Jean-Baptiste Moliere is one of the most famous French playwrights whose works are still popular and up-to-date in the modern world. Moliere’s comedies are characterized by a brilliant satire on the major vices of the French society of the seventeenth century. In Tartuffe, Moliere draws people’s attention to several issues with such central themes as hypocrisy, religion, morality, females’ role in society, and folly. At that, the comedy was regarded as excessively controversial by its many contemporaries as many viewers saw satire on religion. However, the playwright did not make fun of religion or even the clergy but pinpointed some individuals’ hypocrisy and some people’s foolishness showing the issues that may arise.
Tartuffe is the personification of the hypocrisy (including religion-based pretense) and vice that can cause considerable harm to good families. With the help of his image of a virtuous and rightful man, he manages to gain complete power. All the members of the family see that “it’s all a ruse” and “this street bum… plays the master” (Moliere 140). The man is an experienced criminal who knows how to take control of the property. He takes control of the mind of the master of his house and his mother. Notably, he uses religion as the major instrument of his influence as it is easy to become a mentor and guide through the hazards of the world. Soon, such guidance turns into complete control over all aspects of life. The master of the house is quite naïve, which is the trait making him vulnerable to such hypocrites as Tartuffe.
Importantly, Moliere does not question religious principles and norms. On the contrary, the playwright shows many virtuous people such as Mariane, Dorine, Elmire, as well as Madame Pernelle, and Orgon. The author emphasizes that being religious and living a good life is not confined to citing the Bible and preaching about good behavior. Being a truly virtuous person is being sincere, not harming anyone, and trying to help those in need. All these behaviors and moral mindsets are displayed in the play. For instance, Elmire is dressed like “a princess”, which evokes doubts as to her fidelity and is seen as a sign of being less virtuous than needed for a good wife (Moliere 139). At that, Elmire remains faithful to her husband she truly loves and respect. She even engages in an unpleasant situation to reveal Tartuffe’s true intentions to make her husband aware of his guest’s vicious nature.
Instead of criticizing the church or Christian norms and beliefs, Moliere shows how religious people should act using their morality and wisdom without being too naïve. Madame Pernelle and Orgon are characters serving as an illustration of true virtue. The master of the house is fooled by Tartuffe’s humbleness, who gave away half of the given presents to the poor. Tartuffe talks about saving and freeing souls to make Orgon blind. Orgon is constantly repeating the stance regarding the liberation of their souls and protection from sins (Moliere 146). The man shares his mother’s concerns regarding his wife’s behavior, so Tartuffe has another instrument for manipulating the master of the house. Orgon is naïve and sees the good side of people, even if this is an illusion. Only exact facts witnessed by Orgon and Madame Pernelle make them see the world more realistically. Moliere tries to convince viewers that thinking about the soul is one of the priorities in Christianity, but being wise and realistic are also important moral laws for Christians.
However, many clergypeople found the comedy disrespectful towards the church and religion at large due to their fears that people may start seeing the hypocrisy of thousands of the representatives of the Church. Many French people of that time who saw themselves as devout Christians also saw disrespect rather than a call for being cautious. The destiny of this play, however, shows that the majority of French society was wise enough to understand the author’s major claims. The play has been extremely popular, and many refer to this literary work as a good deductive material to show the nature of the true virtue of a modern person.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that religion is one of the central themes in Moliere’s Tartuffe, showing the hazards of being too naïve. The playwright does not question Christian norms or principles but shows that even the most sacred beliefs can be used by hypocrites as a powerful weapon. Moliere stresses that true virtue is based on morality and wisdom. It is critical to see the real world as it is with possible vices and truly virtuous behavior. People need to see what is good and what is bad to be good Christians. The play is still up-to-date as some individuals may use other people’s religious beliefs to achieve their personal goals. Modern people are still vulnerable and need to remain cautious, similar to the French who lived in the seventeenth century.
Work Cited
Moliere, Jean-Baptiste. “Tartuffe.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 138-191.