Tartuffe
Theme of Deception in Tartuffe
Throughout time, man has used many forms of deception to get what they want. Moliere’s play Tartuffe is a classical story about deception and how a “mask” is used to hide someone’s true intentions. Moliere applies the idea of a mask and a theme of deception to exploit the power struggles within a traditional household. The character Tartuffe employs deception so he can achieve social and economical standings while Elmire, Mariane, and Dorine use deception to defy the authority of Orgon over the entire household and to help bring back family harmony.
In the play Tartuffe, one of fundamental theme is deception. The biggest hypocrite in this play is the character named Tartuffe. He is able to create a superficial appearance of extreme godliness and religious fervor. In secret, Tartuffe really led a life of crime and was morally challenged. All through the play, the other characters make reference to Tartuffe as being a charlatan, fraud, and imposter. An imposter is someone, “who practices deception under an assumed character, identity, or name” (1). Fortunately, some of the characters can see right through him and feel that he does not practice what he preaches. All through Tartuffe, the word mask is used frequently and helps validate the theme of deception. The play’s poignant energy derives not from “the simple discrepancy of man and mask in Tartuffe (“Is not a face quite different from a mask?” inquires the normative character Cleante, who has no trouble making such distinction) but from the struggles for erotic, psychic, and economic power in which people employ their masks” (Lawall 304). Now a mask is, “anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense” (3). The use of a mask in this play seems to represent the way in which individuals tend to give an outward appearance to others that in all actually hide their true nature. For instance, Tartuffe tells his servant that if anyone was looking for him to let the
Throughout time, man has used many forms of deception to get what they want. Moliere’s play Tartuffe is a classical story about deception and how a “mask” is used to hide someone’s true intentions. Moliere applies the idea of a mask and a theme of deception to exploit the power struggles within a traditional household. The character Tartuffe employs deception so he can achieve social and economical standings while Elmire, Mariane, and Dorine use deception to defy the authority of Orgon over the entire household and to help bring back family harmony.
In the play Tartuffe, one of fundamental theme is deception. The biggest hypocrite in this play is the character named Tartuffe. He is able to create a superficial appearance of extreme godliness and religious fervor. In secret, Tartuffe really led a life of crime and was morally challenged. All through the play, the other characters make reference to Tartuffe as being a charlatan, fraud, and imposter. An imposter is someone, “who practices deception under an assumed character, identity, or name” (1). Fortunately, some of the characters can see right through him and feel that he does not practice what he preaches. All through Tartuffe, the word mask is used frequently and helps validate the theme of deception. The play’s poignant energy derives not from “the simple discrepancy of man and mask in Tartuffe (“Is not a face quite different from a mask?” inquires the normative character Cleante, who has no trouble making such distinction) but from the struggles for erotic, psychic, and economic power in which people employ their masks” (Lawall 304). Now a mask is, “anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense” (3). The use of a mask in this play seems to represent the way in which individuals tend to give an outward appearance to others that in all actually hide their true nature. For instance, Tartuffe tells his servant that if anyone was looking for him to let the
Bibliography: 1. "imposter." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 16 May. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/imposter>. 2. Lawall, Sarah, Ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: The Twentieth Century. 2nd ed. Vol. D. London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere, “Tartuffe”, pp. 306 - 361. 3. "mask." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 May. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mask>. 4. Brent, Liz. "Critical Essay on Tartuffe". Gale. 2003 1 May 2008 <www.enotes.com>.