Deception In Tartuffe Essay

The Power of Deception and Reason in Tartuffe

Jean-Baptiste Molière wrote Tartuffe during the Enlightenment, which was around the 17th century. The Enlightenment was considered the age of reason. Political and social issues were being questioned, and people focused less on religious views. The Enlightenment thinkers believed that people should think for themselves and not believe everything bases on religious teachings. The citizens started to reveal and challenge the abuse of the clergy. This is evident in Tartuffe. The power of deception is seen throughout the play. Some characters used the theme of deception and reason to uncover Tartuffe’s charade. The characters Dorine, Elmire, Damis, and Cleante are able to see through Tartuffe’s hypocrisy;

however, Orgon and lady Pernelle are so blinded by their religious views that they cannot see through Tartuffe’s hypocrisy.
During the Enlightenment, there were a number of people who remained devout to religious doctrine and leadership. As evident in Tartuffe, some leaders used religion to persuade and manipulate their congregations and followers.

There were people who were unable to discern between religious truths and false witness; these people could be fooled easily. People started to discover that not all who claimed to be religious were actually righteous. Tartuffe is the master of hypocrisy. According to Ruth Grant, “A hypocrite is a person who pretends to be morally better than he is for the sake of some advantage to himself” (p.67). Similarly, Tartuffe uses religion to purse only his goal and to take advantage of Orgon. He uses the excuse of being a religious man to take advantage of Orgon. Tartuffe uses religion to empower himself over Orgon’s household. It is evident that Tartuffe is envious of Orgon’s lifestyle and wants to steal Orgon’s his wife, daughter, property, and money. David Maskell states,

“Tartuffe is a director of conscience in the household of Orgon.

A director of conscience in 17th-century France was supposed to be a man of piety who would advise on how to live a good Christian life. Molière's Tartuffe, however, is a criminal whose exaggerated pretense of piety has duped Orgon into complete subservience to him” (n.pag). It is evident that Orgon is letting Tartuffe take over the household. Orgon no longer is the one making the decisions. An example of this is portrayed when Dorine states, “Orgon once ruled this house in his right mind. / In the troubled times, he backed the prince, / And that took courage. We haven’t seen it since. / He is intoxicated with Tartuffe “(1.2.10-14). Orgon is such a fool, allowing some stranger dictate how his household should be ruled. “Orgon's behavior is that of a tyrant who does not have the best interests of his family in mind. In fact, he almost brings about the ruination of his family due to his pig-headedness” (Partikian n.pag). It is evident that he chooses Tartuffe over his own family. Dorine expresses this when she states, “And so he worships this imposter who / He calls brother and loves more than one / This charlatan more than daughter, wife, son” (1.2.17-22). When Orgon comes back

from his two-day trip, Dorine lets him know how sick his wife has been. Orgon show no emotion or worrisome over his wife. All he cares about is Tartuffe. Any time Dorine expressed his wife’s sickness he would respond, “And Tartuffe?” (1.4.11). Tartuffe is such an expert that he easily deceives Orgon with lies. An example of this is when Orgon and Cleante are discussing how Tartuffe came to his household. Orgon tells Cleante how Tartuffe refused to take all the gifts he gave him. He only took half. Tartuffe uses pity to trick Orgon. He tells Orgon, “I am not worthy. I do not deserve / Your gifts or pity. I am here to serve / The will of heaven, that and nothing more” (1.5.52-54). Tartuffe is such a mastermind that he uses pity to get Orgon to bring him home. He pretends to be a religious man who cares for the well-being of the poor and who is mindful of others’ best interests.
From the beginning of the play, it is evident that Dorine is against Tartuffe. Dorine is one of the central characters that can see through Tartuffe’s mask. Dorine uses her ability to reason to emphasize Tartuffe’s hypocrisy. Dorine is very outspoken to be a maid. Nothing detains her from saying what she thinks. This gets her in trouble throughout the play. When Orgon and Dorine are discussing Tartuffe’s supposed holiness, she points out Tartuffe’s weaknesses. She states, “It seems to me a holy man of merit / Wouldn’t brag of what he might inherit / Even gifts in heaven, he won’t mention. / To live a humble life is his intention. / Yet he wants something back? / That’s just ambition” (2.2.55-59). This makes Orgon really upset. He cannot seem to reason. Dorine also uses deception for good. Ruth Grant states, “Doing the right thing also may require deception, or ethical posturing, or both; some forms of hypocrisy may be perfectly acceptable or even laudable” (p. 2). Dorine uses deception to protect Marianne. When Orgon is telling Marianne that she must marry Orgon, Dorine hides to be able to hear everything they are discussing. According to Liz Brent “One can surmise that Dorine has intentionally hidden herself from view in order to overhear this conversation. Thus, Dorine has employed a means of deception--hiding and eavesdropping--in order to protect the interests of Marianne” (n. pag). Dorine advises Marianne to deceive Tartuffe to avoid marrying him. All she wants is Marianne’s happiness. She tells Marianne to agree to marry Tartuffe while they create a plan. Dorine gives Marianne some ideas to postpone the wedding. She states, “One day, you’re sick and that can take a week. / Another day you’re better but can’t speak, / And we all know you have to say ‘I do’ / Or the marriage isn’t legal” (2.4.35-37). In this scenario deception for this cause is not entirely wrong, especially when dealing with someone who uses deception for the wrong reasons.
Damis is Orgon’s son. He can see past Tartuffe’s fakeness instantly. He is outraged when he finds outs that his father wants to force Marianne to marry Tartuffe. He uses deception in one instance when he hides under the curtains to hear the conversation between Elmrire and Tartuffe. When he discovers Tartuffe’s lust for Elmire, he believes he has proof to prove Tartuffe’s hypocrisy. However, his plan backfires on him. Orgon’s trust toward Tartuffe at this point has become ridiculous. Tartuffe somewhat confesses that he is guilty. According to James Gaine, “In the eyes of a pious believer, a Christian who accuses himself cannot be entirely guilty, since the very act of self-accusation constitutes a proof of repentance from the sin in question. The weakness of this system is that it obviously has difficulty discerning the false repentance of a scoundrel who admits he is one with the intention of continuing to do so” (n.pag). This is shown to be true when Orgon refuses to acknowledge what has been said and exiles his son out of his home. The more Tartuffe tells Orgon to believe Damis’s story the crueler he acts. Organ truly believes in Tartuffe’s repentance, which makes it seem as if Damis is lying. Orgon’s actions and abuse of power contradicts that of a Christian man.
Cleante is the voice of reason in the play. He is not able to be deceived by Tartuffe. He has several encounters with Orgon throughout the play. He tries to make Orgon use his reasoning skills. However, the men of the play seem to fail in their attempt to make him reason. After Tartuffe manages to get rid of Damis, Cleante faces him. He tells Tartuffe how he can proclaim to be a holy man when he seeks vengeance. He tells Tartuffe:
Heaven’s business is in your dominion,
Taking revenge is heaven’s task. I thought.
Judging who is guilty and who is not?
Taking revenge is heaven’s sovereignty
What human verdict would you ever be
The least very bit moved by. No you wouldn’t care
Judging other’s lives is so unfair.
Heaven seems to say “live and let live,”
And our task, I believe is to forgive (4.1.36-44).
Cleante identifies that Tartuffe’s religious mask is a fraud. He questions Tartuffe’s ability to judge right from wrong since it is God’s responsibility to evaluate the guilty. After Orgon realizes Tartuffe’s lies, he tries to condemn everyone who is truly religious. Cleante tells Orgon that although Tartuffe misused religion not everyone who is a true believer is a hypocrite. He tells Orgon,” So now all holy men are base deceivers? / Instead of just admitting your delusion, ‘They’re all like that!’ you say---brilliant conclusion. / Why trust reason, when you have emotion?” (5.1. 48-51). Cleante uses his voice or reason to help Orgon discern between religious truths and religious frauds.
Elimire becomes the one who unmasks Tartuffe for good. She uses Tartuffe’s lust for her as an advantage. Orgon refuses to believe anyone unless he has physical proof. Elmire uses deception to bring Tartuffe’s downfall and succeeds. Orgon refuses to listen to any of the men, but this time it is woman who uncovers the truth. During this century woman were still considered inferior than men; however, Elmire contradicts that. She is able to demonstrate that a woman can actually think and be much smarter than a man. She is the one who outlines the plan to unmask Tartuffe. If it had not been for Elmire, Orgon would have never found out the truth.
Molière’s Tartuffe, includes ideas from the Enlightenment During this time period, people started to rely more on reason than on religious beliefs. People started to use their minds to expose the truth, such as Tartuffe’s hypocrisy in Molière’s play. Orgon is able to see past Tartuffe’s hypocrisy thanks to his wife’s ability to reason. Deception and the ability to reason is evident throughout the play.