"Tartuffe"

Essay # 61509

Drama and Theater > World
Literature > French

"Tartuffe"

This paper looks at the concepts of reason versus emotion in Moliere's "Tartuffe".

753 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the theme that reason, not emotion or faith, should determine how a person makes decisions. The writer uses examples from Moliere's "Tartuffe" to expand on this concept. It focuses on the characters Cleante, Damis, and the King and portrays them as reasonable people.

From the Paper:

"During the enlightenment, people began questioning "nature, humanity, and society"(Davis 11). One of the people who publicly questioned these things was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere. In his play Tartuffe, the male head of the household Orgon, welcomes Tartuffe, who is allegedly a highly religious man, into his home. However, Tartuffe ends up being a fraud. Orgon is at first oblivious to Tartuffe's faults until he almost loses his estate to Tartuffe. Moliere presents the idea that rather than emotion or faith, reason should govern a person's choices."