Appearance and Deception in Tartuffe - Essay Example

April 22, Appearance and Deception in Tartuffe Some of the religious and virtuous people are actually the worst liars andhypocrites. They pretend to be who they are not, in order to deceive people and get something from them. This is the main goal of Tartuffe in a play that has his name, written by Moliere. Tartuffe pretends to be a pious man, a ruse that enables him to manipulate people like Orgon and Madame Pernelle. However, others like Damis, Dorine, and Cleante are not deceived. They see beyond Tartuffe’s appearance and believe that he is an expert hypocrite, although they have difficulty in convincing Orgon in seeing the truth, until he sees the truth with his own eyes. This paper analyzes the theme of appearance and deception in this place using setting, characterization, and symbolism. The theme of Tartuffe is that many people want to be deceived, because they value appearance too much that they no longer analyze the essence of a person’s real identity, and so Moliere calls for people to apply common sense and clear thinking on their lives to avoid being deceived. The play shows that people generally want to be deceived, because they would rather devour lies than scrutinize people’s underlying motives. Orgon has fallen hopelessly in love with Tartuffe's appearance of a religious man. It manifests his need for an upright companion, who must be quite rare in his society. However, he has taken this admiration for Tartuffe to the extreme that he no longer pays attention to his own sick wife and the arguments of other people about Tartuffe’s hypocrisy. In Act 1, Scene V, Dorine informs Orgon about wife's illness, but the latter is only concerned of Tartuffe's welfare. He repeatedly says, “And how about Tartuffe?” Dorine sarcastically comments on this infatuation in Act 1, Scene II and says: “[Orgon] calls him [Tartuffe], loves him/ A hundred times as much as mother, son,/Daughter, and wife...” (Moliere). She also applies verbal irony to stress that Orgon is interested in his wife’s recuperation, when he is more absorbed in relieving Tartuffe of his “poor” circumstances in life (Moliere 1.5). Madame Pernelle also bites willingly into Tartuffe’s deceit, for she loves appearances of holiness too. She defends Tartuffe to Damis’ criticisms: “He is a holy man, and must be heeded;/ I can't endure, with any show of patience,/ To hear a scatterbrains like you attack him” (Moliere 1.1). The irony is that she is the scatterbrain, because she is the one who does not think about who Tartuffe truly is. She merely sees his piousness and nothing else. Indeed, she believes in him too much that she wants everyone to follow his example: “Eh! Mercy sakes alive! Things would go better/ If all were governed by his pious orders” (Moliere 1.1). She believes that Tartuffe represents the holy order of life, an example worthy of adulation. These people believe in the genuineness of Tartuffe, even when they have not fully analyzed the latter’s intentions. None of them asked why Tartuffe continues to live in their house and what he intends to do later on with his life. Other characters see beyond appearance and understand Tartuffe’s essence. He is a fraud who can be exposed through his actions. Beck analyzes the meaning of Tartuffe. He says that his name most likely means a “sly weasel” (204). It reflects Tartuffe’s animal-like cunning in manipulating people who are easy to influence. Tartuffe creates an appearance that deflects criticisms. For instance, he pretends to be not attracted to flesh when he asks Dorine to cover her breasts: “Cover up that bosom, which I can't/ Endure to look on. Things like that offend/ Our souls, and fill our minds with sinful thoughts” (Moliere 3.2). In reality, Tartuffe is attracted to Orgon’s wife and even tries to seduce her. He is only pretending to be like a priest with no sexual interests. He reveals to Elmire that he wants her: “Though pious, I am none the less a man;/ And when a man beholds your heavenly charms,/ The heart surrenders, and can think no more” (Moliere 3.3). He exposes his carnal desires, which questions his whole identity as a pious man. Damis sees through Tartuffe’s hypocrisy, because of the latter’s overzealous actions and beliefs in life. He complains to his grandmother, Madame Pernelle: “And shall we never dare amuse ourselves/ Till this fine gentleman deigns to consent?” (Moliere 1.1). He sarcastically comments on how Tartuffe has become like God who controls their actions. Dorine agrees with Damis and says: “There's not a thing we do but what's a crime;/ He censures everything, this zealous carper” (Moliere 1.1). She also feels that Tartuffe is too much of a zealous to be real. Cleante also warns his brother Orgon about Tartuffe’s hypocrisy: “But this I know, though it be all my knowledge,/ That there's a difference 'twixt false and true” (Moliere 1.6). He tries to convince Orgon that Tartuffe is a hypocrite because he is inconsistent with his actions and values, but Orgon does not believe him and doubts his own brother instead. Orgon sarcastically exonerates Cleante’s intentions in guiding him towards the truth: “You are the sole expounder of the doctrine;/ Wisdom shall die with you, no doubt, good brother…” (Moliere 1.6). Clearly, Orgon feels that Tartuffe is a true holy man who deserves love and adoration, while the rest of his family is envious of this man’s godliness. One of the appearances that the play attacks is religious appearance. Tartuffe lampoons the deceitful people who appear to be virtuous. Hada argues that Moliere does not attack religion per se, and instead, he is concerned of “…the misuse of religion for personal gain at the expense of innocent, unsuspecting people…” (Hada 2). For Hada, the play intends to expose people to liars and wants society to become more critical in choosing whom to adore and to support. Cleante informs Orgon that the main downfall of “religious men” is that they recognize people with “good eyes” as “atheists” and if these atheists do not “adore their vain grimaces,” they will be criticized as having no “faith nor care for sacred things” (Moliere 1.6). Moliere is arguing that true holy people do not attack atheists or people with different beliefs, and instead, they know that people who know the truth are already self-satisfied without bashing other people. They are also role models and do not impose their beliefs upon others. Tartuffe, on the contrary, likes criticizing other people to applaud himself further. The more he downs other people, the more he intends to raise himself up. For instance, when faced with Damis’ allegations that he seduced Elmire, he uses his cunning charm to convince Orgon of his innocence: “I'm anything but what I'm thought to be,/ Alas! and though all men believe me godly,/ The simple truth is, I'm a worthless creature” (Moliere 3.6). He first asserts that almost all people believe he is godly, and then he superficially denigrates himself to generate pity from Orgon. Tartuffe is a classic example of pure religious hypocrisy. He uses religion to serve his material and carnal needs. However, he hides his hypocrisy so well, which makes it hard for Orgon to know the truth. Pedoto mentions the closet as “pivotal” to the story. This closet symbolizes hiding dark secrets from others. Nevertheless, it is through the same closet that the truth is revealed, because this is where Damis learns that Tartuffe tries to seduce Elmire. Hence, the closet illustrates that no secret will be hidden forever. The appearances of the lower and upper class have to be examined too, because they reveal the importance of going beyond what people see. Pedoto says that Orgon’s house is a setting where “the class and wealth of Orgon’s home exist with the craziness and irrationality found inside.” Orgon and Madame Pernelle are rich, but a con artist like Tartuffe easily manipulates them. They are supposed to be educated, but they have poor skills in knowing who people truly are. Dorine, on the contrary, is just a maid with no high educational background or wealth, but she knows that Tartuffe is a hypocrite. Madame Pernelle is angry at Dorine’s talkativeness that reflects her power inside Orgon’s household. Dorine, however, is the one who prevents Mariane’s immediate marriage with Tartuffe. Dorine tells Orgon too that Tartuffe “passes for a saint in your opinion [when] he's nothing but a hypocrite” (Moliere Act 1 Scene 1). Madame Pernelle disparages the maid, because of her social status, but honors Tartuffe, due to the latter's outward appearance: “I don't know what the servant's character. May be; but I can guarantee the master, a holy man” (Moliere 1.1). Madame Pernelle asserts that Tartuffe is a holy man and tells Tartuffe's critics: “He wants to guide you on the way to heaven” (Moliere 1.1). This play shows that maids can also be intelligent and truthful, while masters can be easily duped because of their love for appearances. Moliere calls for people to apply common sense and clear thinking on their lives to avoid being deceived. He wants people to see who the Tartuffes are in their lives, and prevent themselves from losing everything because of these hypocrites. Orgon almost loses his entire wealth because of Tartuffe. His consumption of his lies has almost led to his tragedy. Thankfully, the King and other people are not as dense as Orgon. Because of the King’s intelligence, he prevents Tartuffe from taking everything that Orgon owns. Appearances mislead people, especially those who prefer physical appearances to the truth. Moliere warns people from people like Tartuffe. The more they appear holy and zealous of others’ actions, the more that they should be doubted. Holy people do not cast judgment on others, but lead by example instead. People should do more than blindedly accept appearances, but also learn to study people’s identity and motivations. They might be surprised to know that their Tartuffe is merely a common con artist. The key is to see through an open mind, because the eyes might be too attracted to the beauty of appearances. Works Cited Beck, William J. “More on Moliere's Tartuffe.” Papers on Language & Literature 16.2 (1980): 203-206. Print. Hada, Kenneth E. “Tartuffe.” Masterplots (2010): 1-3. Print. Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin. Tartuffe. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . Pedoto, Connie. “Tartuffe.” Cyclopedia of Literary Places (2003): 1. Print. Saur, Pamela S. “Molier's Tartuffe.” Explicator 60.1 (2001): 9-12. Print. Read More