Tartuffe Essay
In seventeenth century France, all literature had to be approved by the King before it could be published. In the case of drama specifically, many playwrights had to write several versions before it could be approved, primarily because of its offensiveness, as it was in Moliere’s case. In his efforts to please King Lois XIV, Moliere weakened the overall message of his most famous play, Tartuffe. In Moliere’s earlier copies of Tartuffe, he originally made fun of religion. In David Partikian’s article “Critical Essay on Tartuffe”, he writes that many scholars agree in earlier versions “the play portrayed the most complete and consummate swindler, liar, scoundrel and… hypocrite” (Partikian 1). Partikian writes that “this personage …show more content…
The hypocritical Tartuffe no longer having such high rank in the church took some of the criticism off of the Catholic Church, drawing attention to other parts satirized parts. In the play, Tartuffe says to the mistress of the house, Elmire, “I offer you, my dear Elmire, love without scandal, pleasure without fear” (Moliere 92). Even after the adjustment of Tartuffes character, proposing an affair is scandalous. If Tartuffe had been kept in his original position as a priest, the situation would have greatly offended many people. At the climax of the play, when Tartuffe is about to have Orgon arrested, a surprising turn of events happen and Tartuffe is instead the one heading to the dungeons, An officer explains to Orgon and his family that Tartuffe was “recognized… as one notorious by another name, who’d done so many vicious crimes that one could fill then volumes with, and be writing still” (Moliere 162). If the version of the play had been released with Tartuffe as a priest, as well with a past of lying, cheating and in general ungodly actions, it would have been implying many negative things about the church. In conclusion, because Moliere changed the character of Tartuffe from a priest to just a hypocrite, he weakened the message concerning religious hypocrisy he was originally
In seventeenth century France, all literature had to be approved by the King before it could be published. In the case of drama specifically, many playwrights had to write several versions before it could be approved, primarily because of its offensiveness, as it was in Moliere’s case. In his efforts to please King Lois XIV, Moliere weakened the overall message of his most famous play, Tartuffe. In Moliere’s earlier copies of Tartuffe, he originally made fun of religion. In David Partikian’s article “Critical Essay on Tartuffe”, he writes that many scholars agree in earlier versions “the play portrayed the most complete and consummate swindler, liar, scoundrel and… hypocrite” (Partikian 1). Partikian writes that “this personage …show more content…
The hypocritical Tartuffe no longer having such high rank in the church took some of the criticism off of the Catholic Church, drawing attention to other parts satirized parts. In the play, Tartuffe says to the mistress of the house, Elmire, “I offer you, my dear Elmire, love without scandal, pleasure without fear” (Moliere 92). Even after the adjustment of Tartuffes character, proposing an affair is scandalous. If Tartuffe had been kept in his original position as a priest, the situation would have greatly offended many people. At the climax of the play, when Tartuffe is about to have Orgon arrested, a surprising turn of events happen and Tartuffe is instead the one heading to the dungeons, An officer explains to Orgon and his family that Tartuffe was “recognized… as one notorious by another name, who’d done so many vicious crimes that one could fill then volumes with, and be writing still” (Moliere 162). If the version of the play had been released with Tartuffe as a priest, as well with a past of lying, cheating and in general ungodly actions, it would have been implying many negative things about the church. In conclusion, because Moliere changed the character of Tartuffe from a priest to just a hypocrite, he weakened the message concerning religious hypocrisy he was originally