Tartuffe (MOLLIERE) Essay, Research Paper

Christian Castellanos

HUM1020 MWF 10-10:50

Robin Repper

Tartuffe is a classic story of deceit by one who is trusted and respected. Tartuffe,

the deceitful holy man, is living in the house of Oregon. Oregon has opened his doors to

Tartuffe, and he greatly respects him for being the good holy man he was thought to be.

The rest of the family believe that Tartuffe is a fake and a con. Oregon and Madam

Parcelle are the two which believe in his holy reputation. Tartuffe convinces Oregon that

he is an incredible man of great holy stature, and Oregon proceeds to sign over to Tartuffe

all his possessions.

Outward Appearances can sometimes be deceiving. This is evident in the way

Oregon looked at Tartuffe. Tartuffe was thought to be a man of great holy influence.

Oregon thought Tartuffe was a high holy figure, who was admirable because of his

devotion to God. Tartuffe is actually a two- faced con artist who has no interests but that

of his own welfare. Oregon is blinded by these ideals. Tartuffe takes advantage of this

blindness and attempts to seduce Oregon?s wife and con Oregon out of all his

possessions.

Another action by Tartuffe was the first steps of seducing Oregon?s wife. He uses

his rosary to pull her in closer. In this episode, Tartuffe is using a symbol of purity and

holiness as a tool of lust and sin. At some points, he?d be eloquent and dignified, but at

times he would be as if he was going after her.

There is another aspect to the seduction by Tartuffe of Oregon?s wife. Molierre

has Oregon hiding under a table when Tartuffe is trying to physically seduce his wife.

Oregon had never believed his family that Tartuffe was two faced. Oregon, seeing with

his own eyes what Tartuffe was doing, finally believes them. This shows that sometimes

people don?t believe something until they see it with their own eyes.

Moilere succeeded in making Oregon and Madam Parcelle stubborn and

unmoving. Oregon was stubborn when he did not believe his family over Tartuffe. It was

a bold action the wife undertook to convince Oregon that Tartuffe was a fake. Only an

action so bold would convince him. Oregon felt the affect of this stubbornness when he

was trying to convince Parcelle of Tartuffe?s deceitfulness. He was outwardly frustrated

at her remarks about him and Tartuffe. Again, she needed outward proof, and she

received it when the eviction notice came as Oregon was trying to convince her.

The voice of reason and control in this play comes from a character by the name

of Cleante. This character counters Oregon?s stubbornness and irrationality by providing

stability and control over the situation. Cleante is Oregon?s brother- in- law. When

Cleante notices that Tartuffe has taken over the household, he organizes a meeting to

come up with a solution or plan to the situation.

The actor playing Tartuffe would frequently face the camera and make faces

showing his deceitfulness toward the camera. This gives the audience and insight which

is not seen by the rest of the characters in the play. These actions lead to dramatic irony

which introduces new aspects to the play.

Camera angles played an important and interesting role in this production of

Tartuffe. During the scene of the attempted escape by Oregon, the camera angle was shot

in the first person of Oregon. It showed Oregon?s point of view as he was exiting. This

method was used a couple more times in the production. Also, camera angles were oddly

placed at times. While the family was planning, the camera at one point was shooting

between two chairs at the table, giving a different perspective of the planning period.

Also, the Camera would sometimes be moved and hurried, giving a sense of confusion.

Lighting played a small role in this production. The most prominent example of

the use of variation of light was in the speech given by the guard towards the end of the

production. A bright white light was cast from behind making what he had to say more

catching and seemingly important. The light also gave him a look of being omnipotent at

the time of his speech.

Tartuffe is a play emphasizing deceit, reputations, integrity, stubbornness, and the

ability to be blinded by something that we see as good, but really is harmful. Outward

appearances are sometimes misinterpreted. This is what happened to Oregon and

Tartuffe. This play contains many conditions which are evident in real life situations, and

that is what has made it a classic.