Elements Of Comedy In Tartuffe

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,

such as: the disloyalty of both Orgon and Tartuffe, family dynamics in the household, and the idolatry of Tartuffe by Orgon.
Often when thinking of a comedy, one expects it to be funny.

A satirical comedy is an attempt to ridicule a certain aspect of government, religion, or another aspect of society to bring about change through the use of comedy to lighten the blow. Tartuffe is a prime example of a satirical comedy. Molière used this play to point out one of the biggest flaws of organized religion during his time, religious hypocrisy. Although he may not have directly intended it to be about the Catholic Church, it was interpreted by them as such so they made the king ban it for a period of time. By making it into a play, Molière was able to reach a larger audience. People tend to enjoy plays more so due to their quick, lively nature. Plays are always changing, and they are stories being brought to life. A reader may not be interested by a short story or novella, but a play could be the very thing to draw in their attention. Molière was able to reach more people by making this into a play, therefore making the problem of religious hypocrisy more widely

recognized.
Disloyalty is a theme that shows up throughout the play Tartuffe. It is seen mainly through the characters of Orgon and Tartuffe. Orgon shows major disloyalty to his family through his extreme loyalty to Tartuffe. Readers are shown his loyalty to Tartuffe and disloyalty to his own son when he kicks Damis out after an argument about Tartuffe, “I disinherit you, you traitor, you’re a blight on this house” (3.6.78-79). Orgon chose to believe that his son was only doing this because of a jealousy of Tartuffe saying, “You all hate him. And I saw today, you, wife, servants—everyone beneath my roof are trying force Tartuffe out of my house”(3.6.56-59.). Orgon again shows disloyalty to his own family by going back on his word about who his daughter Mariane will marry, “I have never been more sure of anyone. I give him as his bride my daughter” (3.6.63-64.). This comes as quite a shock to the whole household, due to the fact that Orgon had already promised Mariane to Valère in marriage. The disloyalty shown through Orgon could be considered a major flaw in his character. Tartuffe is also a very disloyal character. He shows disloyalty through his lack of respect for Orgon and how he takes advantage of Orgon throughout the play. Tartuffe will also later show disloyalty to the man who took him in by attempting to seduce Orgon’s wife Elmire.
Family dynamics during this time period are also important to take into consideration while studying this work. Men were the head of the household. Their word was essentially law, and everyone in the house was expected to follow or face the consequences. Women were expected to be docile and submissive to men, especially the head of the household. While these roles are seen throughout the play, they are also clearly seen in this portion of text. Although Orgon has been told many times by different members that Tartuffe is not who he thinks he is, he chooses to believe he is right because he is the head of the house. Orgon states, “The more you try to banish him and end our sacred brotherhood, the more secure his place is.” In other words, the more they try to tell him the truth, the more he will backlash against them and give even more to Tartuffe. This is seen also through his decision to give Mariane’s hand in marriage to Tartuffe, even after promising her to Valère. It is clear after reading this portion that, no matter how wrong he is, Orgon is still the head of the house and his word is law.
The final major theme of this work is idolatry. Idolatry can be taken as a literal worshipping of idols, but it can also be an extreme amount of love or admiration for something or someone. In the case of this play, idolatry is shown through the love Orgon has for Tartuffe. It is ironic since the only reason Tartuffe is in the household is due to him being a religious man, or in Tartuffe’s case a man who is only acting religious. Instead of worshipping The Lord as a man who appears to seek religious purity like Orgon does, he worships the ground Tartuffe walks on. He believes Tartuffe can do no wrong. He also acts as if insulting Tartuffe is as offensive as insulting The Lord which is seen when Orgon says, “...now I’ll make you pay for your abuse of him—kneel on the floor, and beg his pardon, or go out the door.” (3.6.70-72.)
The play Tartuffe by Molière is a wonderful satirical comedy. Its form helped it spread the ideas and themes presented in a way that still makes this play relevant to today’s society. An objective reader may take several different themes from this play. Disloyalty is an important theme, as it shows a major character flaw in Orgon. Family dynamics during this time period also play an important role in Tartuffe. Idolatry could be considered the most important theme found throughout this play. It shows the true nature of the relationship between Orgon and Tartuffe.