the passivity that society expects them to perform attain a more active role in the determination of their future. Contrary to the roles of women of the 16th Century, Shakespeare depiction of Beatrice's independence is symbolic of his stance on the progression and transformation of women's reputation in society.
The two topics of religion and hypocrisy in the play go hand in hand. The overall play is intended to ultimately bring to light religious hypocrisy, but not to necessarily demoralize it. The play aims to make fun of religious hypocrisy, while hinting that it’s problem or flaw is the way it slanders and makes one question the grandeur of pure religion. Tartuffe’s character portrayal is made up solely by his outspoken and unapologetic displays of religious devotion. Through his actions and displays of religious devotion he gains Orgon’s trust and manipulates him into overlooking his family's wellbeing and overall safety. He used Orgon's want and need to feel close to God himself against him, which left Orgon blinded by ignorance and own self
Elmire pretends that she loves Tartuffe, having hidden Orgon beneath the table in the room. Because Orgon cannot envision Tartuffe to be the man everyone claims he is, his wife must demonstrate the truth of Tartuffe's character by allowing Orgon to hear from the charlatan's own mouth what kind of fraud he truly is. Because Orgon is unable to see beyond Tartuffe's pretend saintliness, it is only after hearing the man not only make advances toward his wife, but also dismiss his religious beliefs that Orgon is able to step back, distance himself from the pretense Tartuffe has surrounded himself with, and call Tartuffe out as a scoundrel. Elmire lays the trap for Tartuffe about his faith—how can he contemplate seducing her, when he says he is devoted to Heaven? ELMIRE: “ But how can I consent to what you wish, Without offending Heaven you talk so much of?” TARTUFFE: “If Heaven is all that stands now in my way, I'll easily remove that little hindrance; Your heart need not hold back for such a trifle.” In perhaps the most entertaining scene of the play, Elmire convinces her husband to hide under the table to listen to this discussion. Only after witnessing Tartuffe's licentious behavior can Orgon understand for himself what almost everyone around him has been saying since he brought Tartuffe home. ORGON:
In Moliére’s Tartuffe (Moiré 1664), the reader is able to see a great contrast of Extreme and Moderate characters. Extreme characters being those who are seen as over the top, or very passionate people, and the moderate characters having a more calm and subtle approach to ideas. The extreme characters in this case would be Madam Pernelle, Orgon, Tartuffe, and Dorine. The moderate characters are seen as Cleante and Elmire.
Firstly we will commence by discovering how women are presented in Shakespeare’s play .Through-out the play women are presented as immature , impuissant characters : Lady Capulet & Juliet ,all women are regarded as possessions of men ,for them to do as they please . They are ornaments, they cannot speak their minds nor can they make their own decisions. Women are in the men’s shadows.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today.
Two characters that express themselves differently but, through their use of disguise and similar affect on the audience, manage to successfully portray the depth of a drama by connecting with the audience and acting as a channel for the cathartic moment, which marks a drama. These two women represent the same character but portray her in different ways. Viola’s portrayal is directed toward the fantastical, comedic setting of Twelfth Night, whereas Blanche is a much harsher, real, relatable character where the true fight with these emotion can be felt in an authentic way.
Although the results are not seen until the end of the play it is foreshadowed quite heavily throughout that the women are not to be trusted. The first example is the witches. The play’s opening act is the three witches foreshadowing their evil plan as one witch asks whether they will meet again assuming it will be in thunder, lightning, or in rain. During the time period of this play it was widely believed that a person’s actions could affect the weather. Bad deeds would result in bad