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Tartuffe Essay Topics & Writing Assignments

General Essay Questions

❶In Tartuffe and Other Plays.

by Molière

Critical Evaluation
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The playwright offers distinct pathways to psychological and social growth. Satire is the catalyst by which an individual can see through the problems in the society, motivating a person to change. The primary problem in French society according to Moliere is hypocrisy.

Moliere pokes fun of the fact that many French people continued to be wooed by the promises of religion, when religion brings nothing but empty promises and platitudes. Tartuffe An Analysis of Hypocrisy in Moliere's Tartuffe No greater example of the religious hypocrite exists in all history than the example of the Philistine. The hypocrite is encouraged by outward show: The soul, in fact, being of a spiritual and abstract nature, is not even something the hypocrite takes care to fathom.

For this reason, the hypocrite is impatient of all contemplation -- as eaver says: Tartuffe in Plays From the. The places they live in and the things that surround them are in varying degrees atmospheric and expressive. In Tartuffe material objects, the props and the house itself, and the places alluded to? Paris and province, heaven and earth, palace and prison? This does not tie the play to a particular time and place, however, but only shows the importance of locale to the action of the play.

Members of the audience also belong to different circles in this scheme and recognize their place in the text. Holding back the physical appearance of Tartuffe in the play allows other players to exaggerate when describing him and to play to the prejudices of the gallery as far as what such a religious man would be like.

The play follows a careful structure to achieve its effect, a structure that would be appreciate by the more…… [Read More]. People in Paris were interested in Enlightenment values such as rationality, moderation, and order. Also, social graces, good manners, and gender roles were strictly enforced during this period.

Moliere demonstrates all of these Enlightenment values in his play. The difference between true religious piety and religious hypocrisy is, of course, the main theme of Tartuffe.

Morality was also considered to be important during the Enlightenment. Moliere created the character Tartuffe, who lacks morality. Moreover, Enlightenment thinkers believed that reason was the highest expression of the divine. Moliere's play does not reject religion, because religion played an important role in Enlightenment France. Instead, Moliere created the character of Cleante, who demonstrates both reason and religion. Cleante sees Tartuffe for…… [Read More]. Tartuffe Or the Hypocrite by.

It becomes clear that Tartuffe, as he becomes increasingly powerful in the play, considers himself above the others, and because of his "spirituality," he is above the laws of God, too. He tells Elmire, Orgon's wife, "I'll teach you, Ma'am, that Heaven's contradictions, give latitude to men of pure convictions. He tells her this as he is attempting to seduce her, so it is clear that Tartuffe thinks he is above everything, including sin, and that he has a "special" pact with God that allows him to pretty much do as he pleases.

This is another jab at religion, which often takes itself too seriously, and so do some members of organized religions, and this is who Moliere is parodying in the play. In the end, Orgon…… [Read More]. Moliere's Tartuffe as Satire. Tartuffe In the play, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere narrates the story of how a scoundrel and a hypocrite disguises himself as a pious man of religion.

By affecting religious behavior, Tartuffe charms his way into the house and the favors of Orgon, a local rich man. Orgon is unfortunately unable to see through Tartuffe's duplicity, and in the process almost loses all his possessions to the scoundrel Tartuffe. Only the fortuitous intervention of the king saves Orgon's family from the machinations of the unscrupulous Tartuffe "Tartuffe's Plot". This paper argues that Tartuffe is best read as a satire against the hypocrisy of political and religious authority figures of Moliere's day.

The satire contained in this play made its author a target of 17th century religious authorities. After all, the main audience of this play was the Parisian elite in the late 17th century. This audience would have understood that Tartuffe had…… [Read More]. Compare Tartuffe Candide Frankenstein. Tartuffe, Frankenstein, and Candide -- Nature and Science vs.

Religion Moliere's comedic play "Tartuffe," Mary Shelley's science fiction Romantic-era novel Frankenstein, and Voltaire's allegorical political satire Candide, all function as Enlightenment or scientific critiques of the authors' contemporary religious and societal mores. These works all uphold rationalism as the 'natural' or most beneficial state of human belief, in contrast to primitive and absolute trust in religious creed.

However, all three works additionally suggest that 'natural' human instinct and trust in common sense and sensibility is also required for living a full human life, as well as a rigorously rational and scientific apprehension of nature. For instance, Moliere's "Tartuffe" portrays a religious hypocrite in the form of the title character, a man who makes his living by sponging off of the family of a bourgeois gentleman.

However, it is not the most academically educated characters that disabuse the householder of his…… [Read More]. Orgon does not fully understand how false Tartuffe is, hoping that by buying Tartuffe's favor he can both buy his way to heaven and buy social cache as a religious man of wisdom and intellect. When Orgon says with approval that he sees that Tartuffe reproves everything, takes extreme care of Orgon's honor, because Tartuffe warns Orgon of the people who cast loving eyes upon the lady, the audience can only laugh at Orgon's pride that Tartuffe more jealous of his wife than her own husband, and the lengths to which Tartuffe carries his pious zeal, accusing himself of sin for the slightest thing imaginable.

The audience laughs because when Orgon protests that a mere trifle is enough to shock Tartuffe, the outsider understands that Orgon's lack of a sense of true self-worth is being taken advantage of -- the more he is criticized, and the more he is seen…… [Read More].

Moliere's Tartuffe Hypocrite Became Public in the. Moliere's Tartuffe Tartuffe Hypocrite became public in the year for the first time as a three act play that, when produced, attracted unfavorable denigration from religious factions. In this paper, I am going to analyze the religious instinct of the play with examples and citations from the play in addition to critical analysis from scholarly sources. In the play, the writer Moliere derided unnecessary godliness that he opinionates as being a true from of hypocrisy whereby he did not condemn the actions of the pious people, but those who appears to be religious and thus are hypocrites.

Thus, the hypocrisy that is evidently ridiculed in the play is specifically related to religious hypocrites. In fact, the theme and message of the play is convened to the public by means of satire and comedy in the play. If we go in to the history of the play, the time and…… [Read More]. The third act centers around the actual introduction of Tartuffe -- whom we have heard described from the play's opening but have not yet met.

His entrance does not disappoint, filled with lofty religious musings and a willingness to call attention to Dorine's bosom while pretending that it summons in him impure thoughts. Elmire, meanwhile, is planning to use her influence with Tartuffe in order to cancel his ludicrous plan to marry Mariane in order to get her money.

Elmire's private meeting with Tartuffe, and Act III Scene iii of Moliere's Tartuffe is, to a certain extent, the moment that the audience has been waiting for from the beginning…… [Read More]. Strong Women Depicted in Tartuffe. Here we see a strong female character voicing her opinion to practically anyone that will listen to her. She may be a know-it-all but in this circumstance, a know-it-all is preferable to one that knows absolutely nothing.

Mariane, on the other hand, is character that evolves as the play progresses. In the beginning of the play, she bends to her father's will as far as marrying Tartuffe. The importance of children obeying their father is demonstrating in this act because Mariane is in love with Valere.

She tells Dorine how much she and Valere are in love and if her father pushes her to marry Tartuffe she will kill herself. She is fully aware of the circumstances around her but she is fearful of making a stand on her on behalf. How does this translate in how Moliere created this play? Compare and Contrast Essay Questions These questions will help students gain context for the play, which will lead to better understanding. Compare and contrast the church corruption seen in The Canterbury Tales to the corruption in Tartuffe.

Compare and contrast another play of Moliere's with Tartuffe. Compare and contrast the servants in the household to the noblemen and women.

How are they different? How are they the same? Compare and contrast the corruption seen in the play to the church corruption in France, when the play was written. Did Moliere capture the spirit within his play? Compare and contrast Tartuffe with current Christian morality; is the morality similar or different in Moliere's play?

Find a current famous of infamous person to compare Tartuffe and his corrupt religion to. Describe the differences and similarities. Register to view this lesson Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student I am a teacher. Unlock Your Education See for yourself why 30 million people use Study. Become a Member Already a member? What teachers are saying about Study.

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Tartuffe - The Basics

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- Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Polquelin Moliere In the neoclassical comedy Tartuffe, written by Jean-Baptiste Polquelin Moliere, Tartuffe is illustrated as a disreputable character .

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The Tartuffe study guide contains a biography of Moliere, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Tartuffe Essay Words | 9 Pages. 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. Molière wrote Tartuffe not to condemn organized religion or religious people but rather to condemn hypocrisy and to instruct audiences, through the use of humor, on the importance of moderation, common sense, and clear thinking in all areas of life. Although the play was originally condemned as an outright attack on religion and devout people, a proper reading suggests just the opposite.

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Tartuffe Essay Examples. 44 total results. An Analysis of the Character of Orgon in Tartuffe by Moliere. words. 1 page. An Analysis of the Challenges in the Original Production of Tartuffe by Moliere. 1, words. 4 pages. Character Analysis of Orgon in the Play Tartuffe by Moliere. words. Tartuffe Essay. BACK; Writer’s block can be painful, but we’ll help get you over the hump and build a great outline for your paper.