Moliere:Tartuffe (Volume D)

Moliere Painting by Pierre Mignard (1671) of Moliere.

Cardinal Mazarin Mazarin was chief minister while Louis XIV was young and was the symbol of the Catholic Church’s extensive power in France. Image caption reads: “Jules Cardinal Mazarin succeeded Richelieu in office. “Painting by Pierre Louis Bouchart.

Louis XIV Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” consolidated royal power by upholding the divine right of kings and became an important patron of the visual and literary arts; during the period of his reign, the true measure of cultural worth was the approval of the court and the Paris stage. Moliere’s troupe performed for the king in Paris (1658) and under his patronage developed into the Comédie Française in 1680.

Placating the King “We’re fortunate in leadership and laws. We have a king who sees into men’s hearts, and cannot be deceived, so he imparts great wisdom, and a talent for discernment, thus frauds are guaranteed a quick internment. Our Prince of Reason sees things as they are, so hypocrites do not get very far.” The monologue, which extends nearly fifty lines, is Moliere’s way of paying homage to Louis XIV, his patron, in hopes that his compliments would extinguish any threats of censorship or imprisonment due to criticism of the Catholic Church.

Comedy Frontispiece of the first edition of Tartuffe in 1669, by Brissard. National Library of France. The illustration represents the scene (4.5) in which Orgon hides beneath the table as his wife exposes Tartuffe’s advances on her.

Theories of Laughter Plato, the ridiculous and moral improvement Aristotle, identifying anything disgraceful Freud, the uncanny and the release of aggression Eco, laughter and evil Students might try to identify what topics motivate them to laugh or what qualifies something as humorous. Is laughter innocent, or does it stem from something sinister within ourselves? According to Plato (and Moliere), laughter leads to the correction of human vice. Aristotle argues that laughter arises when something disgraceful or inappropriate is presented in a formal or appropriate way. Freud contends that humans laugh to release negative energies (shame, anger, hostility), or because we recognize our own suffering or shame in the character that is struggling with those feelings. Umberto Eco, in The Name of the Rose, asks whether or not Jesus (considered an infallible human) ever laughed, as laughter (he suggests) stems from evil inclinations.

Lessons Nothing reforms men better than the depiction of their faults. Vices can be eliminated only when they are exposed to public laughter. Archbishop’s threat In an introductory letter to the play, Moliere wrote about the value of comedy to reform men’s vices. Remember that, during this time, tragedy was considered a serious art form, while comedy was relegated to crass entertainment. Moliere is one of the first playwrights to argue for the usefulness of comedy. In response to this play’s scathing criticism of the Church, the Archbishop of Paris issued an edict, proclaiming that anyone watching, performing in, or reading the play would be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

The Voice of Reason “Your man and his life, honestly, are hollow. I believe you praise him quite sincerely, I also think you’ll pay for this quite dearly. He’s a fraud, this man whom you adore.” Many plays, whether comic or tragic, include an “in-law” who acts as the voice of reason to the main patriarch or matriarch in the play. In this work, Cléante as Orgon’s brother-in-law acts as an outside voice of reason. He contrasts Orgon as a more level-headed patriarch but also contrasts Tartuffe in acting as a rational rather than spiritually corrupt advisor to Orgon.

Elements of Comedy stock characters subplots unexpected narrative twists “happy” endings Students might consider the opening character descriptions by Orgon’s mother: though hypercritical, the portraits she paints are accurate representations of stock characters in comedy: the overbearing mother-in-law, the duplicitous guest, the stupid or narcissistic father, the coy wife, the cunning servant, etc. Subplots are minor plots interwoven into the fabric of the main narrative (in this play, for example, insuring the romantic relationship between Valère and Mariane ties into the main plot line of exposing Tartuffe’s hypocrisy). Comic playwrights, to add complexity, will often create a sudden or unexpected twist just as the play appears to resolve (in this play, the unexpected appearance of Monsieur Loyal and issue of Orgon’s possession of a traitor’s papers). All comic plays resolve “happily,” to the extent that life returns to status quo at the play’s end. Notice that Orgon is the final person to speak in this play, showing that the patriarchal figure has been restored, thereby bringing the family back to functionality.

Stock Characters “You spend money like it grows on trees, then wear it on your back in clothes like these.” “A servant with an opinion. You’re the former nanny, nothing more.” “I hear each time you give that speech your sister memorizing what you teach.” “Just as I told my son, ‘Your son’s a brat. He won’t become a drunkard or a thief, and yet, he’ll be a lifetime full of grief’.” “You think that we’re beguiled by your quietude, you fragile flower, but as they say, still waters do run sour.” The quotes here are taken from 1.1 (pp.144–46), when Madame Pernelle visits her son’s home and criticizes every member of the family. In spite of her absurd contentions, the excerpt is helpful in identifying stock characters of comic plays. Students might read each quote above without referring to the text and try to identify the character and stereotype that s/he represents in this work.

Discretion “Your honor has, of course, all my protection, and you can trust my absolute discretion. For those men that all women die for, Love’s a game whose object is a high score” (pp. 172–73). In this scene with Tartuffe and Elmire, Tartuffe skews religious language and misrepresents courtship rituals in order to persuade Elmire to have an affair. Not only will he be more discreet than younger suitors, but he translates religious “zeal” into sexual energy. Students might examine phrases that have both a religious and sexual tone in 3.3: “bless your soul and body, and may it grant the prayerful wishes of this supplicant,” “Each fervent prayer wrenched from my simple soul,” “that I’ve begged heaven for this, yes, is true,” “I long to show you my entire soul…rather were my own transports of zeal, which carried me away with how I feel, consumed by impulses, though always pure,” “Until I saw your beauty as a blessing! So now my passion never can be wrong,” “if my confession earns your condemnation, then blame your glance for the annihilation.” The image, circa 1795, depics scene 3.3, in which Tartuffe places his hand upon Elmire’s knee, ostensibly to feel the lace and fine quality of the fabric.

Subplot: Young Romance Dorine: “It seems that lovers’ tongues are never still.” Students should examine scene 2.4 with care, not only because it represents the critical development of the play’s subplot, but also because many students will be able to identify with the “young lover’s quarrel” and stereotypical behaviors that our culture expects young men and women to exhibit during an argument. Note the gestures and atypical “role reversal” as Valere, rather than remaining calm and collected, refuses to storm out without looking back.

Discussion Questions How is Moliere’s text a prelude to Enlightenment thought regarding Christianity? According to the “What Is Enlightenment?” (pp.101–04) discussion, the period marks a time when educated people began to “cast a critical eye on the pronouncements of priests and princes” who themselves had proven corruptible and fallible. Science and reason replaced faith and religion, which the thinkers had come to see as “irrational and self-serving” (p. 102). Where do students see evidence of corruptibility, irrational behavior and self-serving acts in the characters of Tartuffe and Orgon?

This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for The Norton Anthology of World Literature