3 November 2017

Tartuffe Response Paper

(1) Written in 1664, this play is considered an important comedic work of dramatic literature. Is

the play funny? What is the source of the comedy? Explain.

Moliere’s Tartuffe is known as a comedic piece, and I agree with that statement. There

were several instances in the play that I found comedic. The main source of comedy are the

characters’ true personalities. Some characters, such as Orgon, is a fake, instead of the high

status rich man he is made out to be. The characters are not as they seem. The upper-class

characters interact with the servants and nothing is what the reader thinks it is. The tone of

the piece is also very witty, and the rhyme scheme gives off a “sing-song” vibe which is not

taken as seriously. In the end, everyone was happy and it all worked out; that does not

happen in a tragedy.

(2) What, if anything is difficult to understand about the play? This could be a scene, character,

or element of the dramatic action. Explain.

At sometimes, the play was hard to understand because I was not actually seeing it play

out in front of me. The historical references in the show I did not understand such as

references to Alcidamas; so, I did look him up to gain a better understanding of the reference.

Overall, however, most of the story was straightforward. The fact that it was written in a

rhyme scheme and has a poem-esque quality to it made it more difficult to understand than a

piece that would be written more conversationally.

(3) Moliere, like Shakespeare, also borrowed from commedia dell'arte. What evidence of this

genre is present in the script? Explain

 The main point that is apparent in commedia dell’arte and Tartuffe is Moliere’s use of

stock characters. Some of these characters include Mariane and Valere as the young lovers

and Dorine as the wise servant. Another aspect would be the use of masks. Now, although

these are not physical masks, the show centers heavily around on being someone else. Most

of the characters use metaphorical “masks” to cover up their true identities. Cleante has a line

in Act 1 Scene 5 that says, “How do you fail to see it, may I ask? Is not a face quite different

from a mask?” He recognizes the hypocrisy and “mask” being put up.

(4) Finally, what is the main idea of the play? Explain.

The main idea of the play seems to revolve around the idea of hypocrisy and that nothing

is as it seems. Tartuffe is not who he says he is, Elmire helps him lie, Orgon is more of an

idiot than a smart, rich man, and the servant is smarter than half of the aristocrats and high-

class characters. Tartuffe acted high and mighty when, in reality, he was unethical and

immoral. Perhaps Tartuffe would be more accepted if he did not falsify his personality and

was open about his deceitful nature.