LIT 204 JSCC The Enlightenment in Europe and the Americas Questions

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Humanities

LIT 204

Jackson State Community College

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o Read about the Enlightenment period in “The Enlightenment in Europe and the Americas” pp. 3-16.

o Read introduction about Moliere and his writing pp. 53-55.

o Read Tartuffe pp. 56-109.

1.  Write and submit a summary of Tartuffle.

2.  Describe how the concept of reason was applied during the Enlightenment. How does Tartuffe reflect these ideas?

3. Describe how the character of Tartuffe is symbolic of religious hypocrisy. How do other characters in the play represent how Christians ca fall prey to this?

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s the latest thing always the best? On the whole, our society assumes that progress is likely and desirable. We move and communicate ever faster; we pursue the newest and shiniest things- our appetite for the modern knows no bounds. Yet we also indulge in moments of nostalgia, worrying that things are no longer what they used to be, that something has been lost in our tremendous rush. Before, we tell ourselves, there were standards; now all is confusion. Although the pace of change is now swifter, this ambivalence is nothing new. The quarrel between "ancients" and "moderns"- those who believed, respectively, that old ideas or new ones were likely to prove superior to any alternatives-proved especially virulent in France and England during the late seventeenth and eigh- teenth centuries. Those who espoused the cause of the ancients feared-understandably-that the new commitment to individualism promoted by the mod- erns might lead to social alienation, unscrupulous self-seeking, and lack of moral responsibility. Believ- ing in the universality of truth, they wished to uphold established values, not to invent new ones. On the other side, the moderns upheld the impor- tance of individual autonomy, broad education for A Philosopher Giving a Lecture in the Orrery, 1766, by Joseph Wright of Derby. 341 THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS This engraving by J. Zucchi, a copy of a painting by Angelica Kauffmann, depicts Urania, the classical muse of astronomy. women, and intellectual and geograph- ical exploration. They stood for the new and are the recognizable forebears of what we even now call "modernity." On both sides of the ancient/mod- ern divide, thinkers believed in reason. as a dependable guide. Both sides insisted that one should not take any assertion of truth on faith, blindly fol- lowing the authority of others; instead, one should think skeptically about causes and effects, subjecting all truth- claims to logic and rational inquiry. Dr. Johnson's famous Dictionary defined reason as "the power by which man deduces one proposition from another, or proceeds from premises to consequences. By this definition, illu- mination occurs not by divine inspira- tion or by order of kings but by the reasoning powers of the ordinary human mind. Reason, some people argued, would lead human beings back to eternal truths. For others, reason. provided a means for discovering fresh solutions to scientific, philosophical, and political questions. In the realm of philosophy, thinkers turned their attention to defining what it meant to be human. "I think, therefore I am," René Descartes pronounced, de- claring the mind the source of truth and meaning. But this idea proved less reas- suring than it initially seemed. Subse quent philosophers, exploring the concept's implications, realized the pos sibility of the mind's isolation in its own constructions. Perhaps, Wilhelm Leib niz suggested, no real communication can take place between one consciousness and another. Possibly, according to David Hume, the idea of individual identity is a fiction constructed by our minds to make discontinuous experi- ences and memories seem continuous and whole. Philosophers pointed out the impossibility of knowing for sure even the reality of the external world: the only certainty is that we think it exists. If contemplating the nature of human reason led philosophic skeptics to doubt our ability to know anything with certainty, other thinkers insisted on the existence, beyond ourselves, of an entirely rational physical and moral universe. Isaac Newton's demonstra- tions of the order of natural law greatly encouraged this line of thought, lead- ing many to believe that the fullness and complexity of the perceived physi- cal world testified to the sublime ratio- nality of a divine plan. The Planner, however, did not necessarily supervise the day-to-day operations of His arrange- analogy had it, resemble the watch- ments; He might rather, as a popular maker who winds the watch and leaves it running. tral image for thinkers known as deists, God as a watchmaker was the cen- who justified evil in the world by argu- ing that God never interfered with encouraged the separation of ethics nature or with human action. Deism from religion, as ethics was increas ingly understood as a matter of reason.An illustration from an early eighteenth-century edition of the French philosopher René Descartes's unfinished book on the human body. Descartes saw the body as a machine whose operations could be understood mathematically. Human beings, Enlightenment think- ers argued, could rely on their own authority rather than looking to priests or princes to decide how to act well in the world. Yet no one could fail to recognize that men and women embod- ied a capacity for passion as well as reason: "On life's vast ocean diversely we sail,/ Reason the card, but Passion is the gale," Alexander Pope's Essay on Man (1733) pointed out. One could hope to steer with reason as guide, but one had to face the omnipresence of unreasonable passions. Life could be understood as a struggle between ratio nality and emotion, with feeling fre- quently exercising controlling force. Those who believed in the desirability of reason's governance often worried. that it rarely prevailed over feelings of greed, lust, or the desire for power. For them as for us, the gap between the ideal and the actual caused frustration and often despair. INTRODUCTION The questions raised by Enlighten ment thinkers about human powers and limitations have left a legacy so lasting that it is hard to imagine our world with out the Enlightenment. They are the ones who urged us to trust our own. judgments and our own senses-while insisting on the need to think skeptically and critically-and they were the ones i who shifted the dominant model of truth. from divine revelation to human forms of knowledge: science, statistics, history, literature. They imagined conquering nature with ever-increasing knowledge- allowing humans to control their envi- ronment and harness nature's power for their own gain. And they ushered in a new sense of the equality of all human beings, launching the demand for uni- versal human rights. SOCIETY The late seventeenth century, when the Enlightenment began, was a period of great turmoil, which persisted at intervals throughout the succeeding century. Reason had led many thinkers to the conclusion that kings and queens were ordinary mortals, and thatTHE ENLIGHTENMENT IN EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS conclusion implied new kinds of uncer- tainty. Civil war in England had ended in the king's execution in 1649; the French would guillotine their ruler before the end of the eighteenth cen- tury. The notion of divine right, the belief that monarchs governed with authority from God, had been effec- tively destroyed. God seemed to be moving further away. Religion still fig- ured as a political reality, as it did in the struggle of Cavaliers and Puritans in England, which ended with the res- toration of Charles II to the throne in 1660. But the most significant social divisions were now those of class and of political conviction-divisions no less powerful for lacking any claim of God-given authority. To England, the eighteenth century brought two unsuc- cessful but bitter rebellions on behalf of the deposed Stuart monarchs as well as the cataclysmic American Revolu- tion. Throughout the eighteenth cen- tury, wars erupted over succession to European thrones and over nationalis- tic claims. In Europe, internal divisions often assumed greater importance than struggles between nations. In the Amer- icas, meanwhile, the ideas of the En- lightenment and the example of the American Revolution spread widely, leading to the revolts of creole elites against their European masters and to the birth of new nations. Although revolution, civil war, and other forms of social instability domi- nated this period, the idea of civil soci- Enlightenment. Seventeenth-century ety retained great power during the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. who believed that human life before bly "nasty, mean, brutish, and short," the formation of societies was inevita- inally banded together for the sake of thought that men and women had orig- preservation and progress. By the late seventeenth century in Europe as in the Americas, social organization had evolved into elaborate hierarchicalINTRODUCTION structures with the aristocracy at the childbearing and childrearing might top. Just below the aristocrats were the educated gentry-clergymen, lawyers. men of leisure with landed property. Below them were masses of workers of various kinds, many of them illiterate, and, in the Americas, the large popula- tions of indigenous or mestizo (mixed- not conform to the dictates of reason. If God had given all human beings rea- son, then women were just as entitled to develop and exercise their minds as their male counterparts. The emphasis on education in virtually all of the peri- od's tracts about women provides proof race) peoples, as well as slaves of African that the concept of rational progress offered a device that could be used to descent. Although literacy rates grew dramatically during the eighteenth gain at least some rights for women-if not civil rights, which were long in century, those who wrote (and, for a and knowledge. Women of the upper classes occu- pied an important place in Enlighten- ment society, presiding over "salons," gatherings whose participants engaged in intellectual as well as frivolous con- versation. In France as in England, by the late seventeenth century women also began writing novels, their books. widely read by men and women alike. Although novels by women often fo- cused attention on the domestic scene. they also ranged further, as in Behn's Oroonoko. Women published transla- tions from the Greek as well as vol- umes of literary criticism, and were the most prolific writers in certain genres, such as Gothic fiction. Even if society as a whole did not acknowledge their full intellectual and moral capacities, individual women were beginning to claim for themselves more rights than those of motherhood. long time, those who read) belonged coming, at least the right to thought almost entirely to the two upper classes. As new forms of commerce generated new wealth, and with it, newly wealthy people who felt entitled to their share of social power, the traditional social order faced increasing challenges. In the Americas, white creoles chafed at European entitlements while insisting on their own privilege over other races. By the eighteenth century, the aboli- tionist movement would begin to ques tion whether slavery could be ethical, a challenge anticipated by Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, the story of an African prince tricked into slavery and spirited to the New World. Among the privileged classes, men had many opportunities: for education, for service in government or diplomacy, for the exercise of political and eco- nomic power. Both men and women generally accepted as necessary the subordination of women, who, even in Society in this period operated, as the upper classes, had few opportuni- ties for education and occupation societies always do, by means of well- defined codes of behavior. Commenta- beyond the household. But the increas- tors at the time frequently showed ing value attached to individualism had themselves troubled by the possibility implications for women as well as men. In the late seventeenth century, Sor of sharp discrepancies between social Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun, appearance and the "truth" of human articulated her own passion for thought nature: Molière's Tartuffe provides a and reading, and became an eloquent vivid example, with its exposé of reli- advocate of the right of women to edu- gious sham. Jonathan Swift, lashing cation and a life of the mind. During the English for institutionalized hypocrisy the next century, a number of women and an occasional man made the same case. It became increasingly common to argue that limiting women solely to Pope, calling attention to ambiguous sexual mores: Voltaire and Johnson, sending naive fictional protagonists to find that moralists don't always practice68 1 MOLIERE CLEANTE But we need to know, don't we now? Is there a reason you would break your vow? ORGON That depends. CLEANTE On what? Orgon, what is it? Valère was the reason for my visit. ORGON Who knows? Who knows? CLEANTE ORGON Heaven knows. CLEANTE May he know, too? So there's some mystery there? It does? And now, Valère- Can't say. ORGON CLÉANTE We have no information to go on. We need to know- But, dear Orgon, ORGON What heaven wants, I'll do. CLEANTE Is that your final answer? Then I'm through. But your pledge to Valère? You'll stand by it? ORGON Good-bye. [ORGON exits.] CLEANTE More patience, yes, I should i try it. I let him get to me. Now I confess I fear the worst for Valère's happiness. 2.1 [ORGON, MARIANE] ORGON Mariane. MARIANE Father. ORGON Come. Now. Talk with me. MARIANE Why are you looking everywhere? To see ORGON If everyone is minding their own business. So, Child, I've always loved your gentleness. MARIANE And for your love, I'm grateful, Father dear. ORGON Well said. And so to prove that you're sincere, And worthy of my love, you have the task Of doing for me anything I ask. MARIANE Then my obedience will be my proof. ORGON Good. What do you think of our guest, Tartuffe? MARIANE Who, me? ORGON MARIANE Then, Father, I will say what you allow. Yes, you. Watch what you say right now. ORGON Wise words, Daughter. So this is what you say: "He is a perfect man in every way; In body and soul, I find him divine." And then you say, "Please Father, make him mine." Huh?I heard... Yes. What did you say? Who is this perfect man in every way, hom in body and soul I find divine And ask of you, "Please, Father, make him mine?" ON Tartuffe All that I've said, I now amend Because you wouldn't want me to pretend. cox Absolutely not that's so misguided. Have it be the truth, then. It's decided. ANTWhat?! Father, you want- ORGON To join in marriage my Tartuffe and you. And since I have Yes, my dear, I do- 2.2 (DORINE, ORGON, MARIANE] ORGON Dorine, I know you're there! Any secrets in this house you don't share? DORINE "Marriage"I think, yes, I heard a rumor, Someone's failed attempt at grotesque humor, So when I heard the story, I said, "No! Preposterous! Absurd! It can't be so." ORGON Oh, you find it preposterous? And why? DORINE It's so outrageous, it must be a lie. ORGON Yet it's the truth and you will believe it. DORINE Yet as a joke is how I must receive it. ORGON But it's a story that will soon come true. DORINE A fantasy! ORGON Mariane, it's not a joke- DORINE I'm getting tired of you. Says he, Laughing up his sleeve for all to see. ORGON I'm telling you- TARTUFTE 2.2 DORINE It's very good-you're fooling everyone. ORGON You have made me really angry now. DORINE I see the awful truth across your brow. How can a man who looks as wise as you Be such a fool to want- ORGON 11 What can I da -more make-believe for fun. 1 69 1066 1 MOLIERE You are the one enlightened man, the sage. You are Cato the Elder" of our age. Next to you, all men are dumb as cows. CLEANTE I'm not the wisest man, as you espouse, Nor do I know-what-all there is to know? But I do know, Orgon, that quid pro quo Does not apply at all to "false" and "true," And I would never trust a person who Cannot tell them apart. See, I revere Everyone whose worship is sincere. Nothing is more noble or more beautiful Than fervor that is holy, not just dutiful. So nothing is more odious to me Than the display of specious piety Which I see in every charlatan Who tries to pass for a true holy man. Religious passion worn as a facade Abuses what's sacred and mocks God. These men who take what's sacred and most holy And use it as their trade, for money, solely, With downcast looks and great affected cries, Who suck in true believers with their lies, Who ceaselessly will preach and then demand "Give up the world!" and then, by sleight of hand, End up sitting pretty at the court, The best in lodging and new clothes to sport. If you're their enemy, then heaven hates you. That's their claim when one of them berates you.. They'll say you've sinned. You'll find yourself removed And wondering if you'll be approved our For anything, at all, ever again. Because so heinous was this fictional "sin." When these men are angry, they're the worst, There's no place to hide, you're really cursed. They use what we call righteous as their sword, To coldly murder in the name of the Lord. But next to these imposters faking belief, The devotion of the true is a relief. Our century has put before our eyes Glorious examples we can prize. Look at Ariston, and look at Periandre, Oronte, Alcidamas, Polydore, Clitandre: Not one points out his own morality, Instead they speak of their mortality. 9. Roman statesman and author (234-149) B.C.E.), famous as a stern moralist devoted to traditional Roman ideals of honor, courage, and simplicity. 1. Made-up names. 120 130 145 150Hy They don't form cabals, they don't have factions, They don't censure other people's actions. They see the flagrant pride in such correction And know that humans can't achieve perfection. Thes know this of themselves and yet their lives Good faith good works, all good, epitomize. They don't exhibit zeal that's more intense Than heaven shows us in its own defense. They'd never claim a knowledge that's divine tod set they live in virtue's own design. They concentrate their hatred on the sin. And when the sinner grieves, invite him in. They leave to others the arrogance of speech. Instead they practice what others only preach. These are the men who show us how to live. Their lives, the best example I can give. These are my men, the ones whom I would follow. Your man and his life, honestly, are hollow. I believe you praise him quite sincerely, I also think you'll pay for this quite dearly. He's a fraud, this man whom you adore. GON Oh, you've stopped talking. Is there any more? CLEANTE No. I am your servant, sir. ORGON CLEANTE No! wait! There's one more thing-no more debate- I want to change the subject, if I might. I heard that you said the other night, To Valère, he'd be your son-in-law. ORGON I did. CLEANTE And set the date? ORGON CLEANTE ORGON I did. CLEANTE Yes. ORGON Don't know. CLEANTE Did withdraw? you You're putting off the wedding? Why? There's more? ORGON CLEANTE You would break your word? ORGON I couldn't say. CLEANTE Then, Orgon, why did you change the day? ORGON Who knows? Perhaps. 2. A possible allusion to the Compagnie de Saint-Sacrement, a tightly knit group of prom- iment French citizens known for public works Again I'll try: 160 165 175 180 185 tively referred to as the cabale. as well as strict morality; they were pejora-She's innocent of course, but so alluring. He tells me whom she sees and what she does. He's more jealous than I ever was. t's for my honor that he's so concerned. His righteous anger's all for me, I've learned, To the point that just the other day, Adea annoved him as he tried to pray. Then he rebuked himself, as if he'd willed it- His excessive anger when he killed it. EN Orgon, listen. You're out of your mind. Or you're mocking me. Or both combined. How can you speak such nonsense without blinking? oncos I smell an atheist! It's that freethinking! Such nonsense is the bane of your existence. And that explains your damnable resistance. Ten times over, I've tried to save your soul From your corrupted mind. That's still my goal. GEANTE You have been corrupted by your friends. You know of whom I speak. Your thought depends On people who are blind and want to spread it Like some horrid flu, and, yes, I dread it. I'm no atheist. I see things clearly. And what I see is loud lip service, merely, To make exhibitionists seem devout. Forgive me, but a prayer is not a shout. Yet those who don't adore these charlatans i Are seen as faithless heathens by your friends. It's as if you think you'd never find Reason and the sacred intertwined. You think I'm afraid of retribution? Heaven sees my heart and their pollution. So we should be the slaves of sanctimony? Monkey see, monkey do, monkey phony. The true believers we should emulate Are not the ones who groan and lay prostrate. And yet you see no problem in the notion TARTUFFE 15 65 Of hypocrisy as deep devotion. You see as one the genuine and the spurious. You'd extend this to your money? I'm just curious. In your business dealings, I'd submit, You'd not confuse the gold with counterfeit. Men are strangely made, I'd have to say. They're burdened with their reason, till one day, They free themselves with such force that they spoil The noblest of things for which they toil. Because they must go to TO 75 80 90 95 100 10568 1 MOLIERE CLEANTE But we need to know, don't we now? Is there a reason you would break your vow? ORGON That depends. CLEANTE On what? Orgon, what is it? Valère was the reason for my visit. ORGON Who knows? Who knows? CLEANTE ORGON Heaven knows. CLEANTE May he know, too? So there's some mystery there? It does? And now, Valère- Can't say. ORGON CLÉANTE We have no information to go on. We need to know- But, dear Orgon, ORGON What heaven wants, I'll do. CLEANTE Is that your final answer? Then I'm through. But your pledge to Valère? You'll stand by it? ORGON Good-bye. [ORGON exits.] CLEANTE More patience, yes, I should i try it. I let him get to me. Now I confess I fear the worst for Valère's happiness. 2.1 [ORGON, MARIANE] ORGON Mariane. MARIANE Father. ORGON Come. Now. Talk with me. MARIANE Why are you looking everywhere? To see ORGON If everyone is minding their own business. So, Child, I've always loved your gentleness. MARIANE And for your love, I'm grateful, Father dear. ORGON Well said. And so to prove that you're sincere, And worthy of my love, you have the task Of doing for me anything I ask. MARIANE Then my obedience will be my proof. ORGON Good. What do you think of our guest, Tartuffe? MARIANE Who, me? ORGON MARIANE Then, Father, I will say what you allow. Yes, you. Watch what you say right now. ORGON Wise words, Daughter. So this is what you say: "He is a perfect man in every way; In body and soul, I find him divine." And then you say, "Please Father, make him mine." Huh?I heard... Yes. What did you say? Who is this perfect man in every way, hom in body and soul I find divine And ask of you, "Please, Father, make him mine?" ON Tartuffe All that I've said, I now amend Because you wouldn't want me to pretend. cox Absolutely not that's so misguided. Have it be the truth, then. It's decided. ANTWhat?! Father, you want- ORGON To join in marriage my Tartuffe and you. And since I have Yes, my dear, I do- 2.2 (DORINE, ORGON, MARIANE] ORGON Dorine, I know you're there! Any secrets in this house you don't share? DORINE "Marriage"I think, yes, I heard a rumor, Someone's failed attempt at grotesque humor, So when I heard the story, I said, "No! Preposterous! Absurd! It can't be so." ORGON Oh, you find it preposterous? And why? DORINE It's so outrageous, it must be a lie. ORGON Yet it's the truth and you will believe it. DORINE Yet as a joke is how I must receive it. ORGON But it's a story that will soon come true. DORINE A fantasy! ORGON Mariane, it's not a joke- DORINE I'm getting tired of you. Says he, Laughing up his sleeve for all to see. ORGON I'm telling you- TARTUFTE 2.2 DORINE It's very good-you're fooling everyone. ORGON You have made me really angry now. DORINE I see the awful truth across your brow. How can a man who looks as wise as you Be such a fool to want- ORGON 11 What can I da -more make-believe for fun. 1 69 1066 1 MOLIERE You are the one enlightened man, the sage. You are Cato the Elder" of our age. Next to you, all men are dumb as cows. CLEANTE I'm not the wisest man, as you espouse, Nor do I know-what-all there is to know? But I do know, Orgon, that quid pro quo Does not apply at all to "false" and "true," And I would never trust a person who Cannot tell them apart. See, I revere Everyone whose worship is sincere. Nothing is more noble or more beautiful Than fervor that is holy, not just dutiful. So nothing is more odious to me Than the display of specious piety Which I see in every charlatan Who tries to pass for a true holy man. Religious passion worn as a facade Abuses what's sacred and mocks God. These men who take what's sacred and most holy And use it as their trade, for money, solely, With downcast looks and great affected cries, Who suck in true believers with their lies, Who ceaselessly will preach and then demand "Give up the world!" and then, by sleight of hand, End up sitting pretty at the court, The best in lodging and new clothes to sport. If you're their enemy, then heaven hates you. That's their claim when one of them berates you.. They'll say you've sinned. You'll find yourself removed And wondering if you'll be approved our For anything, at all, ever again. Because so heinous was this fictional "sin." When these men are angry, they're the worst, There's no place to hide, you're really cursed. They use what we call righteous as their sword, To coldly murder in the name of the Lord. But next to these imposters faking belief, The devotion of the true is a relief. Our century has put before our eyes Glorious examples we can prize. Look at Ariston, and look at Periandre, Oronte, Alcidamas, Polydore, Clitandre: Not one points out his own morality, Instead they speak of their mortality. 9. Roman statesman and author (234-149) B.C.E.), famous as a stern moralist devoted to traditional Roman ideals of honor, courage, and simplicity. 1. Made-up names. 120 130 145 150Hy They don't form cabals, they don't have factions, They don't censure other people's actions. They see the flagrant pride in such correction And know that humans can't achieve perfection. Thes know this of themselves and yet their lives Good faith good works, all good, epitomize. They don't exhibit zeal that's more intense Than heaven shows us in its own defense. They'd never claim a knowledge that's divine tod set they live in virtue's own design. They concentrate their hatred on the sin. And when the sinner grieves, invite him in. They leave to others the arrogance of speech. Instead they practice what others only preach. These are the men who show us how to live. Their lives, the best example I can give. These are my men, the ones whom I would follow. Your man and his life, honestly, are hollow. I believe you praise him quite sincerely, I also think you'll pay for this quite dearly. He's a fraud, this man whom you adore. GON Oh, you've stopped talking. Is there any more? CLEANTE No. I am your servant, sir. ORGON CLEANTE No! wait! There's one more thing-no more debate- I want to change the subject, if I might. I heard that you said the other night, To Valère, he'd be your son-in-law. ORGON I did. CLEANTE And set the date? ORGON CLEANTE ORGON I did. CLEANTE Yes. ORGON Don't know. CLEANTE Did withdraw? you You're putting off the wedding? Why? There's more? ORGON CLEANTE You would break your word? ORGON I couldn't say. CLEANTE Then, Orgon, why did you change the day? ORGON Who knows? Perhaps. 2. A possible allusion to the Compagnie de Saint-Sacrement, a tightly knit group of prom- iment French citizens known for public works Again I'll try: 160 165 175 180 185 tively referred to as the cabale. as well as strict morality; they were pejora-She's innocent of course, but so alluring. He tells me whom she sees and what she does. He's more jealous than I ever was. t's for my honor that he's so concerned. His righteous anger's all for me, I've learned, To the point that just the other day, Adea annoved him as he tried to pray. Then he rebuked himself, as if he'd willed it- His excessive anger when he killed it. EN Orgon, listen. You're out of your mind. Or you're mocking me. Or both combined. How can you speak such nonsense without blinking? oncos I smell an atheist! It's that freethinking! Such nonsense is the bane of your existence. And that explains your damnable resistance. Ten times over, I've tried to save your soul From your corrupted mind. That's still my goal. GEANTE You have been corrupted by your friends. You know of whom I speak. Your thought depends On people who are blind and want to spread it Like some horrid flu, and, yes, I dread it. I'm no atheist. I see things clearly. And what I see is loud lip service, merely, To make exhibitionists seem devout. Forgive me, but a prayer is not a shout. Yet those who don't adore these charlatans i Are seen as faithless heathens by your friends. It's as if you think you'd never find Reason and the sacred intertwined. You think I'm afraid of retribution? Heaven sees my heart and their pollution. So we should be the slaves of sanctimony? Monkey see, monkey do, monkey phony. The true believers we should emulate Are not the ones who groan and lay prostrate. And yet you see no problem in the notion TARTUFFE 15 65 Of hypocrisy as deep devotion. You see as one the genuine and the spurious. You'd extend this to your money? I'm just curious. In your business dealings, I'd submit, You'd not confuse the gold with counterfeit. Men are strangely made, I'd have to say. They're burdened with their reason, till one day, They free themselves with such force that they spoil The noblest of things for which they toil. Because they must go to TO 75 80 90 95 100 105MOLIERE The words and lives of saintly souls who died- Is action of satanical transgression!" And so, of course, I hurried to confession. 1.3 (ELMIRE, MARIANE, DAMIS, CLEANTE, DORINE] ELMIRE [to CLEANTE] Lucky you, you stayed. Yes, there was more, And more preaching from Grandma, at the door. My husband's coming! I didn't catch his eye. I'll wait for him upstairs. Cléante, good-bye. CLEANTE I'll see you soon. I'll wait here below, Take just a second for a brief hello. DAMIS While you have him, say something for me? My sister needs for Father to agree To her marriage with Valère, as planned. Tartuffe opposes it and will demand That Father break his word, and that's not fair; Then I can't wed the sister of Valère. Listening only to Tartuffe's voice, He'd break four hearts at once- DORINE ORGON ORGON DORINE He's here. 1.4 [ORGON, CLEANTE, DORINE] Rejoice! I'm back. CLEANTE I'm glad to see you, but I'm on my way. Just stayed to say hello. ORGON No more to say? sid Dorine! Come back! And Cléante, why the hurry? Indulge me for a moment. You know I worry.bor I've been gone two days! There's news to tell. Now don't hold back. Has everyone been well? [ DORINE Not quite. There was that headache Madame had The day you left. Well, it got really bad. She had a fever- And Tartuffe? He's fine- Rosy-nosed and red-cheeked, drinking your wine. ORGON Poor man! DORINE To eat a single morsel at the table. ORGON Ah, and Tartuffe? And then, Madame became unable DORINE He sat within her sight, Not holding back, he ate with great delight, 10 10 A brace e In fact, h P ORGON DORINE Your pos What a I don't We wat ORGON DORINE After s He sle ORGON DORINE Mada And t ORGON DORINE To m Tarts ORGON DORINE Mac How Anc CLÉ 1 T T OR CIAbrace of partridge, and a leg of mutton. In fact, he ate so much, he popped a button. ORGON Poor man! DORINE That night until the next sunrise, Your poor wife couldn't even close her eyes. What a fever! Oh, how she did suffer!ond you t I don't see how that night could have been rougher. We watched her all night long, worried and weepy. oncon Ah, and Tartuffe? DORINE After such a meal, it's not surprising. He slept through the night, not once arising. ORGON Poor man! tadi At dinner he grew sleepy. DORINE At last won over by our pleading. Madame agreed to undergo a bleeding." And this, we think, has saved her from the grave. ORGON Ah, and Tartuffe? DORINE Oh, he was very brave. To make up for the blood Madame had lost Tartuffe slurped down red wine, all at your cost. ORGON Poor man! DORINE Since then, they've both been fine, although Madame needs me. I'll go and let her know on How anxious you have been about her health, And that you prize it more than all your wealth. [ORGON, CLÉANTE] your CLEANTE You know that girl was laughing in t I fear I'll make you angry, but in case There is a chance you'll listen, I will try To say that you are laughable and why. I've never known of something so capricious As letting this man do just as he wishes In your home and to your family. d You brought him here, relieved his poverty, And, in return- TARTUFFE 1.5 63. face. ORGON Now you listen to me! You're just my brother-in-law, Cléante. Quite! You don't know this man. And don't deny it! CLEANTE I don't know him, yes, that may be so, But men like him are not so rare, you know. 25 30 35 10MOLIERE ORGON If you only could know him as I do. You would be his true disciple, too. The universe, your ecstasy would span. This is a man...who... ha!... well, such a man. Behold him. Let him teach you profound peace. When first we met, I felt my troubles cease.. Yes, I was changed after I talked with him. I saw my wants and needs as just a whim! Everything that's written, all that's sung. The world, and you and me, well, it's all dung! Yes, it's crap! And isn't that a wonder! The real world it's just some spell we're under! He's taught me to love nothing and no one! Mother, father, wife, daughter, son- They could die right now, I'd feel no pain. CLEANTE What feelings you've developed, how humane. ORGON You just don't see him in the way I do, But if you did, you'd feel what I feel, too. Every day he came to church and knelt, And from his groans, I knew just what he felt. Those sounds he made from deep inside his soul, Were fed by piety he could not control. Of the congregation, who could ignore The way he humbly bowed and kissed the floor? And when they tried to turn away their eyes, His fervent prayers to heaven and deep sighs Made them witness his deep spiritual pain. Then something happened I can't quite explain. I rose to leave-he quickly went before To give me holy water at the door. He knew what I needed, so he blessed me. I found his acolyte, he'd so impressed me, To ask who he was and there I learned About his poverty and how he spurned The riches of this world. And when I tried To give him gifts, in modesty, he cried, "That is too much," he'd say, "A half would do. Then gave a portion back, with much ado. "I am not worthy. I do not deserve Your gifts or pity. I am here to serve The will of heaven, that and nothing more." Then takes the gift and shares it with the poor. So heaven spoke to me inside my head. "Just bring him home with you" is what it said And so I did. And ever since he came, My home's a happy one. I also claim A moral home, a house that's free of sin, Tartuffe's on watch-he won't let His interest in my wife is reassuring, any in. 35 40 45 5560 1 MOLIERE In welcoming this man who's so devout; His very presence casts the devils out. Or most of them that's why I hope you hear him. And I advise all of you to stay near him. You need his protection and advice. Your casual attention won't suffice. It's heaven sent him here to fill a need, CLEANTE To save you from yourselves-oh yes, indeed. These visits from your friends you seem to want- Listen to yourselves! So nonchalant! As if no evil lurks in these events. As if you're blind to what Satan invents. And dances! What are those but food for slander! It's to the worst desires these parties pander. I ask you now, what purpose do they serve? Where gossip's passed around like an hors-d'oeuvre. A thousand cackling hens, busy with what? It takes a lot of noise to cover smut. It truly is the tower of Babylon, Where people babble on and on and on. Ah! Case in point-there stands Monsieur Cléante, Sniggering and eyeing me askant, As if this has nothing to do with him, And nothing that he does would God condemn. And so, Elmire, my dear, I say farewell. Till when? When it is a fine day in hell. Farewell, all of you. When I pass through that door, You won't have me to laugh at anymore. Flipote! Wake up! Have you heard nothing I have said? I'll march you home and beat you till you're dead. March, slut, march. That old lady- 1.25 [DORINE, CLÉANTE] I'm staying here. She's scary, DORINE Shall I call her back to hear you say, I know why you're wary. "That old lady"? That would make her day. 4. That is, the biblical Tower of Babel (the Hebrew equivalent of the Akkadian Bab-ilu, or Babylon-a name explained by the similar sounding but unrelated Hebrew verb balal, "confuse"), described in Genesis 11.1-9, to prevent it from being constructed and reaching heaven. God scattered all the people and con- fused their language, creating many tongues M 175 140 where there had been only one. begins whenever a character enters or leaves 5. In classical French drama, a new scene known as "French scenes." Character remain the stage, even if the action continues without interruption; this convention has become ing on-stage are list On CL DOCEN She's lost her mind, she's-now we have the proof- Head over heels in love with whom? Tartuffe. So here's what's worse and weird-so is her son. What's more--it's obvious to everyone. Before Tartuffe and he became entwined, Orgon once ruled this house in his right mind. In the troubled times," he backed the prince, And that took courage. We haven't seen it since. He is intoxicated with Tartuffe A potion that exceeds a hundred proof. It's put him in a trance, this devil's brew. And so he worships this imposter who He calls "brother" and loves more than one- This charlatan-more than daughter, wife, son. This charlatan hears all our master's dreams, And all his secrets. Every thought, it seems, Is poured out to Tartuffe, like he's his priest! You'd think they'd see the heresy, at least. Orgon caresses him, embraces him, and shows More love for him than any mistress knows. Come for a meal and who has the best seat? Whose preferences determine what we eat? Tartuffe consumes enough for six, is praised, And to his health is every goblet raised, While on his plate are piled the choicest bites. Then when he belches, our master delights In that and shouts, "God bless you!" to the beast, As if Tartuffe's the reason for the feast. Did I mention the quoting of each word, As if it's the most brilliant thing we've heard? And, oh, the miracles Tartuffe creates! The prophecies! We write while he dictates. All that's ridiculous. But what's evil Is seeing the deception and upheaval Of the master and everything he owns. He hands him money. They're not even loans- He's giving it away. It's gone too far. To watch Tartuffe play him like a guitar! And this Laurent, his man, found some lace. Shredded it and threw it in my face. He'd found it pressed inside The Lives of Saints, I thought we'd have to put him in restraints. "To put the devil's finery beside TARTUFFE 1.2 1 61 6. That is, during the Fronde (literally, "sling": 1648-53), a civil war that took place while France was being ruled by a regent for Louis XIV-"the prince" whom Orgon sup ported-as various factions of the nobility 10 35 45 sought to limit the growing authority of the monarchy. 7. A text (Flos Sanctorum, 1599-1601) by the Spanish Jesuit Pedro de Ribadeneyra, avail- able in French translation by 1646.TARTUFFE 1.159. It's our neighbor, Daphne. I just know it. They don't like us. It's obvious they show it In the way they watch as-she and her mate. I've seen them squinting at us, through their gate. It's true those whose private conduct is the worst Wow each other down to be the first To weave some tale of lust, so hearts are broken Out of a simple kiss that's just a token Between friends-just friends and nothing more. See-those whose trysts are kept behind a door Yet everyone finds out? Well, then, they need New stories for the gossip mill to feed To all who'll listen. So they must repaint The deeds of others, hoping that a taint Will color others' lives in darker tone And, by this process, lighten up their own. NADAME PERNELLE Daphne and her mate are not the point. But when Orante says things are out of joint, There's a problem. She's a person who Prays every day and should be listened to. She condemns the mob that visits here. DORINE This good woman shouldn't live so near Those, like us, who run a bawdy house. I hear she lives as quiet as a mouse- Devout, though. Everyone applauds her zeal. She needed that when age stole her appeal. Her passion is policing-it's her duty. And compensation for her loss of beauty. She's a reluctant prude. And now, her art, Once used so well to win a lover's heart, Is gone. Her eyes, that used to flash with lust, Are steely from her piety. She must Have seen that it's too late to be a wife, And so she lives a plain and pious life. This is a strategy of old quettes. It's how they manage once the world forgets Them. First, they wallow in a dark depression, Then see no recourse but in the profession Of a prude. They criticize the lives of everyone. They censure everything, and pardon none. It's envy. Pleasures that they are denied By time and age, now, they just can't abide. MADAME PERNELLE You do go on and on. [To ELMIRE] My dear Elmire, This is all your doing. It's so clear Because you let a servant give advice. Just be aware-I'm tired of being nice. It's obvious to anyone with eyes That what my son has done is more than wise 114 125 130 145 150 195Just as I told my son, "Your son's a brat. He won't become a drunkard or a thief, And yet, he'll be a lifetime full of grief." MARANE I think MADAME PERNELLE You hurt your brain. You think that we're beguiled By your quietude, you fragile flower, But as they say, still waters do run sour. ELME But Mother MADAME PERNELLE -Daughter-in-law, please take this well- Behavior such as yours leads straight to hell. You spend money like it grows on trees Then wear it on your back in clothes like these. Are you a princess? No? You're dressed like one! One wonders whom you dress for-not my son. Look to these children whom you have corrupted When their mama's life was interrupted. She spun in her grave when you were wed: She's still a better mother, even dead. CLEANTE Madame, I do insist- -Oh, don't do that, my dear grandchild. -You do? On what? MADAME PERNELLE That we live life as you do, caring not For morals? I hear each time you give that speech. Your sister memorizing what you teach. TARTUFFE 157 I'd slam the door on you. Forgive my frankness. That is how I am! And it is thankless. DAMIS Tartuffe would, from the bottom of his heart, If he had one, thank you. MADAME PERNELLE Oh, now you start. Grandson, it's "Monsieur Tartuffe" to you. And he's a man who should be listened to. If you provoke him with ungodly chat, I will not tolerate it, and that's that. DAMIS Yet I should tolerate this trickster who Has become the voice we answer to. And I'm to be as quiet as a mouse About this tyrant's power in our house? All the fun things lately we have planned, We couldn't do. And why? Because they're banned- DORINE By him! Anything we take pleasure in Suddenly becomes a mortal sin. MADAME PERNELLE Then "he's here just in time" is what I say! Don't you see? He's showing you the way To heaven! Yes! So follow where he leads! My son knows he is just what this house needs. DAMIS Now Grandmother, listen. Not Father, not you, No one can make me follow this man who Rules this house, yet came here as a peasant. I'llI kaloocont 20 25 40 45 55 6056 1 MOLIERE DORINE When he came here he wasn't wearing shoes. But he's no village saint-it's all a ruse. There was no vow of poverty-he's poor! And he was just some beggar at the door Whom we should have tossed. He's a disaster! To think this street bum now plays the master. MADAME PERNELLE May God have mercy on me. You're all blind. A nobler, kinder man you'll never find. DORINE So you think he's a saint. That's what he wants. But he's a hypocrite and merely flaunts This so-called godliness. Will you be quiet!? DORINE And that man of his-I just don't buy it- He's supposed to be his servant? No. They're in cahoots, I bet. MADAME PERNELLE MADAME PERNELLE How would you know? When, clearly, you don't understand, in fact, How a servant is supposed to act? This holy man you think of as uncouth, Tries to help by telling you the truth About yourself. But you can't hear it. He knows what heaven wants and that you fear it. DORINE So "heaven" hates these visits by our friends? I see! And that's why Tartuffe's gone to any ends To ruin our fun? But it is he who's zealous About "privacy"-and why? He's jealous. You can't miss it, whenever men come near- He's lusting for our own Madame Elmire. MADAME PERNELLE Since you, Dorine, have never understood Your place, or the concepts of "should" And "should not," one can't expect you to see Tartuffe's awareness of propriety. When these men visit, they bring noise and more- Valets and servants planted at the door, Carriages and horses, constant chatter. What must the neighbors think? These things matter. Is something going on? Well, I hope not. You know you're being talked about a lot. CLEANTE Really, Madame, you think you can prevent Gossip? When most human beings are bent On rumormongering and defamation, And gathering or faking information To make us all look bad-what can we do? The fools who gossip don't care what is true. You would force the whole world to be quiet? Impossible! And each new lie-deny it? Who in the world would want to live that way? Let's live our lives. Let gossips have their say.56 MOLIERE Tartuffe CHARACTERS MADAME PERNELLE, mother of Orgon ORGON, husband of Elmire ELMIRE, wife of Orgon DAMIS, son of Orgon MARIANE, daughter of Orgon VALERE, fiance of Mariane CLEANTE, brother-in-law of Orgon The scene is Paris, in ORGON's house. TARTUFFE, a religious hypocrite DORINE, lady's maid to Mariane bailiff MONSIEUR LOYAL, a THE EXEMPT, an officer of the king FLIPOTE, lady's maid to Madame Pernelle LAURENT, a servant 1.1 (MADAME PERNELLE, FLIPOTE, ELMIRE, MARIANE, DORINE, DAMIS, CLÉANTE] MADAME PERNELLE' Flipote, come on! My visit here is through! ELMIRE You walk so fast I can't keep up with you! MADAME PERNELLE Then stop! That's your last step! Don't take another.. After all, I'm just your husband's mother. ELMIRE And, as his wife, I have to see you out- Agreed? Now, what is this about? of Tartuffe MADAME PERNELLE I cannot bear the way this house is run- As if I don't know how things should be done! No one even thinks about my pleasure, And, if I ask, I'm served at someone's leisure. It's obvious the values here aren't good Or everyone would treat me as they should. The Lord of Misrule here has his dominion- DORINE But- MADAME PERNELLE See? A servant with an opinion. You're the former nanny, nothing more. Were I in charge here, you'd be out the door. DAMIS If 1. Versification by Constance Congdon, from a translation by Virginia Scott. 2. The name Tartuffe is similar both to the Italian word tartufo, meaning "truffle," and to the French word for truffle, truffe, from which is derived the French verb truffer-one mean- MADAME PERNELLE -You-be quiet. Now let Grandma spell Her special word for you: "F-O-O-L." Oh yes! Your dear grandmother tells you that, ing of which in Molière's day was "to deceive of cheat." 3. The role of Madame Pernelle was ong nally played by a male actor, a was already a comic convention in Molière practice chal time.MOLIERE 1 55 ity of the universe, implies adherence of ticks and repetitions. Adhering to to Reason's laws." All transgression single abstractions, Molière's comic volves failure to submit to reason's dictates, a point that Molière's stylized comic plot makes insistently, Although the comedy suggests a social world in which women exist in utter subordination to fathers and husbands, in the plot two women bring about the unmasking of the sillain. The virtuous wife, Elmire, object of Tartuffe's lust, and the clever protagonists often seem like mario- nettes, whose rigid bearing, behavior and language is controlled by an out- side force as if by a puppet master. Yet despite their singlemindedness, his characters are also recognizable por- traits of human folly, closely observed and humorously rendered. Comedies conventionally end in the restoration of order, declaring that servant girl, Dorine, confront the im- good inevitably triumphs; rationality renews itself despite the temporary mediate situation with pragmatic in- ventiveness. Both women have a clear deviations of the foolish and the sense of right and wrong, although they express it in less resounding terms than does Cléante. Their concrete in- sistence on facing what is really going on, cutting through all obfuscation, rescues the men from entanglement in their own abstract formulations. Molière achieves comic effects above i all through style and language. Devoted to exposing the follies of his society, his plays use a number of devices that have become the gold standard of comic writing. His characters are often in the grip of a fixed idea, rigidly fol- lowing a single principle of action, such as extreme religious devotion or sexual rejuvenation. These fixed ideas also manifest themselves in the char- acters' speech patterns, which are full vicious. Although at the end of Tartuffe order is restored, the arbitrary inter- vention of the king leaves a disturbing emotional residue. The play has dem- onstrated that Tartuffe's corrupt will to power can ruthlessly aggrandize itself. Money speaks, in this society as in ours; possession of wealth implies total control over others. In the benign world of comedy, the play reminds its readers of the extreme precariousness with which reason finally triumphs. Tartuffe's monstrous lust-for women, money, power-genuinely endangers the social structure. The play forces us to recognize the constant threats to rationality, and how much we have at stake in trying to use reason as a prin- ciple of action.Madame unflappable and so discreet, Would keep this secret, never to repeat. But as your son, my feelings are too strong, And to be silent is to do you wrong. One learns to spurn without being unkind, And how to spare a husband's peace of mind. Although I understood just what he meant, Mv honor wasn't touched by this event. That's how I feel. And you would have, Damis, Said nothing, if you had listened to me. 3.6 (ORGON, DAMIS, TARTUFFE] TARTUFFE 3.6 ORGON Good heavens! What he said? Can it be true? TARTUFE Yes, my brother, I'm wicked through and through. The most miserable of sinners, I. Filled with iniquity, I should just die. Each moment of my life's so dirty, soiled, Whatever I come near is quickly spoiled. I'm nothing but a heap of filth and crime. I'd name my sins, but we don't have the time. And I see that heaven, to punish me, Has mortified my soul quite publicly. What punishment I get, however great, fate. I well deserve so I'll accept my Defend myself? I'd face my own contempt, If I thought that were something I'd attempt. What you've heard here, surely, you abhor, So chase me like a criminal from your door. Don't hold back your rage, please, let it flame, For I deserve to burn, in my great shame. ORGON [to DAMIS] Traitor! And how dare you even try To tarnish this man's virtue with a lie? DAMIS What? This hypocrite pretends to be contrite And you believe him over me? ORGON That's spite! And shut your mouth! TARTUFFE No, let him have his say. And don't accuse him. Don't send him away. side? Believe his story-why be on my You don't know what motives I may hide. Why give me so much loyalty and love? Do you know wh 187 20 10 15 20 2588 1 MOLIERE The world sees me as worthy, yet I fall Far below. Sin is so insidious. [To DAMIS] Dear son, do treat me as perfidious, Infamous, lost, a murderer, a thief. Speak on, because my sins, beyond belief. Can bring this shameful sinner to his knees, In humble, paltry effort to appease. ORGON [to TARTUFFE] Brother, there is no need... relent? DAMIS He has seduced you! ORGON Can't you take a hint? Be quiet! [To TARTUFFE] Brother, please get up. [To DAMIS] Ingrate! DAMIS But father, this man ORGON -whom you denigrate. DAMIS But you should- ORGON Quiet! DAMIS But I saw and heard- ORGON I'll slap you if you say another word. TARTUFFE In the name of God, don't be that way. Brother, I'd rather suffer, come what may, Than have this boy receive what's meant for me. ORGON (to DAMIS) Heathen! TARTUFFE ORGON [to DAMIS] DAMIS ORGON [To DAMIS] Will you Wretch! See his goodness?! Please! I beg of you on bended knee. But- DAMIS ORGON And not another word from you until You admit the truth. It's plain to see Although you thought that I would never be Aware and know your motives, yet I do. You all hate him. And I saw today, you, Wife, servants-everyone beneath my roof- Are trying everything to force Tartuffe Out of my house-this holy man, my friend. The more you try to banish him and end Our sacred brotherhood, the more secure His place is. I have never been more sure Of anyone. I give him as his bride My daughter. If that hurts the family pride, Then good. It needs humbling. You understand? DAMIS You're going to force her to accept his hand? ORGON Yes, traitor, and this evening. You kn To infuriate you. Yes, 1 defy You all. I am mart Am 1 No! But- Be still!That this wedding your father wants is bad, That's good. But he might want it, too, the cad. she's sent for him so she can sound him out this marriage you're furious about, Diser what he feels and tell him clearly he persists that it will cost him dearly. It seems he can't be seen while he's at prayers, Sel have my own vigil by the stairs Where his valet says he will soon appear. Do leave right now, and I'll wait for him here. DAMIS I won't say a word. Oh, right. I know what you are like. Just go. Youll spoil everything, believe me, I know. Out! TARTUFFE 3.2 stav to vouch for what was seen and heard. They must be alone. DANDS I promise I won't get upset. (DORINE pinches DAMIS as she used to do when he was a child.] Ow! DORINE Do as I say. Get out of here right now! 3.2 TARTUFFE, LAURENT, DORINE] TLFFE (noticing DORINE] Laurent, lock up my scourge and hair shirt, too. And pray that our Lord's grace will shine on you. If anyone wants me, I've gone to share My alms at prison with the inmates there. DORINE What a fake! What an imposter! What a sleaze! TARTUFFE What do you want? DORINE 181 TARTUFFE Cover your bust. The flesh is weak. Souls are forever damaged by such sights, When sinful thoughts begin their evil flights. DORINE It seems temptation makes a meal of you- To turn you on, a glimpse of flesh will do. Inside your heart, a furnace must be housed. For me, I'm not so easily aroused. I could see you naked, head in tor 10 To say- TARTUFFE (taking a handkerchief from his pocket] Good heavens, please, Do take this handkerchief before you speak. DOBINE What for?For those men that all the women die for. Love's a game whose object is a high score. Although they promise not to talk, they will. They need to boast of their superior skill, Receive no favors not as soon revealed, Exposing what they vowed would be concealed. And in the end, this love is overpriced, When a woman's honor's sacrificed. Bat men like me burn with a silent flame, Our secrets safe, our loves we never name, Because our reputations are our wealth, p When we transgress, it's with the utmost stealth. Your honor's safe as my hand in a glove, So I can offer, free from scandal, love, And pleasure without fear of intervention. ELMIRE Your sophistry does not hide your intention. In fact, you know, it makes it all too clear. What if, through me, my husband were to hear About this love for me you now confess Which shatters the ideals you profess? TARTUFFE 3.4 1 How would your friendship fare, then, I wonder? TARTUFFE It's your beauty cast this spell I suffer under. I'm made of flesh, like you, like all mankind. And since your soul is pure, you will be kind, And not judge me harshly for my brashness In speaking of my love in all its rashness. I beg you to forgive me my offense, I plead your perfect face as my defense. ELMIRE Some might take offense at your confession, But I will show a definite discretion, And keep my husband in the dark about These sinful feelings for me that you spout. But I want something from t you in return: There's a promised marriage, you will learn, That supersedes my husband's recent plan- The marriage of Valère and Mariane. This marriage you will openly support, Without a single quibble, and, in short, Renounce the unjust power of a man Who'd give his own daughter, Mariane, To another when she's promised to Valère. In return, my silence- basood 85 125 130 135 140 145 11501 MOLIERE Something besides your infamy came clear: Heaven in its great wisdom brought me here, To witness and then give my father proof Of the hypocrisy of his Tartuffe, This so-called saint anointed from above, Speaking to my father's wife of love! ELMIRE Damis, there is a lesson to be learned, And there is my forgiveness to be earned. I promised him. Don't make me take it back. It's not my nature to see as an attack Such foolishness as this, or see the need To tell my husband of the trivial deed. DAMIS So, you have your reasons, but I have mine. To grant this fool forgiveness? I decline. To want to spare him is a mockery, Because he's more than foolish, can't you see? This fanatic in his insolent pride, Brought chaos to my house, and would divide Me and my father-unforgivable! What's more, he's made my life unlivable, As he undermines two true love affairs, Mine and Valère's sister, my sister and Valère's! Father must hear the truth about this man. Heaven helped me-I must do what I can To use this chance. I'd deserve to lose it, If I dropped it now and didn't use it. ELMIRE Damis- DAMIS No, please, I have to follow through. I've never felt as happy as I doy unite Right now. And don't try to dissuade me- I'll have my revenge. If you forbade me, I'd still do it, so you don't have to bother. I'll finish this for good. Here comes my father. 3.5 (ORGON, DAMIS, TARTUFFE, ELMIRE] DAMIS Father! You have arrived. Let's celebrate! addig I have a tale that I'd like to relate. It happened here and right before my eyes, I offer it to you-as a surprise! For all your love, you have been repaid With duplicity. You have been betrayed By your dear friend here, whom I just surprised Making verbal love, I quickly surmised, To your wife. Yes, this is how he shows you How he honors you-he thinks he knows you But as your son, I know you mul You demand recu 35TERE Of the audacious truth that I love you, That only you can make this wish come true, That through your grace, my offering's received, And accepted, and that I have achieved Salvation of a sort, and by your grace, I could be content in this low place. It all depends on you, at your behest- Am I to be tormented or be blest? You are my welfare, solace, and my hope, But, whatever your decision, I will cope. Will I be happy? I'll rely on you. If you want me to be wretched, that's fine, too. ELMIRE Well, what a declaration! How gallant! But I'm surprised you want the things you want. It seems your heart could use a talking to- It's living in the chest of someone who Proclaims to be pious- TARTUFFE -And so I am. My piety's a true thing-not a sham, But I'm no less a man, so when I find Myself with you, I quickly lose My heart is captured and, with it, my thought. my mind. Yet since I know the cause, I'm not distraught. Words like these from me must be alarming, But it is your beauty that's so charming, I cannot help myself, I am undone. And I'm no angel, nor could I be one. If my confession earns your condemnation, Then blame your glance for the annihilation Of my command of this: my inmost being. A surrender of my soul is what you're seeing. Your eyes blaze with more than human splendor, And that first look had the effect to render Powerless the bastions of my heart. gaze No fasting, tears or prayers, no pious art Could shield my soul from your celestial Which I will worship till the End of Days." A thousand times my eyes, my sighs have told The truth that's in my heart. Now I am bold, Encouraged by your presence, so I say, With my true voice, will this be the day You condescend to my poor supplication, Offered up with devout admiration, And save my soul by granting this request: Accept this love I've lovingly confessed Your honor has, of cou And slupther were my own transports of zeal, which carried me away with how I feel. Comed by impulses, though always pure, heless, intense in how I'm sure That salvation is your only care. ping her fingertips) Yes, you're right, and so my fervor there Ouch! You're squeezing too hard. -comes from this zeal... I didn't mean to squeeze. How does this feel? He puts his hand on ELMIRE's knee.) Your hand-what is it doing...? So tender, TARTUFFE 3.3 LIVE The fabric of your dress, a sweet surrender Under my hand- I'm quite ticklish. Please, don't. She moves her chair back, and TARTUFFE moves his forward.] E I want to touch this lace-don't fret, I won't. R's marvelous! I so admire the trade Of making lace. Don't tell me you're afraid. NIE What? No. But getting back to business now, It seems my husband plans to break a vow And offer you his daughter. Is this true? E He mentioned it, but I must say to you, The wondrous gifts that catch my zealous eye, I see quite near in bounteous supply. EMRE Not earthly things for which you would atone. FFE My chest does not contain a heart of stone.. ELMIRE Well, I believe your eyes follow your soul, And your desires have heaven as their goal. TILFFE The love that to eternal beauty binds us Doesn't stint when temporal beauty finds us. Our senses can as easily be charmed When by an earthly work we are disarmed. You are a rare beauty, without a flaw, And in your presence, I'm aroused with awe But for the Author of All Nature, so, My heart has ardent feelings, even though I feared them at first, questioning their source. Had I been ambushed by some evil force? I felt that I must hide from this temptation: You. My feelings threatened my salvation. Yes, I found this sinful and distressing, Until I saw your beauty as a blessing! So now my passion pour 183 50 55 60What more proof do you need? You are insane! What are you trying to do? A stop this nonsense! Come here both of you. Bring you two together! And end this fight. so stupid Yes? To what purpose? No. It wasn't right The way she spoke to me. Didn't you hear? Tour voices are still ringing in my ear. The way he treated me-you didn't see? Saw and heard it all. Now listen to me. The only thing she wants, Valère, is you. I can attest to that right now. It's true. And Mariane, he wants you for his wife, And only you. On that I'll stake my life. ANE He told me to be someone else's bride! She asked for my advice and I replied! ONE You're both impossible. What can I do? Give your hand- EXICÈRE What for? PORINE Come on, you. Now yours, Mariane-don't make me shout. Come on! MARIANE All right. But what is this about? DORINE Here. Take each other's hand and make a link. You love each other better than you think. VER Mademoiselle, this is your hand I took, You think you could give me a friendly look? MARIANE pecks at VALÈRE and smiles.] DORINE It's true. Lovers are not completely sane. VIRE Mariane, haven't I good reason to complain? Be honest. Wasn't it a wicked ploy? To say- MARIANE You think I told you that with joy? And you confronted me. DORINE Another time. This marriage to Tartuffe would be a crime, We have to stop it. TARTUFFE 2.479 MARIANE So, what can we do? Tell us. DORINE All sorts of things involving you. It's all nonsense and your father's joking. But if you play along, say, without choking. And give your consent, for the time being, He'll take the pressure off, thereby freeing All of us to find a workable plan TI 100 105 110 115 120 125 130DORINE If someone is to go, let it be me. Yes, I can't wait to leave your company. Madame is coming down from her salon, And wants to talk to you, if you'll hang on. TARTUFFE Of course. Most willingly. DORINE (aside) I'm right. I always knew that's how he felt. TARTUFFE Is she coming soon? Look at him melt. DORINE Yes, here she is in person, I believe. You want me to leave? 3.3 [ELMIRE, TARTUFFE] TARTUFFE Ah, may heaven in all its goodness give Eternal health to you each day you live, Bless your soul and body, and may it grant The prayerful wishes of this supplicant. ELMIRE Yes, thank you for that godly wish, and please, Let's sit down so we can talk with ease. the TARTUFFE Are you recovered from your illness now? ELMIRE My fever disappeared, I don't know how. TARTUFFE My small prayers, I'm sure, had not Though I was on my knees many an hour. Each fervent prayer wrenched from my simple soul Was made with your recovery as its goal. ELMIRE I find your zeal a little disconcerting. TARTUFFE I can't enjoy my health if you are hurting, Your health's true worth, I can't begin to tell. I'd give mine up, in fact, to make ELMIRE Though you stretch Christian charity too far, Your thoughts are kind, however strange they are. TARTUFFE You merit more, that's in my humble view. ELMIRE I need a private space to talk to you. you well. I think that this will do-what do you say? TARTUFFE Excellent choice. And this is a sweet day, To find myself here tête-à-tête with you, That I've begged heaven for this, yes, is true, And now it's granted to my great relief. ELMIRE Although our conversation will be brief, Please open up your heart and tell me all. You must hide nothing now, however small. TARTUFFE I long to show you my entire soul, My need for truth I can barely control. I'll take this time, also, to clear the air- The criticisms I have brought to bear Around the visits that your charms att Were never aimed at you power, 1080 1 MOLIERE To postpone the wedding, in this way; One day you're sick and that can take a week. Another day you're better but can't speak, And we all know you have to say "I do," Or the marriage isn't legal. And that's true. Now bad omens-would he have his daughter Married when she's dreamt of stagnant water, Or broken a mirror or seen the dead? He may not care and say it's in your head, But you will be distraught in your delusion, And require bed rest and seclusion. I do know this-if we want to succeed, You can't be seen together. [To VALÈRE] With all speed, Go, and gather all your friends right now, Have them insist that Orgon keep his vow. Social pressure helps. Then to her brother. All of us will work on her stepmother. Let's go. VALÈRE Whatever happens, can you see? My greatest hope is in your love for me. MARIANE Though I don't know just what Father will do, I do know I belong only to you. VALERE You put my heart at ease! I swear I will... DORINE It seems that lovers' tongues are never still. Out, I tell you. VALERE (taking a step and returning) One last- DORINE You go out this way, yes, and you go that. 3.1 [DAMIS, DORINE] DAMIS May lightning strike me dead, right here and now, Call me a villain, if I break this vow: Forces of heaven or earth won't make me sway From this my No more chat! DORINE Your father only said what he intends To happen. The real event depends On many things and something's bound to slip, Between this horrid cup and his tight lip. DAMIS That this conceited fool Father brought here Has plans? Well, they'll be ended-do not fear. DORINE Now stop that! Forget him. Leave him alone. Leave him to your stepmother. He is prone, This Tartuffe, to indulge her every whim So let her use her power mun It does soom Let's not get carried away. IN 154(15 That's in the past Because you said so honestly and fast That I should take the one bestowed on me. I'm nothing but obedient, you see. Sayes, I'll take him. That's my declaration. Since that's your advice and expectation. win Isee you re using me as an excuse, Any pretest, so you can cut me loose. ou didn't think I'd notice-I'd be blind To the fact that you'd made up your mind? And so it's plain to see, How true. Well said. KÉRE Your heart never felt a true love for me. MAN If you want to, you may think that is true. It's clear this thought has great appeal for you. ist If I want? I will, but I'm offended To my very soul. But your turn's ended, And I can win this game we're playing at: I've someone else in mind. I don't doubt that.d MARIANE Your good points- Oh, let's leave them out of this. VALÈRE I've very few-in fact, I am remiss. I must be. Right? You've made that clear to me. But I know someone, hearing that I'm free, To make up for my loss, will eagerly consent. MANE The loss is not that bad. You'll be content With your new choice, replacement, if you will. I VERE I will. And I'll remain contented still, In knowing you're as happy as I am. A woman tells a man her love's a sham. The man's been fooled and his honor blighted. He can't deny his love is unrequited, Then he forgets this woman totally, And if he can't, pretends, because, you see, It is ignoble conduct and weak, too, Loving someone who does not love you. MARIANE What a fine, noble sentiment to heed. VALERE And every man upholds it as his creed. What? You expect me to keep on forever Loving you after you blithely sever The bond between us, watching as you go Into another's arms and not bestow This heart you've cast away upon someone Who might welcome- MARIANE I wish it were done. That's exactly what I want, you see. VALERE That's what you want? MARIANE Yes. 40 4578 1 MOLIERE VALÈRE I'll grant your wish. MARIANE VALERE Please do. Just don't forget, Whose fault it was when you, filled with regret, Realize that you forced me out the door. True. MARIANE VALERE You've set the example and what's more, I'll match you with my own hardness of heart. You won't see me again, if I depart. MARIANE That's good! Then let it be. [VALERE goes to exit, but when he gets to the door, he returns.] What? What? VALERE MARIANE VALÈRE MARIANE VALERE Well, I'll be on my way, then. [He goes, stops.] VALÈRE DORINE Come here. VALERE MARIANE Me? You must be dreaming. VALÈRE Good-bye, then. You said...? MARIANE Good-bye. DORINE I am here to say, You both are idiots! What's this about? I left you two alone to fight it out, To see how far you'd go. You're quite a pair In matching tit for tat-Hold on, Valère! Where are you going? Did you I'll go away. Just stop. VALÈRE No. It's settled. What, Dorine? You spoke? This lady. Do not try to change my mind. I'm doing what she wants. DORINE You are so blind. MARIANE DORINE Come back here at once. I'm upset and will not provoke DORINE Oh, is that so? MARIANE He can't stand to look at me, I know. He wants to go away, so please let him. No, I shall leave so I can forget him. DORINE Where are you going? Nothing at all. call? Leave me alone.. MARIANE Won't bring me. I'm not a child, you see. VALERE She's tortured by the very sight of me. It's better that I free her from her nain botong No. Even that tone74 1 MOLIERE Yes, with all my might. MARIANE DORINE He loves you just as much? MARIANE I think that's right. DORINE And it's to the altar you're both heading? MARIANE Yes. DORINE So what about this other wedding? MARIANE I'll kill myself. That's what I've decided. DORINE What a great solution you've provided! To get out of trouble, you plan to die! Immediately? Or sometime, by and by? MARIANE Oh, really, Dorine, you're not my friend, Unsympathetic- DORINE I'm at my wit's end. Talking to you whose answer is dying. Who, in a crisis, just gives up trying. MARIANE What do you want of me, then? DORINE Love needs a resolute heart to survive. MARIANE In my love for Valère, I'm resolute. But the next step is his. Come alive! DORINE And so, you're mute? MARIANE What can I say? It's the job of Valère, His duty, before I go anywhere, To deal with my father- DORINE -Then, you'll stay. "Orgon was born bizarre" is what some say. If there were doubts before, we have this proof- He is head over heels for his Tartuffe, And breaks off a marriage that he arranged. Valère's at fault if your father's deranged? MARIANE But my refusal will be seen as pride And, worse, contempt. And I have to hide My feelings for Valère, I must not show That I'm in love at all. If people know, Then all the modesty my sex is heir to Will be gone. There's more: how can I bear to Not be a proper daughter to my father? DORINE No, no, of course not. God forbid we bother The way the world sees you. What people see, What other people think of us, should be Our first concern. Besides, I see the truth: You really want to be Madame Tartuffe. What was I thinking, urging opposition To Monsieur Tartuffe! This proposition, To merge with him-he's such a catch! In fact, for you, he's just the perfect match. He's much respected, everywhere he goes, And his ruddy complexion nearly glows. And as his wife, imagine the delight bosboodOf being near him, every day and night. And vital Oh, my dear, you won't want more. Oh heaven help me! How your soul will soar, Seving this marriage down to the last drop, wah such a handsome All right! You can stop! Jest help me. Please. And tell me there's a way Te sve me. I'll do whatever you say. TARTUFEL 2.375 Each daughter must choose always to say yes To what her father wants, no more and no less. If he wants to give her an ape to marry, Then she must do it, without a query. But it's a happy fate! What is this frown? You go by wagon to his little town, Lager cousins, uncles, aunts will greet you And will call you "sister" when they meet you, Because you're family now. Don't look so grim. You will so adore chatting with them. Welcomed by the local high society, You'll be expected to maintain propriety And sit straight, or try to, in the folding chair They offer you, and never, ever stare At the wardrobe of the bailiff's wife Because you'll see her every day for life." Let's not forget the village carnival! Where you'll be dancing at a lavish ball To a bagpipe orchestra of locals, An organ grinder's monkey doing vocals- And your husband- MARIANE -Dorine, I beg you, please, Help me. Should I get down here on my knees? DORINE Can't help you. Please, Dorine, I'm begging you! That just not true! My darling Dorine... MARIANE DORINE And you deserve this man. MARIANE DORINE Oh yes? What changed? MARIANE DORINE No. MARIANE You can't be this mean. I love Valère. I told you and it's true. DORINE Who's that? Oh. No, Tartuffe's the one for you. MARIANE You've always been completely on my side. DORINE No more. I sentence you to be Tartuffified! MARIANE It seems my fate has not the power to move you, So I'll seek my solace and remove to at 100 105MOLIERE A private place for me in my despair. To end the misery that brought me here. (MARIANE starts to exit.) DORINE Wait! Wait! Come back! Please don't go out that door. I'll help you. I'm not angry anymore. MARIANE If I am forced into this martyrdom, You see, I'll have to die, Dorine. DORINE 2.4 (VALÈRE, MARIANE, DORINE] VALERE So I've just heard some news that's news to me, And very fine news it is, do you agree? MARIANE What? VALÈRE Oh come, Give up this torment. Look at me-I swear. We'll find a way. Look, here's your love, Valère. [DORINE moves to the side of the stage.] You have plans for marriage I didn't know. You're going to marry Tartuffe. Is this so? MARIANE My father has that notion, it is true. VALÈRE Madame, your father promised- MARIANE He changed his mind, announced this change to me, -me to you? Just minutes ago... VALÈRE Quite seriously? MARIANE It's his wish that I should marry this man. VALERE And what do you think of your father's plan? MARIANE I don't know. VALÈRE Honest words-better than lies. MARIANE VALÈRE You don't know? MARIANE VALÈRE No. No? MARIANE What do you advise? VALERE I advise you to... marry Tartuffe. Tonight. MARIANE You advise me to... VALÈRE Yes. That's right. Consider it. It's an obvious choice. MARIANE I'll follow your suggestion and rejoice.. VALERE I'm sure that you can follow it with ease. MARIANE Just as you gave it. It will be a breeze. VALÈRE Just to please you was my sole intent. MARIANE To please you, I'll do it and be content. I can't wait to see what happens next. VALERE And this is love to you? I am perplexed. Was it a sham when you- DORINE Really?74 1 MOLIERE Yes, with all my might. MARIANE DORINE He loves you just as much? MARIANE I think that's right. DORINE And it's to the altar you're both heading? MARIANE Yes. DORINE So what about this other wedding? MARIANE I'll kill myself. That's what I've decided. DORINE What a great solution you've provided! To get out of trouble, you plan to die! Immediately? Or sometime, by and by? MARIANE Oh, really, Dorine, you're not my friend, Unsympathetic- DORINE I'm at my wit's end. Talking to you whose answer is dying. Who, in a crisis, just gives up trying. MARIANE What do you want of me, then? DORINE Love needs a resolute heart to survive. MARIANE In my love for Valère, I'm resolute. But the next step is his. Come alive! DORINE And so, you're mute? MARIANE What can I say? It's the job of Valère, His duty, before I go anywhere, To deal with my father- DORINE -Then, you'll stay. "Orgon was born bizarre" is what some say. If there were doubts before, we have this proof- He is head over heels for his Tartuffe, And breaks off a marriage that he arranged. Valère's at fault if your father's deranged? MARIANE But my refusal will be seen as pride And, worse, contempt. And I have to hide My feelings for Valère, I must not show That I'm in love at all. If people know, Then all the modesty my sex is heir to Will be gone. There's more: how can I bear to Not be a proper daughter to my father? DORINE No, no, of course not. God forbid we bother The way the world sees you. What people see, What other people think of us, should be Our first concern. Besides, I see the truth: You really want to be Madame Tartuffe. What was I thinking, urging opposition To Monsieur Tartuffe! This proposition, To merge with him-he's such a catch! In fact, for you, he's just the perfect match. He's much respected, everywhere he goes, And his ruddy complexion nearly glows. And as his wife, imagine the delight bosboodAnd no one will be happy. If I can Have another word. I'd like to say Old men and young girls are married every day, And the young girls stray, but who's to blame For the loss of honor and good name? The father, who proceeds to pick a mate, Blindly, though it's someone she may hate, Bears the sins the daughter may commit, Imperiling his soul because of it. If you do this, I vow you'll hear the bell. As you die, summoning you to hell. ORGON You think that you can teach me how to live. PORNE If you'd just heed the lessons that I give. oncos Can heaven tell me why I still endure This woman's ramblings? Yet, of this I'm sure, I know what's best for you-I'm your father. I give you to Valère, without a bother. But I hear he gambles and what's more, He thinks things that a Christian would abhor. It's from free thinking that all evils stem. No wonder, then, at church, I don't see him. DORINE Should he race there, if he only knew Which Mass you might attend, and be on view? He could wait at the door with holy water. ORGON Go away. I'm talking to my daughter. Think, my child, he is heaven's favorite! And age in marriage? It can flavor it, A sweet comfit suffused with deep, deep pleasure. You will be loving, faithful, and will treasure Every single moment-two turtledoves- Next to heaven, the only thing he loves. And he will be the only one for you. No arguments or quarrels. You'll be true, Like two innocent children, you will thrive, In heaven's light, thrilled to be alive. TARTUFFE 2.2 171 And as a woman, surely you must know Wives mold husbands, like making pies from dough. DORINE Four and twenty cuckolds baked in a pie. ORGON Ugh! What a thing to say! DORINE Oh, really, why? He's destined to be cheated on, it's true. You know he'd always question her virtue. ORGON Quiet! Just be quiet. I command it! DORINE I'll do just that, because you do demand it! But your best interests I will protect them 75 85 90 95 100 105 1101 ORGON Don't! DORINE But your honor is so dear to me, How can you expose yourself to mockery? ORGON Will you never be quiet! DORINE I can't let you do this thing to her, It's against my conscience- ORGON MOLIERE You vicious asp! DORINE Sometimes the things you call me make me gasp. And anger, sir, is not a pious trait. ORGON It's your fault, girl! You make me irate! I am livid! Why won't you be quiet! DORINE I will. For you, I'm going to try it. But I'll be thinking. ORGON Fine. Now, Mariane, You have to trust-your father's a wise man. I have thought a lot about this mating. I've weighed the options- It's infuriating DORINE Not to be able to speak. DORINE ORGON And so I'll say this. Of up and coming men I know, He's not one of them, no money in the bank, Not handsome. He's a dog! ORGON Oh, dear sir. He has manly traits. And other gifts. That's the truth. Arf! Arf! Be frank. DORINE And who will blame the fates For failure of this marriage made in hell? And whose fault will it be? Not hard to tell. Since everyone you know will see the truth: You gave away your daughter to Tartuffe.of If I were in her place, I'd guarantee No man would live the night who dared force me Into a marriage that I didn't want. There would be war with no hope of détente. ORGON I asked for silence. This is what I get?us DORINE You said not to talk to you. Did you forget? ORGON What do you call what you are doing now? DORINE Talking to myself. I've chosen you a If rated nis You insolent cow! ORGON I'll wait for you to say just one more word. I'm waiting... [ORGON prepares to give DORINE a smack but each time he looks o over at her, she stands silent and still.] solo b Just ignore her. Look at me, husband whe deo orl 130 140 145 150MOLIERE DORINE Oh sir, don't frown. A smile is just a frown turned upside down. Be happy, sir, because you've shared your scheme, Even though it's just a crazy dream. Because, dear sir, your daughter is not meant For this zealot-she's too innocent. She'd be alarmed by his robust desire And question heaven's sanction of this fire And then the gossip! Your friends will talk a lot. Because you're a man of wealth and he is not. Could it be your reasoning has a flaw- Choosing a beggar for a son-in-law? ORGON You, shut up! If he has nothing now Admire that, as if it were his vow, This poverty. His property was lost Because he would not pay the deadly cost Of daily duties nibbling life away, Leaving him with hardly time to pray. The grandeur in his life comes from devotion To the eternal, thus his great emotion. And at those moments, I can plainly see What my special task has come to be: To end the embarrassment he feels And the sorrow he so nobly conceals Of the loss of his ancestral domain. With my money, I can end his pain. I'll raise him up to be, because I can, With my help, again, a gentleman. DORINE So he's a gentleman. Does that seem vain? Then what about this piety and pain? Those with "domains" are those of noble birth. A holy man's domain is not on earth. It seems to me a holy man of merit Wouldn't brag of what he might inherit- Even gifts in heaven, he won't mention. To live a humble life is his intention. Yet he wants something back? That's just ambition To feed his pride. Is that a holy mission? You seem upset. Is it something I said? I'll shut up. We'll talk of her instead. Look at this girl, your daughter, your own blood. How will her honor fare covered with mud? Think of his age. So from the night they're wed, Bliss, if there is any, leaves the marriage bed, And she'll be tied unto this elderly person. Her dedication to fidelity will worsen And soon he will sprout horns,' your holur 3. The twMOLIERE DORINE Oh sir, don't frown. A smile is just a frown turned upside down. Be happy, sir, because you've shared your scheme, Even though it's just a crazy dream. Because, dear sir, your daughter is not meant For this zealot-she's too innocent. She'd be alarmed by his robust desire And question heaven's sanction of this fire And then the gossip! Your friends will talk a lot. Because you're a man of wealth and he is not. Could it be your reasoning has a flaw- Choosing a beggar for a son-in-law? ORGON You, shut up! If he has nothing now Admire that, as if it were his vow, This poverty. His property was lost Because he would not pay the deadly cost Of daily duties nibbling life away, Leaving him with hardly time to pray. The grandeur in his life comes from devotion To the eternal, thus his great emotion. And at those moments, I can plainly see What my special task has come to be: To end the embarrassment he feels And the sorrow he so nobly conceals Of the loss of his ancestral domain. With my money, I can end his pain. I'll raise him up to be, because I can, With my help, again, a gentleman. DORINE So he's a gentleman. Does that seem vain? Then what about this piety and pain? Those with "domains" are those of noble birth. A holy man's domain is not on earth. It seems to me a holy man of merit Wouldn't brag of what he might inherit- Even gifts in heaven, he won't mention. To live a humble life is his intention. Yet he wants something back? That's just ambition To feed his pride. Is that a holy mission? You seem upset. Is it something I said? I'll shut up. We'll talk of her instead. Look at this girl, your daughter, your own blood. How will her honor fare covered with mud? Think of his age. So from the night they're wed, Bliss, if there is any, leaves the marriage bed, And she'll be tied unto this elderly person. Her dedication to fidelity will worsen And soon he will sprout horns,' your holur 3. The tw
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Finished! Here you go! I have also attached it as a word document.1. Write and submit a summary of Tartuffe.Moliere’s play Tartuffe is a play depicting a manipulative con-artist that is able to deceive seemingly-naïve people out of their fortune.In the play, Tartuffe adopts of persona of a pious and religious man that is devout, humble and self-disciplined.Because of this persona, he has won the favor of the head of the household Orgon, and Orgon’s mother, Madame Pernelle.However, it is soon revealed in the play that he is not all that he seems.Instead, he is cunning and proves to be an imposter when he attempts to seduce Orgon’s wife, Elmire.While many people in the household, including Orgon’s son, Damis, witness this hypocrisy, Orgon refuses to believe the claims and instead disinherits his son. In the end, Tartuffe’s true nature is revealed to Orgon, but only after Orgon has signed over ownership of all his properties to Tartuffe.Only after losing everything, does Orgon realize his blindness and that his family was right about Tartuffe.2. Describe how the concept of reason was applied during the Enlightenment. How does Tartuffe reflect these ideas?Some could argue that the concept of reason was the driving force behind the Enlightenment period.Although society has always been divided into two main groups, those looking to move forward and modernize, and those that are nostalgic and hoping to hold onto older traditions and cultures, reason has always been the commonality that drove people’s decisions and behaviors.Both parties believed that a person cannot blindly believe what is claimed to be true, and casually follow societal leaders.Instead, people must question motives and subject all assertions through rational scrutiny.The value of rational thinking birthed social and political development as well as accountability.The belief during the Enlighten...


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