Religious Fanaticism

An Analysis of Moliere’s Satirization of Social Issues A man, or rather a demon in flesh and inhabited as a man, the most notably impious creature and libertine who ever lived throughout the centuries, has had the impiety and abomination to bring forth from his devilish mind a play [Tartuffe]…He deserves for this sacrilegious and impious act…to be burned at the stake as a foretaste of the fires of hell. Pierre Roulle (1664) Moliere lived a life surrounded by controversy. After renouncing his position of Valet de Chambre Tapissier to pursue his acting career, Moliere formed a theater performance troupe called “The Illustrious Theater'; with his mistress’s family, the Bejarts. The troupe struggled for two years before collapsing in 1645 under the weight of massive debts. Moliere was soon arrested for bankruptcy. After bail was posted he fled from France with Madeline Bejart. Moliere returned to France some time later after his father paid his debts. He soon married Armande Bejart, either the sister or daughter of his first mistress, Madeline. His enemies charged him with incest. Not only his personal life, but his plays as well were considered subjects of controversy. Many were considered blasphemous. Tartuffe, for example, was forbidden from being performed for five years. Controversy followed Moliere right up to the day he died, when he was refused burial in the local cemetery because his remains would offend the sacred ground. Moliere thereby left the world in as agitated a manner as in which he had lived (Hobdell 102-105.) Comedies, of which Tartuffe is an example, aggressively satirize issues and relationships communities care the most about. The purpose of this essay is to identify these situations, as found in Tartuffe, and to illustrate how they were important to the society for which it was written. By examining misuse of religion, destruction of paternal authority, and the corruption of the guest-host relationship, I will demonstrate the ways in which these satirized issues were considered threats to society. A person who misuses religion has always been considered somewhat of a threat to society. During the 1600’s, when Tartuffe was written, this was especially true. Tartuffe, before his character is actually revealed, is discussed by the other characters as feigning his piety—“You imagine he’s a saint but, believe me, he’s nothing more than a hypocrite!'; While all the other family members can see Tartuffe is a fake, Orgon refuses to believe it.