Critical Essay On Tartuffe

During the Enlightenment Era, the French monarchy and clergy censored many works of literature that could’ve endangered their power or control. In 1669, Molière published the play Tartuffe- a satire that uses irony or ridicule to criticize the monarchy and clergy. In the article, “Critical Essay on Tartuffe” written by David Partikian, he reveals the revisions and changes Molière made to the play to appease the king and gain permission to have the production finally staged. Through these alterations, not only has the play lost some of its meaning, it has become a less direct satire towards the church and monarchy. In the article, Partikian states that to get the approval from King Louis XIV, Molière’s changes “involves a toning down of [Tartuffe] in order to make him less priestly” and instead “portrays Tartuffe as an imposter who puts on religious airs” (1).

In Act III, the titular character observes that Dorine, a servant of the house, is gazing upon him, so he loudly declares that he is “going to the prison now, to share/ [His] last few coins with the poor wretches” and when Dorine approaches him, he says,” Please take this handkerchief, before you speak…/Cover that bosom, girl. The flesh is weak,/ And unclean thoughts are difficult to control./ Such sights as that can undermine the soul” (Molière III, ii, 82-83). Tartuffe puts on a show of how he is a pious and righteous man, but in the next scene, he secretly tells Elmire, the mistress of the household, to have an affair together behind Orgon, her husband. This confirms how when he is with many others, he says words of righteousness to trick them into believing his mask, but in the shadows, he speaks immoral words for his benefit and true