Hi, need to submit a 750 words essay on the topic Moliere's Tartuffe.Download file to see previous pages... The play has been so influential that Tartuffe is now a synonym for hypocrite in both Englis

Hi, need to submit a 750 words essay on the topic Moliere's Tartuffe.

The play has been so influential that Tartuffe is now a synonym for hypocrite in both English and French. The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether it is indeed Tartuffe that is the main villain of the play, or if Orgon, the householder, has to shoulder some of the blame. Critics have, over the years, argued that Orgon should share some of the blame and that Tartuffe, whilst villainous, is not the only problematic protagonist. Orgon is a householder that takes in Tartuffe, who was previously a vagrant. Tartuffe claims to be pious and have a direct line of communication with God, and Orgon and his mother believe this and will not undertake any decisions without first consulting Tartuffe. The other members of the family actively dislike Tartuffe because they can see through his exterior, and are particularly disguested when Orgon decides to break his daughter Mariane's engagement to promise her to Tartuffe. This is the first instance in which Orgon begins to show his negative side. He acts like a fool by believing wholly in Tartuffe and not being able to see through the facade. In this sense, many critics argue that there Orgon should bear some of the blame for the situation that Tartuffe puts the family in, because his ignorance is the source of many of the problems. By not being more careful with whom he lets into his household, it can be said that Orgon has acted with foolishness and folly and agreeing to let Tartuffe marry his daughter is perhaps the start of all the problems with hypocrisy during the play. Another point in which sympathy for Orgon begins to fade during the play is when he claims that "My mother, children, brother, and wife could die,/ And I'd not feel a single moment's pain” (1.5.4). This leads the audience to believe that Orgon is careless with his family and how their life unfolds. It is perhaps the first moment of the play in which Orgon appears not only foolish, but downright villainous. Anyone who can claim something as strong as not being able to care when loved ones die surely has the streak of the villain in them. It is noted later that Orgon used to be 'wise' before he fell under the spell of Tartuffe, which is perhaps why the rest of the family is so dedicated to removing Tartuffe from the household and restoring the balance. It could be suggested that the above quote only came from Orgon because of Tartuffe's influence on him, but it is still difficult to feel sympathy for a protagonist that can suggest such a thing, and again it can lead the audience to feel that Orgon is at least partially to blame for the negative influence that Tartuffe has brought into the household. It is hard to ignore the fact that Tartuffe is himself portrayed to be the villain in this play. He manipulates Orgon and persuades him and Madame Pernelle that his is a good, pious man. His failed seduction of Orgon's wife, Elmire, is laughable and the audience is perhaps relieved to see him get his comeuppance in the final act of the play. Tartuffe is a hypocrite and a liar, and manages to manipulate situations to his own benefit, even almost managing to stage Orgon's eviction from his own household, although the truth comes out before this can finally take place. It is hard to ignore all these negative characteristics, especially with all of the other characters in the play denouncing his name before he even makes an appearance in the play bearing his own name. Whilst all of these features of Tartuffe are true, the point here is that he cannot be the only one to blame for all of the situations in the play.