Tarruffe

In preparation for the upcoming AP exam we have been reviewing books that we read earlier in the year as well as in past years.  We read many interesting novels and plays and in order to better prepare myself I have decided to blog about one that I haven’t had much time to talk about or discuss with my fellow classmates.  I am going to talk about Tartuffe because I found it slightly confusing however it seems to be apt in response to many of the open ended questions we have been going over in class. 

Tartuffe is a satire criticizing many things like wealthy aristocrats like Tartuffe himself.  He is portrayed as a good person by the not so bright people in the play however at the end you realize that he is really not nice at all.  This play also satirizes stupidity through people like Orgon and Damis.  These people are rash and gullible and tend to ruin all of the plans that the other more guileful characters hatch up.  An example of this is when Damis is hiding underneath the table and overhears the flirtation between Elmire and Tartuffe.  Elmire wants to keep it a secret and not make a big deal out of it because she believes it is not worth troubling her husband with it since she doesn’t go along with the flirtation just tries to get rid of him.  Damis doesn’t seem to understand this however as he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and he decides to run off and tell Elmires husband.  This then proceeds to start the fracas that elmire wanted to avoid by not telling her husband in the first place.

All of this contributes to a theme of the play that you should be careful around people who aren’t very smart because they could get you in trouble.  They all don’t understand this and end up almost being forced to be acquainted with and practically controlled by Tartuffe at the end of the play.  This play also works in another interesting element where he attempts to flatter the king.  At the end of the novel when Tartuffe is about to take over everything and get away with his evil deeds an official of the king swoops in and saves the day, acting on the kings orders of course.  Not only does he stop Tartuffe but he also, being the kind and gracious king that he is decides to pardon orgon for the things that he did that were technically treason even though they were acting for the good King. 

The open ended question is one of the more difficult ones due to the broad nature or it however a believe that I am now all the more prepared after discussing this Play with myself.