| Moliere | Tartuffe |
| Parallel Themes | |
| Moliere is a religious person, who displays his piety by overlooking his family’s welfare. When he dies his wife searches for a bishop to give him his last rights, to no avail. The bishop then is heard saying that God was displaying his anger, which is hypocritical.
Marriage is another thing that Moliere struggles with in life, and at some point, his wife leaves him. |
Religion is one of the central themes. The play attempts to expose religious hypocrisy.
Another theme is sex. There is no sexual encounter throughout the play, but sex looms large throughout. Marriage is another significant element in the play. The threat in marriage between Mariane and Tartuffe sets in motion plans causing complexity in the three acts. |
| Relationships | |
| A relationship between husband and wife. Moliere later in life separates from his wife, due to distrust.
Moliere becomes friends with most actors in the theater world in Paris. He forms several friendships. |
A relationship between a husband and a wife. There should be trust between husband and wife, although Tartuffe makes Orgon distrust his wife.
Friendship relationship formed between Tartuffe and his patron Orgon wealthy man whom Tartuffe befriends to acquire money. |
| Motives | |
| Moliere is very ambitious, wanting to be very successful in comedy in Paris despite all the hindrances from some people.
Another motive is to become influential in the theatre, a master of western comedy. |
Ambition. Tartuffe has every ill motive on Orgon, to get his wealth, his wife, and even his daughter.
Tartuffe is seen to be very influential on the wealthy man Orgon. He even changes how Orgon thinks. Tartuffe identifies Orgon’s need to feel close to God and uses this as an advantage to abuse his generosity and take advantage of him. |
Work Cited
Calandra, Denis, and James L. Roberts. Cliffsnotes on Moliere’s Tartuffe, the Misanthrope & the Bourgeois Gentleman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. Internet resource.
Gutenberg.org. N.p., 2018. Web. 15 Mar. 2018.
