In Tartuffe, Cléante is characterized by what he says, what others say about him, and his reaction to others. As shown in the play, Cléante is Orgon’s brother-in-law and Elmire’s brother who is very intelligent and outspoken. Throughout the play, Cléante speaks his opinions and tries to set the characters on the right path. The author of Tartuffe, Moliére, portrays Cléante as outspoken, wise, and peaceful. Moliére reveals Cléante by using the methods aforementioned. One way that Moliére reveals Cléante is through what he says. One quote that shows this takes place during a conversation between Cléante and Orgon regarding how Orgon has been fooled by Tartuffe. This quote is spoken by Cléante to Orgon. “Spare me your warnings, Brother; I have …show more content…
no fear of speaking out, for you and Heaven to hear, against affected zeal and pious knavery” (24). This excerpt shows Cléante to be outspoken and unafraid to share his opinion. This quote show this in that he tells Orgon that he is unafraid to speak against religious hypocrisy. Therefore, Cléante is characterized as outspoken and unafraid to share his opinion by what he says. Another way that Cléante is portrayed is through what others say about him. One remark that displays this is located in the same exchange between Cléante and Orgon, in which Orgon says this to Cléante. “I see, dear Brother, that you’re profoundly wise; you harbor all the insight of the age. You are our one clear mind, our only sage, the era’s oracle, it's Cato too, and all mankind are fools compared to you” (24-25). This remark shows that Cléante is very intelligent and wise; in this quote, Orgon tells Cléante that he is very wise and everyone else pales in comparison to him. Thus, Molière illustrates Cléante as very wise through what others say about Cléante. The final technique that Moliére uses to characterize Cléante is through his reaction to others.
One excerpt that demonstrates this can be found in an exchange between Damis, Orgon, and Cléante after Orgon reveals Tartuffe as a hypocrite and Tartuffe threatens him. This quote is from Cléante reacting to Damis after he threatens to kill Tartuffe. “What a display of young hotheadedness! Do learn to moderate your fits of rage. In this just kingdom, this enlightened age, one does not settle things by violence” (86). In this excerpt, Cléante is portrayed as a peaceful man who does not tolerate violence. Cléante’s reaction to Damis’s outburst very much describes his views on certain topics, which are related to his character. Consequently, Cléante is portrayed as peaceful through his reaction to others. In conclusion, it is probable that Moliére used these characterization techniques to emphasize certain qualities in Cléante. Moliére might have wanted certain characteristics to be prominent in Cléante, such as being intelligent, worldly, and perhaps a bit amicable. The recurring use of characterization methods in different passages of the play stressed the desired traits of Cléante. Conceivably, Moliére could have been attempting to make Cléante an example of great disposition and mentality. All in all, it is plausible that Moliére employed these characterizing methods in order to highlight particular
features.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere wrote Tartuffe during the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the main characteristics of the Age of Enlightenment was a push towards using reason over emotions to make decisions. The leaders of the enlightenment truly believed that the world could be made a better place if people did this. In Tartuffe, when the characters use their emotions to make their decisions they find themselves in undesirable situations. While those who let their emotions rule them find their lives spinning out of control, there are other characters in the play who try to approach them with reason and logic. Out of these characters the lady’s maid Dorine stands out as the voice of reason.
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.
In Moliere's comedy, Tartuffe, the main focus of the play is not of Tartuffe, but of Orgon's blind infatuation with Tartuffe. It just so happens that the title character is the villain, rather than the hero. Orgon is Moliere's representation of how a man can be so blind in his devotion to a belief that he cannot make accurate judgment as to the sincerity of others who would use that belief to deceive him. Tartuffe easily achieves total power over Orgon's actions because of his gullibility. However, as the play progresses, Orgon's view of Tartuffe changes and results in Tartuffe's removal.
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.
Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: "...vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth." (Smaje). Orgon is the character who represents the weakness in human nature. This weakness is shown throughout the play. Orgon is so willing to entrust everything he has into the care of Tartuffe. He places Tartuffe above the well being of his family. When he returns from his trip and asks Cleante how the household was while he was gone, Cleante tells him that his wife had been very sick. Orgon's odd response is, "Ah.
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry has many interesting characters. In my opinion, the most fascinating character is Ruth because of her many emotions and captivating personality. She goes through extreme emotions in the play such as happiness, sadness, anger, stress, and confusion. Ruth is very independent, firm, kind, witty, and loving.
general idea of each situation in the story, and yet Moliere used prosody technique to control the
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.
The play begins with Orgon’s mother, Madame Pernelle, unleashing her unsolicited and shameless opinions upon her grandchildren as she prepares to take her leave. She begins with her grandson Damis, who she claims is a dunce, unworthy of his noble father’s love and affection. She then turns her attentions to his sister Mariane, who she believes to be a manipulative and mysterious girl who plays at being wholesome and shy. To her daughter-in-law Elmire, Madame Pernelle offers up her thoughts on Elmire’s bad examples for her children, stating that she is too free with her expenses and that her brother Cleante is much too experienced in the ways of the world to be considered decent company to keep. In fact, the only words of kindness she has to offer are to Tartuffe, a religious man who has found his way into the good graces of her son Orgon.
Rosenberg, Marvin. "Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat." Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.
Moliere’s acting was believed to be both a disappointment and a blessing. He wanted to be a tragic actor, but that was not popular at the time and to be able to make it he’d have to change his ways. Moliere was pretty much born to be a comedic actor. Off stage he was completely different. He didn’t talk much and he definitely was not very cheery. “Moliere never tired of acting and he was always venturing out. He would even give the character he was playing at the time a certain cough and another, certain moods. He actually made a play out of rehearsals. Many say it was quite appropriate that he should die while playing the part of the sick man that he really was.”-(Moore. Britan...
Orgon is deceived because he cannot or refuses to see Tartuffe for the con artist he is. Tartuffe is hugely successful for most of the play because he is so good at wearing a mask of piety to cover his deception. Orgon regards Tartuffe as his religious guide and is blind to the fact that Tartuffe is deceiving him.
Rosenberg, Marvin. "Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat." Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.
In our own time more genteel, but also more intellectualized versions of Rymer’s disfavour have been voiced by T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis, who both consider and reject the personality that Othello presents to the outside world, pointing out that he is not so much deceived as a self-deceiver, a man presented by Shakespeare as constitutionally incapable of seeing the truth about himself. So the detached, ironic view of the creator contrasts with the tragical and romantic view taken of himself by the created being. (201)
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,