Molière's Tartuffe and the problem of religious fanaticism

¶ … Tartuffe: Or, the Hypocrite by Moliere. Specifically it will discuss the topic of religious fanaticism in the play. When Moliere first wrote this popular play, people thought he was condemning religion and religious thought, and it made the work very controversial. In fact, although he wrote it in 1664, it was not produced on the stage until 1669 (Mooney). The play his a parody of religious belief, and Tartuffe, the main character, convinces people he is religious, but in fact he is nothing more that a con man who wants to take money wherever he can get it. He befriends Orgon and his family not because he cares for them, but because of what he thinks he can get from them, and only a few key members of the family see through his disguise of religious fervor.

Tartuffe is a stranger who stumbles into Orgon's family and who Orgon comes to admire. He treats him like his own son, and disinherits one of his own sons due to his dislike of Tartuffe. Another member of the family, Dorine the maid, can see through him as well. She says, "His pretended devotion draws money from him at every hour of the day; and assumes the right of commenting upon the conduct of every one of us. Even the jackanapes, his servant, pretends also to read us a lesson; he comes preaching to us with fierce looks, and throws away our ribbons, our paint, and our patches" (Moliere Act I, Scene II). Orgon met him in church, where he found him to be pious and faithful. Moliere describes the meeting, "He attracted the notice of the whole congregation by the fervency with which he sent up his prayers to heaven. He uttered sighs, was enraptured, and humbly kissed the ground every moment; and when I went out, he swiftly ran before me to offer me holy water at the door" (Moliere Act I, Scene II). At first, Orgon gives him money, which Tartuffe takes, and then shares with the poor, and finally, Orgon invites him to move in with the family.

It is quite clear from the start that Tartuffe's "devotion" to his religion comes under question from many members of Orgon's family. His brother-in-law, Cleante, tells Orgon, "The usual clap-trap of your set; they wish everyone to be blind like themselves. To keep one's eyes open is to be a freethinker; and whosoever does not worship empty mummeries has neither respect for, nor faith in, holy things" (Moliere Act I, Scene VI). Clearly, this is an attack on religion and religious fanaticism, because Orgon trusts Tartuffe largely because of his spirituality, and thinks he must be "good" if he is religious. Tartuffe's behavior, however, shows just the opposite. He is really evil, and uses religion as a means to take advantage of his victims. Moliere is saying that to rely too heavily on religion and spirituality is asking for trouble, and that anyone can say they are religious, but they really have to prove their devotion to be truly spiritual and good. Later, Cleante tells Orgon that true spirituality does not have to be talked about, it is easily seen, and again, Moliere is using Tartuffe as an example of the zealot and fanatic that speaks far too loudly about his own spirituality, so much that it seems false and phony (Act, Scene VI).

Orgon is so taken in by Tartuffe that he attempts to force his daughter to give up the man she loves and marry Tartuffe, instead, because he wants to bring him directly into the family. Orgon is so convinced of Tartuffe's goodness that he thinks his daughter will welcome the idea, but she does not, as she is one of the family members that does not trust him. Throughout the play, the weak and the supposedly pious are those who are taken in by Tartuffe, and again, Moliere is satirizing the zealous and spiritual, showing them as weak and easily fooled by anything they think is spiritual. A literary critic writes, "In this play, there are really two leading characters, Tartuffe and Orgon. In the former we find the embodiment of religious hypocrisy, in the latter we find stupidity incarnate" (Crawford). Thus, Moliere is poking fun at the pious as "stupidity incarnate," and that rings true with the other defender of Tartuffe, Madame Pernelle, who seems absurd and stupid from the very start.

It becomes clear that Tartuffe, as he becomes increasingly powerful in the play, considers himself above the others, and because of his "spirituality," he is above the laws of God, too. He tells Elmire, Orgon's wife, "I'll teach you, Ma'am, that Heaven's contradictions, give latitude to men of pure convictions. it's true that Heaven frowns on some dark acts, though with great men, our Lord makes higher pacts" (Moliere, Act IV, Scene 5). He tells her this as he is attempting to seduce her, so it is clear that Tartuffe thinks he is above everything, including sin, and that he has a "special" pact with God that allows him to pretty much do as he pleases. This is another jab at religion, which often takes itself too seriously, and so do some members of organized religions, and this is who Moliere is parodying in the play.

In the end, Orgon discovers Tartuffe attempting to seduce his wife, and then he learns, in a complex part of the plot, that Tartuffe has obtained ownership of Orgon's house, and he is going to force the family to leave, leaving them in financial and personal ruin. Tartuffe has denounced Orgon to the king, and Orgon is devastated. The man he trusted and gave so much to has betrayed him, and has shown himself to be nothing more than an evil manipulator. When it seems as if nothing can intervene, the police arrest Tartuffe and restore the home to Orgon and his family. The king, who is pure and good, saw the evil in Tartuffe's heart and knows that he has committed crimes in the past.

Moliere wrote this play for the king, and so gave him the best qualities in the play, which are directly opposite of Orgon's qualities. Orgon is not wise enough to see through Tartuffe, but the king is, and that is the only thing that saves the family. Tartuffe will not be able to hurt anyone else, Orgon's daughter can marry the man she loves, and everything will turn out all right in the end. Again, the most pious and fanatical character in the play, Tartuffe, turns out to be the villain in the play, and that is Moliere's commentary on religion. It is better to be wise and trust your heart than trust the exclamations of others, especially when they claim to be so spiritual, seems to be this play's central message. So, it was not critical of religion, as such, it was critical of the zealots and fanatics, and of those who put too much faith into religion without questioning the ulterior motives of the overly faithful.