The French neoclassicism Tartuffe by Moliere and Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream are comedies that use dishonesty and foolish love to teach life lessons. They begin their lessons from the onset of their titles (Miller, Reinert, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Molière, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Čehov, Shaw, Glaspell, O 'Neil, Williams, Miller, Hansberry, Fugard, Jones, and Wilde 1). Tartuffe refers to an individual considered a religious hypocrite. In the play, Orgon falls for Tartuffe’s dishonesty blindly when he believes him over his family. Most translations suggest that Tartuffe slithers between reality and illusion. He is an impostor, an element that Moliere manages to portray as what exists and what appears to exist in his play. …show more content…
The first act of foolishness comes from Egeus after he stops Hermia from marrying Lysander. Egeus has many complaints against Hermia and he even confesses some of them to Theseus yet Hermia is his daughter. It indicates how foolish her father is, given that she is the only child he has. In most cases, parents with one child will often do what their child wants because the child’s well-being is their only source of happiness. Therefore, if he denies Hermia her happy marriage, she will live in sadness, which will have a similar effect on him. It is unlike most parents to let their children undergo suffering if it will last many years in marriage. Instead, Egeus insists that Hermia should marry Demetrius, although Hermia does not have feelings for him. His actions show that her father is foolish to the extent that he is willing to ruin her life. In fact, Egeus gives ultimatums to her daughter that she would rather die or be a Nan if she fails to comply with his demands. Egeus is ruining his daughter’s life rather than mending it. On a similar note, the lesson of injustice merges as Egeus denies Hermia and Lysander a chance to get married yet they are in love. The lesson is that people should not use their positions of power to deny other people what they want, or more importantly, what they deserve. They should learn to ignore their selfish interests and learn to embrace the fact that things will not always towards …show more content…
Damis caught Tartuffe seducing his mother, and he believes he has adequate proof to make his father punish Tartuffe. He describes Tartuffe’s character as black, and he proceeds to his father to reveal what he found out. However, his father does not believe that Tartuffe is a hypocrite hence he asserts that Damis is not right. He insists that Tartuffe’s hypocrisy claims are a motive by his son to taint his reputation and purity. In this scene, the author lays emphasis on an element of foolishness. Orgon prefers to enshrine his trust in a stranger rather than his family. He should give priority to his son because Tartuffe is just a third party who may pretend to have Orgon’s well-being at heart. It even shows that the disagreement between the father and his son may a result of the father’s blindness and poor judgment. Instead of taking precautions to understand Tartuffe’s innate nature, Orgon continues to make more mistakes by insisting that his daughter should marry Tartuffe and not Mariane. On the other hand, his daughter wants to marry Mariane. Through the marriage, Orgon hopes that Tartuffe can attain a better social position and remain within the house forever. It shows that Tartuffe has some control over Orgon because he feels the need to keep him around all the time regardless of the negative things he hears about him. Here, the reader learns that people must listen to the opinions of others and respond appropriately to
A man will only see what he wants to see. In "Tartuffe", by Moliere, we are introduced to Orgon, a man so blinded by his obsession with Tartuffe that he falls subject to his deception. Tartuffe pretends to be a devout, pious, and humble man, while in reality is a religious hypocrite. Throughout the play we are presented with many characters who try in vain to "open" Orgon's eyes to Tartuffe's lies. He refuses to accept the fact that Tartuffe is an imposter and is more of a hypocrite than a reverent man. "My mother, children, brother and wife could die, And I'd not feel a single moments pain...oh, had you'd seen Tartuffe as I first know him, your heart, like mine, would have surrendered to him". Orgon makes this completely irrational declaration regarding Tartuffe. This nonsensical statement proves just how deeply fixated he was with believing that Tartuffe was a righteous and honest individual. Only in the end does Orgon come to the realization that he's been fooled all along, and finally comes to accept the fact that Tartuffe is a lying, scheming fraud.
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. When Dorine tries to tell Orgon about Elmire's illness, all Orgon can say is,
The most obvious weakness shared between Orgon and Madame Pernelle is gullibility. The trait of gullibility can be seen as a family trait as suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" : "His mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out ("We cannot always judge by what we see")" (Weals). Orgon believes because Tartuffe claims to be a man of God, he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse /
In the text, it states “Orgon: Has everyone been well? Dorine: Not quite. There was that headache Madame had the day you left. Well, it got really bad. She had a fever- … Orgon: And Tartuffe? He sat in her sight, not holding back, he ate with great delight, a brace of partridge, and a leg of mutton. In fact, he ate so much, he popped a button. Orgon: Poor man!” (21). This piece of the text serves as an example of Orgon’s appreciation for Tartuffe; the idea of which is unctuous as Orgon states later in the text that Tartuffe has taught him to love no one. This piece of the text also introduces two more seven deadly which are gluttony and sloth. In regards to gluttony, Dorine specifically mentions all of the actions that Tartuffe makes, most of which include eating, in which Orgon responds by stating how sorrowful he feels for Tartuffe when hearing this. Gluttony as a sin is described as “excessive ongoing consumption for food or drink” which evidently describes Tartuffe in this situation. While Madame Pernelle has both a headache and fever Tartuffe continues to enjoy the meal that he didn’t even obtain off his own merit. In a way, this can be seen as hypocritical as someone who preaches the word of the Lord would pray for someone to get better but instead of doing that Tartuffe simply watches her and eats. In regards to sloth in the same part of the
If anything, Madame Pernelle and Orgon are incredibly gullible. One author suggests that this gullibility is a shared family trait, stating that “his mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out (we cannot always judge by what we see)” (Weals). Orgon foolishly believes that Tartuffe is a man of God, and, because of this, he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse / Is all you'll get from me - except my curse!" (III, vii , 68). Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to."(I, i ,44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tartuffe.
The Loss of Magic Throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, there are multiple analyses that one can follow in order to reach a conclusion about the overall meaning of the play. These conclusions are reached through analyzing the play’s setting, characterization, and tone. However, when one watches the production A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Michael Hoffman, a completely different approach is taken on these aspects, leading to a vastly different analysis of the work. Though there are many similarities between the original written play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and the on-screen production of the aforementioned play which was directed by Michael Hoffman, there are differences in setting and
A Midsummer Night's Dream is, in a way, Romeo and Juliet turned inside out--a tragedy turned farcical. The tragedy both are based on is the story of "Pyramus and Thisbe." In one, Ovid's story is treated as a melodrama (in Romeo and Juliet) and in another, it is fodder for comedy (in A Midsummer Night's Dream).
Comedy in A Midsummer Night's Dream "why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me afeard. "(3.1.99) This is a quote from the Shakespearean play "A Midsummer Night's Dream. " In this quote, the speaker, Bottom, is wondering why everyone is afraid of him.
Tartuffe is nothing more than a traveling confidence man who veils his true wickedness with a mask of piety. Orgon and his mother Madame Pernelle are completely taken in by this charade. On the other hand, Cleante, Elmire, and Dorine see Tartuffe for the fake that he really is. Cleante is Orgon's wise brother who speaks elegantly about Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Through Cleante, Moliere most plainly reveals his theme.
Molière’s play “Tartuffe and Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest” both demonstrate a comical portrait of hypocrisy. In “Tartuffe”, the main character Tartuffe is seen as a religious hypocrite who takes advantage of Orgon’s wealth and agrees to marry his daughter, Mariane against her wishes. In “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Jack and Algernon both lie about their identity to get the woman of their dreams. The authors use the concept of double personalities in the play to reveal the deceit and lies to represent the theme of hypocrisy. In fact, hypocrisy is not only displayed in the characters but in the play as a whole. Additionally, the plays are both hypocrital in ways that they do not follow the structure of comedy.
Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare's plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Romeo and Juliet". These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of 'lovers', Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which one or more characters has a moral flaw that leads to his/her downfall. A comedic play has at least one humorous character, and a successful or happy ending. Comparing these two plays is useful to find how Shakespeare uses similar character types in a variety of plays, and the versatility of the themes which he uses.
Fairies, mortals, magic, love, and hate all intertwine to make A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare a very enchanting tale, that takes the reader on a truly dream-like adventure. The action takes place in Athens, Greece in ancient times, but has the atmosphere of a land of fantasy and illusion which could be anywhere. The mischievousness and the emotions exhibited by characters in the play, along with their attempts to double-cross destiny, not only make the tale entertaining, but also help solidify one of the play’s major themes; that true love and it’s cleverly disguised counterparts can drive beings to do seemingly irrational things.
The Role of the Fairies in A Midsummer Nights Dream Introduction = == == == ==
William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeare’s comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, which master writers only write successfully. Shakespeare proves here to be a master writer. Critics find it a task to explain the intricateness of the play, audiences find it very pleasing to read and watch. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a comedy combining elements of love, fairies, magic, and dreams. This play is a comedy about five couples who suffer through love’s strange games and the evil behind the devious tricks. This play begins as Theseus, the Duke, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He woos her with his sword. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Egeus, Hermia’s father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father’s command, Hermia and Lysander run away together. Amidst all the problems in the human world, Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king, continually argue about their various relationships that they have taken part in. (Scott 336) Titania leaves Oberon as a result of the arguments. Oberon is hurt and wants revenge on Titania. So he tells Puck, Oberon’s servant, to put a magic flower juice on her eyelids while she is sleeping. This potion causes the victim to desperately in love with the first creature that they see. Oberon’s plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander’s eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly walking through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her being in love with Demetrius, so she leaves and Lysander follows. This leaves Hermia to wake up alone. Puck now has journeyed to the area where several actors are rehearsing. He uses his magic to turn one of them into a donkey, in hopes that Titania will awake to see it.
Tartuffe is a satirical comedic play written by Molière in 1664. It is focused around the family of Orgon and the character of Tartuffe, who has become Orgon’s personal holy man. Before being brought into Orgon’s home, Tartuffe was nothing more than a common beggar who learned how to act pious. Throughout this play, we see Orgon give everything he owns to Tartuffe: his love, his money, his daughter, and even the deed to his house. While everyone else in the household sees Tartuffe for who he really is, Orgon remains blind to it throughout most of the play. Orgon is warned many times by different members of the household, including his own son, yet he only chooses to lash out against those speaking. From early on in the play we as readers are able to recognize that Tartuffe is no more than a hypocrite and Orgon is a blind fool. In the play Tartuffe by Molière there are several different important themes that impact this work,