Hypocrisy In Tartuffe

Tartuffe is one of the masterpieces of Molière. This play not just presents a funny image of the hypocrite Tartuffe, but also criticizes the fraudulence and harmfulness of “ecclesiastical noblemen”. Tartuffe is a reflection of hypocrisy of some Catholics at that time. Although the title of this play is Tartuffe, Tartuffe doesn't comes on stage until the ACTIII SCENEII. Instead of introducing the character at the beginning of the play, Molière uses two ACTs to describe how others feel about Tartuffe. In this way, the audience has a basic idea of the characteristics of Tartuffe before the character appears. Through the quarrel in Orgon’s house and the dialogue between Marine and Dorine, the audience can notice what a trouble Tartuffe has caused to Orgon’s family. Also, from these plots, the audience can easily understand that Orgon is deceived by

Comments on Tartuffe from different characters are different. The conflict of other characters’ judgements on Tartuffe reflects the hypocrisy and fraudulence of Tartuffe. The audience should focus on the comic lines from Dorine, the Mariane’s lady’s-maid. For example, at Tartuffe’s debut, Dorine says “Dear God, what affectation! What a fake! ” This comic line shows the rightness of Dorine, who is not deceived by Tartuffe’s hypocrisy. The comic line shows the tension between Dorine and Tartuffe, drawing the attention from the audience. Also, this line ends with “K” sounds. Indeed, in this play, there are many lines ending with “K” sounds, establishing a humorous language style for this play. Another characteristic in this play contributing to the fun is the rhyme in language. For a comic play, the rhyme between lines makes the play funnier and special. For example, in ACTII SECNEII, Orgon says “Tartuffe, however, is sure of Heaven’s blessing, And that’s the only treasure worth possessing.” The rhyme helps the audience to understand the content smoothly and feel