Trust is important in every relationship. In Tartuffe, Orgon has an insurmountable amount of trust for Tartuffe. Regardless of the accusation made against Tartuffe, Orgon continues to trust him wholeheartedly. Orgon makes it clear that he trusts Tartuffe more than he trusts his own family. This type of household dynamic is very interesting, and can be amounted to two things. Orgon loves and trusts Tartuffe more than his own family because he humbled himself before Orgon, and because Orgon respects his spiritual knowledge. Being respected is a very important thing for men of power. Tartuffe practically bows down at the feet of Orgon, which causes Orgon to trust him. When Orgon is speaking to Cleante, he says, “there I learned about his poverty …show more content…
Here, Orgon brags on the modesty of Tartuffe. He saw Tartuffe in church, and was amazed at how humbled he was. In addition to humbling himself spiritually, Tartuffe respects Orgon so much that he watches over his wife, Elmire. Orgon states that Tartuffe “tells me whom she sees and what she does. He’s more jealous than I ever was. It’s for my honor that he’s so concerned” (Moliere 153). Thinking deeper into what Orgon is saying here, one can question why he would want another man paying so much attention to his wife. Remember, when Orgon returned home he was questioning Dorine about Tartuffe’s well-being, Dorine was trying to converse with him about how Elmire had been sick. Orgon completely ignores the news of Elmire’s sickness, and is relentless about how Tartuffe is feeling. Maybe Orgon is happy that he has someone else to care for his wife, so he does not have to. It does not seem like Orgon loves his wife very much, so passing on the responsibility of watching over her would be a plausible reason for his approval towards Tartuffe and Elmire. We can see that …show more content…
Orgon accuses Cleante of being spiritually inadequate. Orgon says, “I smell an atheist! It’s that freethinking...tentimes over, I’ve tried to save your soul from your corrupted mind” (Moliere 153). Cleante states that he is used to this kind of talk from Orgon. He also takes this opportunity to tell Orgon that Tartuffe is not as spiritually sound as he seems. During this scene Orgon strongly defends Tartuffe’s honor. It is easy to ask yourself why Orgon, who seems to be spiritually strong, cannot see through Tartuffe’s façade. Closer analysis tells us that Orgon sees what he wants to see. He may feel that he is intellectually and spiritually above everyone in his household, and constantly looks for someone who is on the same level as him. When he encounters Tartuffe’s feigned religiosity, he is enamored. Because of Orgon’s high platform in society, Tartuffe may believe that if he continues to trick Orgon he will be able to gain a high societal platform as well. Orgon believes this feigned religiosity, and allows Tartuffe to become someone special in his household. All the while, Orgon believes that the people in his family are the ones who are feigning religious aptitude. With a facetious attitude, Orgon tells Cleante that he is most knowledgeable in the world: “Oh, you are the wises man alive, so you know everything there is to know” (Moliere
Orgon and candide were two major characters from different books that were devoted to Tartuffe and pangloss respectively. Orgon was a man that followed Tartuffe blindly and candide was a devoted student of pangloss. Orgon and Tartuffe both depended on Tartuffe and pangloss to the point of folly.
Tartuffe, a con artist, knows that if he can give an answer to the ultimate question then he must be of great importance. Tartuffe uses the established hierarchy and ideology of Orgon’s faith to mold himself into an exemplified “holy” individual. Blinded by his own faith Orgon fails to see through the carefully crafted facade. Tartuffe’s holiness resigns Orgon to, “my heart…surrendered to him” (1.5.24) certifying Tartuffe’s influence over Orgon. When questioning Tartuffe, the other characters are questioning Orgon’s faith. Once established an authority figure’s power will be met with confirmation bias. Nothing will convince Orgon of the deception, rather he will rationalize anything he is told. Tartuffe uses Orgon’s faith to manipulate him into evicting Damis who accused Tartuffe of infidelity by a display of faith: “I beg you on bended knee, to pardon him.” (3.6.40-41) This reaffirms Tartuffe’s holiness to Orgon and through this
Moliere’s Tartuffe assumed set of social conventions were shaped by all the characters within the play, however the authoritative figure was established depicted by the father, Oregon. Oregon’s character assumed the role of king or lord of his household. He believed that as the head of household, he had the right to rule over his kingdom as he saw fit. His kingdom had to run smoothly in order for it to be effective. No matter how harsh, unfair and painful it was for his, wife daughter or servants. In the social arena there is always a central powerful family, or first family that everyone in the community aspires to be, or in more recent term “keeping up with the Jones”, “or the one with swag”. The title, position and authority was so entrenched in their social community, that it came down to even choosing one’s mate through arranged marriages. We see in Moliere’s Tartuffe, that authoritative power was as precious as gold, in the realms or patriarchal power that was prevalent in the 17th Century, political and economic power, and also religious power (in which Oregon) wanted association
Orgon refuses to see the fact that Tartuffe is a hypocrite and won't believe it until he sees it with his own eyes near the end of the play. To see how dedicated to Orgon is to Tartuffe, just look at page 319. When Dorine is telling him about the sickness his wife had, Orgon's only concern is Tartuffe, who was doing very well.
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 Tartuffe, the nobility (mostly Orgon and his mother) is depicted as being fools because of the way they are easily tricked by the “holy impostor”. When Madame Pernelle praises Tartuffe for being a good holy man, her grandson Damis says “No, look you, madame, neither father nor anything else can oblige me to have any regard for him. I should belie my heart to tell you otherwise. To me his actions are perfectly odious; and I foresee that, one time or other, matters will come to extremity between that wretch and me” (Act 1, Scene 1). This representation of the nobility places them exactly where Louis intended. Spielvogel says that Louis removed the nobles from the royal council and lured them to be part of his court as a way to keep them occupied with trivial matters and out of important roles in politics
It is in the duality of Orgon, the believing subject, and Tartuffe, the manipulating hypocrite (or impostor), that Moliere takes his digs at the extremes of enthusiastic belief. Tartuffe plays the role of a man whose greedy actions are cloaked by a mask of overwhelming piety, modesty and religious fervor. Orgon is the head of a household who has taken Tartuffe in. We laugh at Orgon because everyone else (except his mother) knows that Tartuffe is a fake. All of Orgon's relatives warn him of Tartuffe's gluttony and of the false nature of his pious proclamations. When Dorine tries to tell Orgon about Elmire's illness, all Orgon can say is,
Othello is a story of trust, and tragedy. A story of love, and loss. Who caused the aforementioned tragedy, and loss? Why, ‘honest’ Iago, of course. Iago is begrudgingly an ensign in the Venetian military, Under the command of The moor, Othello. Iago loathes the moor, for he chose Michael Cassio, a far younger, and less experienced man to be his lieutenant. Iago vows revenge on Othello, and swears to ruin his life. Now, Iago’s need for power is what drives him to do the awful things he does to Othello, Cassio, and all the others around him.
In a class lecture, the professor pointed out that the word/name Tartuffe means hypocrite, which can easily be seen as the drama unfolds. Early in the story, the audience learns that Tartuffe has a sleazy talent to receive piety in Orgon's household. In Act I, it is implied that Orgon has offered his daughter's hand in for marriage to Tartuffe, although Damis, Orgon's son, believes that Tartuffe does not wish to do so. Damis states, "I think Tartuffe's against it, and that he's been urging Father to withdraw his blessing" (Tartuffe 1.2.8-9). At this point, it is obvious to see that Orgon has a lot of respect for Tartuffe, although others may think differently. Cleante, Orgon's brother in law, is shown as the voice of reason and questions Orgon by saying,
Tartuffe is nothing more than a traveling confidence man who veils his true wickedness with a mask of piety. Orgon and his mother Madame Pernelle are completely taken in by this charade. On the other hand, Cleante, Elmire, and Dorine see Tartuffe for the fake that he really is. Cleante is Orgon's wise brother who speaks elegantly about Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Through Cleante, Moliere most plainly reveals his theme.
She believes that their distaste for Tartuffe stems from his ability to condemn their sins and point out their moral flaws. At Dorines’ intimation that Madame only spends her time so harshly criticizing the world around her due to her fear of abandonment, Madame Pernelle takes her leave, reminding them that they should count themselves fortunate to have such a holy and blessed man such as Tartuffe present among them. Upon her departure, the remaining family puzzles at how their grandmother, as well as their father, could be so blind to Tartuffe’s insincerity, recounting the many instances in which Tartuffe deceived Orgon and Madame Pernelle with his charms. As Cleante leaves to rest, Damis asks her if she would inquire as to the status of Mariane’s marriage to Valere because, should they not wed, Damis would then not be able to marry Valere’s
Reputation plays a big role in the play Othello written by Shakespeare. Iago uses his reputation as an honest man to deceive Othello and everyone else. Othello's reputation also plays a big role throughout the play. Cassio's changing reputation has a big part in the outcome of the play as well.
Imagine the Paris home of Orgon, who meets Tartuffe at church and is completely taken in by him...so much so, that he foolishly not only invites this relative stranger, Tartuffe, to live in his home, but also promises his daughter (Mariane) in marriage to the man, though she has promised her heart to Valère.
Jealousy is a powerful emotion that can blind oneself from identifying the truth. Shakespeare heavily emphasizes this theme throughout the drama Othello, especially through the actions of characters. In the play the heinous antagonist, Iago, uses each character’s jealousy to deceive that person and manipulate the truth. His false promises and deceitfulness bring to the demise of many of the main characters in the play, including the protagonist, Othello. Othello could not have been deceived if it were not for his powerful jealousy. Therefore, Shakespeare is telling us that jealousy is an ugly trait that can hide the truth, which in turn causes many problems between characters in the play.
Abraham Lincoln once said that character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Reputation can be destroyed by one poor decision or speech while character is stable and unlikely to waver. A person who is proud of their actions is more likely to hold their character in high regard and behave in ways that they consider honorable. In order to determine an individual’s reputation, a society will view a person based on how they appear given the beliefs and value systems of the community. A good reputation is earned when an individual’s unique value system aligns with the community’s values. In the event that a good reputation is soiled by acting against what society views as