Gender Roles In Tartuffe

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The 1600’s was a time where classism ran rampant and sexism blinded the eyes of many. As constantly demonstrated throughout history, when a group of people are discriminated against there are inevitably those who rebel, both in small and large ways. Moliere is one of these people, who defies the rules of society to open the eyes of fools who have let prejudice blind them. In Tartuffe, Moliere satirizes many commonplace societal norms from the 1600’s, including the opinion that higher class and gender (male) equals higher intelligence, a belief Moliere shows to be untrue through his esteemed portrayal of lower-class women. The first and most obvious way Moliere satirizes class and gender is through his constant portrayal of Dorine as a woman

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