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Tartuffe by moliere essay
Be familiar with the importance of satire in tartuffe
Be familiar with the importance of satire in tartuffe
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Molieres Tartuffe a Masterpiece of French Literature Moliére's Tartuffe has long been considered a masterpiece of French Literature for its powerful social commentary, finely sculptured characters and its presentation of moral theme. While Tartuffe stands soundly on its own merits, its curiosity and impact for audiences both within its own period and for contemporary productions are heightened by the history surrounding its original presentation. Tartuffe was written and produced in a sensitive time for a sensitive audience. King Louis XIV sat upon a throne made uneasy with the plotting and dissent of multiple and powerful factions. The self-styled "Sun King", King Louis XIV inherited a throne at five that he would not truly rule until he was 22 when, after the death of his Prime Minister, Cardinal Mazarin, he announced the formation of a Council of Ministers to advise him. Even after the formation of this council, King Louis XIV still found himself forced into constant appeasement of the factions surrounding him. Those factions, especially those factions controlled by the Queen Mother and the ministers of his Council, would prove a near insurmountable obstacle in the efforts of Moliére to produce Tartuffe. Clustered around King Louis XIV were religious and political alliances, the seeds of which were sown during the reign of King Louis XIII. In various corners sat the aforementioned Catholic Advocacy (including the Society of the Holy Sacrament and the Jansenists of Port Royal), the Queen Mother, and the Protestant population at large. As the "Most Christian King", Louis struggled to balance the needs of the Church with what he thought to be in the best interests of France. Unfortunately for Moliére, when it came t... ... middle of paper ... ...f the Church, perhaps not. One must work only with the knowledge one possesses. Regardless, the vigorous response of the Church has created a sensibility for the production that makes it as much a history as a tragedy as a comedy. WORKS CONSULTED Bryson, Scott S. The Chastised Stage. Saratoga: Anma Libri, 1991 Hochman, Stanley (Editor). McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1984 Hodgson, Terry. The Batsford Dictionary of Drama. London: B.T. Batsford 1988 Mander, Gertrud. Moliére. New York: Frederick Unger Publishing, 1973 Sennett, Herbert. Religion and Dramatics. Lanham: University Press of America, 1995 Turnell, Martin. The Classical Moment. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1947 Walker, Hallam. Moliére. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990
The Edict of Nantes had given Protestants, or Huguenots, in France the ability to practice their religion without fear of violence or persecution. Enacted in the late 1500s in an effort to resemble France after the destruction of the French Wars of Religion, the Edict of Nantes served as a means to unite the French population and end the violence that often accompanied religious persecution. Louis’ decision to revoke such a peace-promoting edict, in an effort to homogenize his country and align his subjects with his own beliefs, clearly illustrates his giving of priority to his own agenda, as opposed to that which would best benefit his country. However, while the claim that the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes was detrimental to French society, seems to be disproven by Doc 6, which essentially asserts that the king’s revocation has resulted in the rapid conversion of “whole towns” and describes the king as “the invincible hero destined to… destroy the terrible monster of heresy”, the author’s inherently biased point of view must be addressed. This description, which could be used as evidence to support the fact that Louis did act in interest of the state, must be taken with a grain of salt as the author himself, a member of the Assembly of the Clergy, does not even have the best interest of the state in mind; rather, he is
Moliere’s Tartuffe assumed set of social conventions were shaped by all the characters within the play, however the authoritative figure was established depicted by the father, Oregon. Oregon’s character assumed the role of king or lord of his household. He believed that as the head of household, he had the right to rule over his kingdom as he saw fit. His kingdom had to run smoothly in order for it to be effective. No matter how harsh, unfair and painful it was for his, wife daughter or servants.
Examining the difference between reality and appearance is strongly manifested in this story. The author has made an impressive account of what is really happening to families whether during the earlier days or the modern times. The story of Tartuffe is a great lesson for every person that people should not be easily deceived by first impressions and the story of the Monkey King showed outspokenness along with truthfulness in intentions.
King Louis nation had a massive reaction focused on the King’s plight and return. The Reaction was not only seen in Paris alone but also on the other provinces, where a widespread phobia caused by foreign invasion led to the utter news of the King’s escape. Nevertheless, Tackett identifies the royal family plight to flee France as one of the most critical moments in the history of the French revolution. The king’s flight opens a window to the whole of the French society during the revolution. The purpose of the Kings flight was to offer freedom of action in terms of power and this was in regards to the King’s power and rule. The royal couple together with their advisers had unclear political agenda for their nation. Similarly, it is in the vent of these unclear goals factored by the Kind’s technical knowhow of not making decisive decisions that led to the stoppage of the royal family at Varennes and thereafter their return to Paris. The consequence of their return to Paris was the onset of the constant possibility of the end of the Monarch reign. On the same case, it is as a result of the royal family escape attempt and failure necessitated the integrity of the King as a constitutional monarch. On a much more political notion, The King’s hope of survival is mitigated
When Louis the XIV began his rule in 1643, his actions immediately began to suggest and absolute dictatorship. Because of the misery he had previously suffered, one of the first things he did was to decrease the power of the nobility. He withdrew himself from the rich upper class, doing everything secretly. The wealth had no connection to Louis, and therefore all power they previously had was gone. He had complete control over the nobles, spying, going through mail, and a secret police force made sure that Louis had absolute power. Louis appointed all of his officials, middle class men who served him without wanting any power. Louis wanted it clear that none of his power would be shared. He wanted "people to know by the rank of the men who served him that he had no intention of sharing power with them." If Louis XIV appointed advisors from the upper classes, they would expect to gain power, and Louis was not willing to give it to them. The way Louis XIV ruled, the sole powerful leader, made him an absolute ruler. He had divine rule, and did not want to give any power to anyone other than himself. These beliefs made him an absolute ruler.
In speeches such as these, Moliere wanted to get across the fact that it was false piety he was condemni...
Louis XIV is considered the “perfect absolutist” and he has been said to have been one of the greatest rulers in France’s history. He came up with several different strategic plans to gain absolute
In his book Gargantua and Pantagruel, Francois Rabelais uses satire to address the dislocation felt by Renaissance Humanists. By providing an exaggerated fable, comical in nature, Rabelais poses a serious introspection into the extremes of both the Medieval and the Renaissance man. More importantly, however, he brings into question his own ideals of Humanism. Through an analysis of Rabelais’ satirical technique and by examining his social parody of the Medieval and the Renaissance man, we are able to better understand Rabelais’ introspection into the ideals of his own generation and to accept his argument that learning is transitory and often a necessary, yet futile, attempt to understand our world.
There were many negative comments and many positive comments about Louis XIV and his court. In Louis XIV’s court, the closer a person was to the king, or the more he did for a person, the more that person likes him. The more distant you were from the king, the more you disliked him.
The glare of the sun blazed over France for seven decades during the most elaborate rule in European history. King Louis XIV was the sovereign king of France at age four, born on September, 5th 1638. His reign lasted longer than any other monarchy in history from 1643-1715. He was the god given child to his mother Queen Anne of Austria. She held the title Regency during her son’s younger years. France was in a total eclipse state politically with nineteen million subjects and a weak financial situation. The sovereign suffered from neglect from his mother, she allowed servants to raise and see to the day to day needs of his majesty. During an outing he nearly drowned due to a lack of supervision. Although evidence shows strong neglect his mother
This was the age of reason. People at this time began to apply rational thoughts to figure out and understand nature and to guide their human existence. In Moliere’s Tartuffe, this ideal is expressed through the character of the king. In the end, Tartuffe has brought an officer of the king back to take Orgon away. However, in Tartuffe’s attempt to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial.
These types of decisions define why Louis XIII is an important example of the primacy of the king over all other sources of political and governmental power in the 17th century. Certainly, Louis XIII’s rise to power defines the lack of checks and balances that would typically be a part of a lesser monarchy in which the aristocracy could have an influence on governmental decisions. However, this was not the case with Louis XIII, since he had gained complete control over the government through military might and the wealth of the royal family. This historical example defines the primacy of the absolute monarch within the context of the king’s role in governing in 17th century
It is in the duality of Orgon, the believing subject, and Tartuffe, the manipulating hypocrite (or impostor), that Moliere takes his digs at the extremes of enthusiastic belief. Tartuffe plays the role of a man whose greedy actions are cloaked by a mask of overwhelming piety, modesty and religious fervor. Orgon is the head of a household who has taken Tartuffe in. We laugh at Orgon because everyone else (except his mother) knows that Tartuffe is a fake. All of Orgon's relatives warn him of Tartuffe's gluttony and of the false nature of his pious proclamations.
Louis XIV (the fourteenth) was an absolute monarch. He was often called "the Sun King," and ruled over France. He devoted himself to helping France achieve economic, political, and cultural prominence. Many historians believe the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" mirrors Louis' reign. Louis XIV revoked the Edict on Nantes, changing the economy of France in one motion. By creating the city of Versailles and being a major patron of the arts, Louis was very influential on French culture. He made France go almost bankrupt from his costly wars and failures. Louis was very corrupt in his power, and it shown in all he did to change France; he got what he wanted, when he wanted it.
Tartuffe is an excellent example of a neoclassical drama because of its close adherence to the guidelines set forth in Aristotle’s Poetics, its use of character structure, and its incorporation of the common neoclassical ideas involving: reason, rational thinking, as well as logical problem solving.