Today you will complete THREE assignments, each of which count for 10% of your paper #1 grade. Please make sure you complete ALL THREE assignments.
#1: Submit a draft of Paper #1
I asked that each of you have at least three solid pages of your first paper. Please put your draft in a Google Doc and share that document with dlupton79@gmail.com. You should also share the document with the two group members who will read your draft. Once you have done so, turn in a link to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EFYd1vvy80qHhDzus950zAlNwr85AxHXwyIQMRqYQWQ/viewform
#2: Draft Workshop #1
You will complete TWO draft workshops today. For each workshop, read your partner’s draft carefully, then copy and paste these questions into the Google Doc for the draft, answering each question in detail with at least a few sentences each. If you find it more helpful to answer any of the questions with inline comments, please note this below the question:
1. Begin by identifying the paper’s thesis statement. Does it make a specific and surprising claim about the interpretation of the text? Does it identify specific formal features of the text that support that claim? Suggest any ways in which the thesis statement might be improved.
2. Based on your understanding of the play, is the draft’s argument surprising or interesting? Why or why not?
3. Do you notice anything about the play that you would have expected the author to write about, yet it wasn’t covered in the draft? This might be a prominent formal feature (diction, syntax, etc.), a powerful image or metaphor, or something else entirely.
4. Are there any parts of the play that do not seem consistent with the author’s argument? Can these parts be reconciled with the author’s thesis? If so, how?
5. Compose a brief retrospective outline of the draft in which you identify each paragraph’s main idea in 3-5 words. Note any paragraphs that do not have clear (or clearly expressed) topic sentences, any paragraphs whose main idea does not relate clearly back to the thesis statement, and any paragraph that seems to have insufficient support for its main idea.
6. Identify any parts of the draft that, as a reader, you have difficulty understanding or following. Try your best to determine the cause of this difficulty; is the passage obscurely or confusingly worded? Is it insufficiently connected to the paragraph’s or the paper’s main idea? Provide your partner with any feedback that you think could help sustain the reader’s attention.
When you have completed the workshop, please turn in your work here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ks86kYS93Fv3W1gyjSySMK7OSpSgOt1gMO601nvgIvk/viewform
#3: Draft Workshop #2
Next, you will workshop a second group member’s paper, using the same procedures you used for Draft Workshop #1. When you have completed Workshop #2, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cdPVfNf7YgSl8mQm9M6jC6kJ5_wS2h1wQpnyKYcNjG8/viewform
If you do not complete both draft workshops during the allotted class time, they are due by NOON on Friday, February 28. Late workshops will be severely penalized and may not receive any credit at all. Remember, your peers are relying on you for your feedback, so be thorough and prompt!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Thesis Group 2
Although
Orgon and Tartuffe posses traits of “bad” characters, they also exhibit
morally just qualities that cause us to question if a person can be all
good or all bad.
Team 5 Thesis Statement
While both “good” and “bad” characters lie and manipulate to get ahead, the separation between the two centers on morality and ethical boundaries, or the lack thereof - Tartuffe’s ruthless and conscious decision to manipulate Orgon out of his inheritance to reach his means outlines the differences between the social-awareness of Dorine and Elmire and the hyper-selfishness of Tartuffe.
Activity: Tartuffe Part II
Work together with your group to craft a working thesis statement in response to this prompt about Tartuffe. Your thesis statement should follow the guidelines for a strong thesis statement that I covered in the PowerPoint presentation. Work hard to make your argument subtle and surprising and your evidence compelling. If you finish with the thesis statement, begin outlining the structure of the full essay.
It strikes me that even though it’s abundantly clear which of Tartuffe’s characters are “bad” and which ones are “good,” both types of characters employ similar means toward their ends. There is much manipulation, dissembling, lying, and treachery in this play, and not just on the part of Tartuffe. So, my question to you is: what makes the good characters good and the bad characters bad? What separates Tartuffe’s villainous hypocrisy from the more laudable “cleverness” of characters like Dorine and Elmire? Your essay might focus either on a comparison/contrast of a few characters, or you might examine concepts like “hypocrisy” or “cleverness” directly, noting how they are represented through particular characters.
It strikes me that even though it’s abundantly clear which of Tartuffe’s characters are “bad” and which ones are “good,” both types of characters employ similar means toward their ends. There is much manipulation, dissembling, lying, and treachery in this play, and not just on the part of Tartuffe. So, my question to you is: what makes the good characters good and the bad characters bad? What separates Tartuffe’s villainous hypocrisy from the more laudable “cleverness” of characters like Dorine and Elmire? Your essay might focus either on a comparison/contrast of a few characters, or you might examine concepts like “hypocrisy” or “cleverness” directly, noting how they are represented through particular characters.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Blog Post 3 - Tartuffe IV-V
Blog Post 3 –
Tartuffe Acts IV-V
Tartuffe: Your love is the restorer of my soul;
And yet I must beg leave, now, to confess
Some lingering doubts as to my happiness
Might this not be a trick? Might not the catch
Be that you wish me to break off the match
With Mariane, and so have feigned to love me?
I shan’t quite trust your fond opinion of me
Until the feelings you’ve expressed so sweetly
Are demonstrated somewhat concretely…
And you have shown, by certain kind concessions,
That I may put my faith in your professions…
Assuage my keen desires, and feel no dread:
The sin, if any, shall be on my head…
No one shall know our joys, save us alone,
And there’s no evil till the act is known;
It’s scandal, Madam which makes it an offense,
And it’s no sin to sin in confidence.
(Act IV, Scene V, 56-66, 109-110, 118-121)
At the end of Act IV, Elmire sets a
clever and deceitful trap for Tartuffe in one last effort to prove to Orgon his
true character. She meets Tartuffe in a private room where he believes they are
alone and she attempts to convince him of her love for him, in hopes of leading
Tartuffe to act immorally on his attraction to her and show his true character.
While the room seems private to Tartuffe, the setting for this major scene is,
in fact, quite deceiving. Elmire instructed Orgon to hide under a large table
to witness the scene and hopefully discover what kind of man Tartuffe truly
is. Although Tartuffe is incredibly
interested in Elmire’s supposed affection for him, he is naturally distrustful
of her since he himself is an untrustworthy man, stating, “I shan’t quite trust
your fond opinion of me.” For this reason he asks that Elmire demonstrate her
feelings for him with actions instead of just words so he can know for certain
that she means what she says. Despite not taking Elmire’s word for her love,
not even he imagined how sly Elmire was in her plan and never considered that
her own husband was actually in the room with them listening to his every word.
Elmire is, in a sense, forced to stoop to Tartuffe’s immoral, dishonest, and
deceitful ways in order to expose him. This makes Tartuffe’s earlier comment
that “any wrongful act… may be redeemed by purity of intention” incredibly tongue-in-cheek
because she is, in a sense, using his own logic against him and beating him at
his own game. Tartuffe’s comments at the end of the passage that “no one shall
know our joys, save us alone,” and “it’s no sin to sin in confidence” are made
extremely ironic by the setting in which he says them, since they are not
actually alone and Orgon is there to witness everything. Tartuffe merely
exposes his own deceitful ways and his lack of morality and character
The setting for this scene not only
causes a turning point in the play, since Orgon finally comes to his senses and
recognizes what kind of man Tartuffe really is, but it also embodies the point
of the play as a whole. One must always be wary of dishonest and deceitful men
since it is easy to be blind to deception if you are not careful, but also
that, in the end, the truth will always come out, and a life of deception will
eventually catch up to you and get you in trouble. Tartuffe was just as blind
to Orgon’s presence in the scene described as Orgon was to Tartuffe’s true
character, but, just as Orgon revealed himself after a period of time to
Tartuffe, so did Tartuffe’s dishonest and immoral ways.
Tartuffe by Isaac Lekwuwa
Act Four, Line 45-48
Tartuffe: Again sir, let me say that I've forgiven Damis, and thus obeyed the laws of Heaven: But I am not commanded by the Bible
To live with one who smears my name with libel.
Act Five Scene VII; Lines 7-8
Tartuffe: Your needn't try to provoke me, it's no use.
Those who serve Heaven must expect abuse.
Acts Four Scene Vii, lines 21 -26
Tartuffe: No, I'm the master and you're the one to go!
This house belongs to me, I'll have you know,
And I shall show you that you can't hurt me
By this contemptible conspiracy,
That those who cross me know not what they do
And that I've means to expose and punish you,
Avenge offended Heaven, and make you grieve
That ever you dared order me to leave.
In this first passage TARTUFFE replies CLEANTE, who asked why he (TARTUFFE) did not stop ORGON from sending DAMIS away, and the second one was when he came to arrest ORGON. The third one, which was the most ridiculous "Avenge offended Heaven", was when ORGON had discovered he was a fraudster. I chose this passages to show how Tartuffe always claimed allegiance to God even when he was obviously and uttermost wrong. I think that defined his character and connected him to the setting of the story. His actions reveal that the story was set in a time in France when religious and moral views were of uttermost importance. So, to claim allegiance to God, was to associate yourself with a powerful institution. That was why Tartuffe used it as a means to deceive ORGON and his mother.
Also, CLEANTE was quite a moral upholder. His lines in the play always had one or more moral notes.
Act Five Scene II
CLEANTE: What a display of young hotheadedness!
Do learn to moderate your fits of rage
In this just kingdom, this enlightened age,
One does not settle things by violence.
Act Five Scene Vii, lines 90 - 97
CLEANTE: AH Brother, please,
Let's not descend to such indignities
Leave the poor wretch to his unhappy fate
And don't say anything to aggravate
His present woes, but rather hope that he
Will soon embrace an honest piety,
And mend his ways, and by a true repentance.
In the first passage CLEANTE advises DAMIS against trying to fight TARTUFFE who had threatened to take over ORGON'S house and estate. In this second, he advises ORGON who was about to mock TARTUFFE when he was being arrested by think. He(CLEANTE) always held high moral view and this also concurs with the point of the play.
Altogether, the play is set in a time of high religious and moral views in France which was the source of Tartuffe's strength in the play. Finally, the point of the play was to show that some people who claim to be morally and religiously upright could be fraudsters(like a typical moral story), and one should be able to distinguish the hypocrites, from the 'true believers' as CLEANTE said in Act Five Scene 1. lines 45 -48.
Tartuffe: Again sir, let me say that I've forgiven Damis, and thus obeyed the laws of Heaven: But I am not commanded by the Bible
To live with one who smears my name with libel.
Act Five Scene VII; Lines 7-8
Tartuffe: Your needn't try to provoke me, it's no use.
Those who serve Heaven must expect abuse.
Acts Four Scene Vii, lines 21 -26
Tartuffe: No, I'm the master and you're the one to go!
This house belongs to me, I'll have you know,
And I shall show you that you can't hurt me
By this contemptible conspiracy,
That those who cross me know not what they do
And that I've means to expose and punish you,
Avenge offended Heaven, and make you grieve
That ever you dared order me to leave.
In this first passage TARTUFFE replies CLEANTE, who asked why he (TARTUFFE) did not stop ORGON from sending DAMIS away, and the second one was when he came to arrest ORGON. The third one, which was the most ridiculous "Avenge offended Heaven", was when ORGON had discovered he was a fraudster. I chose this passages to show how Tartuffe always claimed allegiance to God even when he was obviously and uttermost wrong. I think that defined his character and connected him to the setting of the story. His actions reveal that the story was set in a time in France when religious and moral views were of uttermost importance. So, to claim allegiance to God, was to associate yourself with a powerful institution. That was why Tartuffe used it as a means to deceive ORGON and his mother.
Also, CLEANTE was quite a moral upholder. His lines in the play always had one or more moral notes.
Act Five Scene II
CLEANTE: What a display of young hotheadedness!
Do learn to moderate your fits of rage
In this just kingdom, this enlightened age,
One does not settle things by violence.
Act Five Scene Vii, lines 90 - 97
CLEANTE: AH Brother, please,
Let's not descend to such indignities
Leave the poor wretch to his unhappy fate
And don't say anything to aggravate
His present woes, but rather hope that he
Will soon embrace an honest piety,
And mend his ways, and by a true repentance.
In the first passage CLEANTE advises DAMIS against trying to fight TARTUFFE who had threatened to take over ORGON'S house and estate. In this second, he advises ORGON who was about to mock TARTUFFE when he was being arrested by think. He(CLEANTE) always held high moral view and this also concurs with the point of the play.
Altogether, the play is set in a time of high religious and moral views in France which was the source of Tartuffe's strength in the play. Finally, the point of the play was to show that some people who claim to be morally and religiously upright could be fraudsters(like a typical moral story), and one should be able to distinguish the hypocrites, from the 'true believers' as CLEANTE said in Act Five Scene 1. lines 45 -48.
Blog prompt #3: Tartuffe
ELMIRE: Pull up this table, and get under it.
ORGON: What?
ELMIRE: It's essential that you be well-hidden.
ORGON: Why there?
ELMIRE: Oh, Heavens! Just do as you are bidden
I have my plans; we'll soon see how they fare.
Under the table, now; and once you're there,
Take care that you are neither seen nor heard.
ORGON: Well, I'll indulge you, since I gave my word
To see you through this infantile charade.
ELMIRE: Once it is over, you'll be glad you played.
This specific passage really captures the nature of the situation at hand. Orgon, the master of the household, is forced to hide under his own roof and degrade himself in order to figure out the truth that Tartuffe is a hypocrite. This reveals the extent to which Tartuffe has fooled Orgon as well as how far Tartuffe was able to infiltrate into their family. Although his family members attempted to tell Orgon of Tartuffe's true nature, he was under Tartuffe's spell to the point that he completely rejected their claims. Elmire, his wife, had to scheme up a plan in order to trick Tartuffe so that Orgon may come to the realization that Tartuffe is not the man he asserts himself to be. The fact that their family had to devise an "infantile charade" like this displays the true irony of the story.
In addition, this scene also illuminates Orgon's characteristics. Everyone but Orgon and his mother saw through Tartuffe's trick. This shows how gullible Orgon is. The fact that he didn't trust any of his relatives further exemplifies his naiveté, and shows how stubborn he is as well. As the event unrolls, Orgon discovers that everything his family has been trying to convince him of is true, and he was made a fool of.
Through this scene, we get an essence of what the point of the play is, which is that one should trust the people they are close to rather than someone they have just met for people can be deceitful. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Orgon refused to believe anything his family members accused Tartuffe of. He had met Tartuffe not too long ago and he is willing to adopt him as his son when he essentially does not know of his past at all. We might also take from this that a person's outside characteristic may not at all reflect what is inside. However, in this specific case, considering how every one else saw through Tartuffe's character, I think Orgon should blame himself more than anything for being tricked so easily and deeply. Due to his ignorance, he banished his own son, almost gave away his daughter to a hypocrite, and signed off his estate. Unless the king saw through Tartuffe's act, it would have been quite a tragic ending.
ORGON: What?
ELMIRE: It's essential that you be well-hidden.
ORGON: Why there?
ELMIRE: Oh, Heavens! Just do as you are bidden
I have my plans; we'll soon see how they fare.
Under the table, now; and once you're there,
Take care that you are neither seen nor heard.
ORGON: Well, I'll indulge you, since I gave my word
To see you through this infantile charade.
ELMIRE: Once it is over, you'll be glad you played.
This specific passage really captures the nature of the situation at hand. Orgon, the master of the household, is forced to hide under his own roof and degrade himself in order to figure out the truth that Tartuffe is a hypocrite. This reveals the extent to which Tartuffe has fooled Orgon as well as how far Tartuffe was able to infiltrate into their family. Although his family members attempted to tell Orgon of Tartuffe's true nature, he was under Tartuffe's spell to the point that he completely rejected their claims. Elmire, his wife, had to scheme up a plan in order to trick Tartuffe so that Orgon may come to the realization that Tartuffe is not the man he asserts himself to be. The fact that their family had to devise an "infantile charade" like this displays the true irony of the story.
In addition, this scene also illuminates Orgon's characteristics. Everyone but Orgon and his mother saw through Tartuffe's trick. This shows how gullible Orgon is. The fact that he didn't trust any of his relatives further exemplifies his naiveté, and shows how stubborn he is as well. As the event unrolls, Orgon discovers that everything his family has been trying to convince him of is true, and he was made a fool of.
Through this scene, we get an essence of what the point of the play is, which is that one should trust the people they are close to rather than someone they have just met for people can be deceitful. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Orgon refused to believe anything his family members accused Tartuffe of. He had met Tartuffe not too long ago and he is willing to adopt him as his son when he essentially does not know of his past at all. We might also take from this that a person's outside characteristic may not at all reflect what is inside. However, in this specific case, considering how every one else saw through Tartuffe's character, I think Orgon should blame himself more than anything for being tricked so easily and deeply. Due to his ignorance, he banished his own son, almost gave away his daughter to a hypocrite, and signed off his estate. Unless the king saw through Tartuffe's act, it would have been quite a tragic ending.
Blog #3
Elmire: It is essential you be well-hidden.
Orgon: Why there?
Elmire: Oh, Heavens!
Just do as you are bidden
I have my plans; we’ll see how they fare.
Under the table, now; and once you are there,
Take Care that you are neither seen nor heard.
Orgon: Well, I’ll indulge you, since I gave my word
To see you through this infantile charade
Elmire: Once it is over, you will be glad we played.
(To her husband who is now under the table)
I’m going to act quite strangely, now, and you
Must not be shocked at anything I do.
Whatever I may say, you must excuse
As part of that decit I’m forced to use
I shall employ sweet speeches in the task
Of making that imposter drop his mask
I’ll give encouragement to his bold desires
And furnish fuel to his amorous fires
Since it’s for your sake, and for his destruction
That I shall seem to yield to his seduction
I’ll gladly stop when you decide
That all your doubts are fully satisfied
I’ll count on you, as soon as you have seen
What sort of man he is, to intervene,
And not to expose me to his odious lust
One moment longer than you feel you must
Remember: you’re to save me from my plight
Whenever…He’s coming! Hush! Keep out of sight!
In this exchange, Elmire is telling her husband to wait
under the table to witness the true nature of Tartuffe. This passage was climatic because Orgon was
about to discover Tartuffe’s true nature.
This conversation was especially ironic because similar to this scene,
Tartuffe’s personality is hidden from Orgon throughout the play. Also, in this scene Elmire is in control. Elmire’s wit demonstrates that while Orgon is
the “head of the household” and makes all of the executive decisions, Elmire is
the real mastermind behind the downfall of Tartuffe.
The scene is also a representation of the blatantly obvious lies
that occur in the play. At the beginning of the play Orgon was metaphorically
“under the table”. He had no idea what
was truly going on. What is remarkable
about this is the obliviousness and stubbornness that Orgon possessed to deny the
truth for such a long period of time. In
the game of hide and seek, hiding under the table is an obvious hiding
spot. So even though all the evidence
pointed to Tartuffe not being honest, Orgon choose to overlook what was right
in front of his face, like the obvious hiding spot of the table.
When
further examining the passage closely one can pick out more examples of how
unaware and oblivious Orgon is. He
states, “Well I’ll indulge you since I gave my word to see you through this
infantile charade.” This further demonstrates
how Orgon is still under the table at this point in the play. It is not until he fully comes out from under
the table that he understands the true nature of Tartuffe.
This
passage furthers the point that ignorance can lead to one’s downfall. While Orgon walked around with a skewed
perception that the man to whom his daughter would marry was someone that he
could trust, he was loosing his family’s trust and his family’s fortune. While ultimately Orgon does get his
possessions returned to him in the end, it is only due to the exploitation of
the evilness of Tartuffe and the full knowledge that everyone has of who is
good and who is clearly bad. If Orgon
had kept his guard up in the first place and listened to his family, then maybe
he would not have gone through all the turmoil he faced.
Blog Post #3
ELMIRE
…We let a lover know our heart surrenders,
The while our lips, for honour's sake, oppose
Our heart's desire, and in refusing promise.
I'm telling you my secret all too freely
And with too little heed to modesty.
But — now that I've made bold to speak — pray tell me.
Should I have tried to keep Damis from speaking,
Should I have heard the offer of your heart
So quietly, and suffered all your pleading,
And taken it just as I did — remember —
If such a declaration had not pleased me,
And, when I tried my utmost to persuade you
Not to accept the marriage that was talked of,
What should my earnestness have hinted to you
If not the interest that you've inspired,
And my chagrin, should such a match compel me
To share a heart I want all to myself?
…We let a lover know our heart surrenders,
The while our lips, for honour's sake, oppose
Our heart's desire, and in refusing promise.
I'm telling you my secret all too freely
And with too little heed to modesty.
But — now that I've made bold to speak — pray tell me.
Should I have tried to keep Damis from speaking,
Should I have heard the offer of your heart
So quietly, and suffered all your pleading,
And taken it just as I did — remember —
If such a declaration had not pleased me,
And, when I tried my utmost to persuade you
Not to accept the marriage that was talked of,
What should my earnestness have hinted to you
If not the interest that you've inspired,
And my chagrin, should such a match compel me
To share a heart I want all to myself?
TARTUFFE
'Tis, past a doubt, the height of happiness,
To hear such words from lips we dote upon;
Their honeyed sweetness pours through all my senses
Long draughts of suavity ineffable.
My heart employs its utmost zeal to please you,
And counts your love its one beatitude;
And yet that heart must beg that you allow it
To doubt a little its felicity.
I well might think these words an honest trick
To make me break off this approaching marriage;
And if I may express myself quite plainly,
I cannot trust these too enchanting words
Until the granting of some little favour
I sigh for, shall assure me of their truth
And build within my soul, on firm foundations,
A lasting faith in your sweet charity.
'Tis, past a doubt, the height of happiness,
To hear such words from lips we dote upon;
Their honeyed sweetness pours through all my senses
Long draughts of suavity ineffable.
My heart employs its utmost zeal to please you,
And counts your love its one beatitude;
And yet that heart must beg that you allow it
To doubt a little its felicity.
I well might think these words an honest trick
To make me break off this approaching marriage;
And if I may express myself quite plainly,
I cannot trust these too enchanting words
Until the granting of some little favour
I sigh for, shall assure me of their truth
And build within my soul, on firm foundations,
A lasting faith in your sweet charity.
In this scene, Elmire is attempting
a last ditch effort to expose Tartuffe, after her son Damis’ plan went awry
earlier. Orgon is still blind to the mischief Tartuffe is called, but as he is
often portrayed in the play, he is very easy to sway. Elmire convinces him to
hide under a table while she conducts a secret rendezvous with Tartuffe in
order to show the hiding Orgon how Tartuffe has been acting when Orgon is not
watching. The setting in this particular case gives much more gravity to the
scenario because the audience experiences the dramatic irony as well as the
desperation of the plot, which helps us to better understand and engross
ourselves within the play.
Tartuffe as one of the main
characters and the namesake of the play becomes a vehicle in which the theme of
disloyalty and a foil for the family unit. Orgon’s family was a close-knit
group, very much invested in one another until Tartuffe was introduced and
began to turn characters against each other. In a way, the fact that their
trying to trick a trickster into revealing his true self shows a kind of irony
that we wouldn’t expect. At the beginning of the play, it would be hard to
imagine a noble family like Orgon’s being torn apart so viciously and then
having to resort to backhanded trickery.
The content of this scene provides
the climax of the play, as Orgon finally learns of Tartuffes nature. In
analysis of the setting, the climax wouldn’t be reachable had without the very
specific background and physical setting. Without the trickery of hiding under
the table, Orgon would never have come to terms with the fact that Tartuffe is
a liar and a scoundrel. Moreover, as an audience we wouldn’t experience that
dramatic irony, the feeling that we know exactly what is going on and what is
soon to happen but can’t turn away. In a way, we as an audience are seeking
justice, so as the character’s climax is exposing Tartuffe and getting their
lives back together, the audience has a different climax in that we have been
waiting for this moment of justice ever since we were introduced to Tartuffe’s
sneaky ways.
Blog Post #3: Tartuffe
Blog Post #3: Tartuffe
Tartuffe: ‘Twould never occur to those who know me
best
To think I acted from self-interest.
The treasures of this world I quite
despise;
Their specious glitter does not
charm my eyes;
And if I have resigned myself to
taking
The gift which my dear Brother
insists on making,
I do so only, as he well
understands,
Lest so much wealth fall into wicked
hands,
Lest those to whom it might descend
in time
Turn it to purposes of sin and
crime,
And not, as I shall do, make use of
it.
For Heaven’s glory and mankind’s
benefit.
Cleante: …Does true religion teach that lawful
heirs
May freely be deprived of what is
theirs?
And if the Lord has told you in your
heart
That you and young Damis must dwell
apart,
Would it not be the decent thing to
beat
A generous and honorable retreat,
Rather than let the son of the house
be sent,
For your convenience, into
banishment?
This
passage from Act IV, Scene I brings to the play the role of the church. Moliere
wrote Tartuffe in 1664 during the
reign of the French Roman Catholic Church, and in doing so, questioned this
authority. When the play was first introduced to the public, it was met with a
lot of criticism from the public, especially the church, for how the play
colors the church and the people who derive from it. This passage in particular
puts the church in a bad lighting.
Cleante
is trying to reason with Tartuffe to persuade him to tell Orgon to invite his
son, Damis, back into the house. Tartuffe’s response to this request is that if
Damis returns then it’ll look like Tartuffe is trying to buy him back, thus
making him look like the villain. Tartuffe states that by the decree of God he
couldn’t possibly do such a thing because it’s against the Lord’s way to bribe
a man. This would be held as a justifiable point if the audience didn’t already
know that Tartuffe is manipulating Orgon in order to inherit his money and
estate. However, due to this fact, it is clear to the audience that the
clergyman is corrupt and self-centered, and furthermore, using the Lord as a
shield to hide his true nature.
“I
have resigned myself to taking the gift which my Brother insists on
making…only…lest so much wealth fall into wicked hands…and not, as I shall do, make
use of it for Heaven’s glory and mankind’s benefit.” Tartuffe is outright lying
to Cleante, saying that he must take this “gift” that has been thrust upon him,
but that Cleante shouldn’t worry because he’s doing this to benefit everyone,
and also so that the money doesn’t go to a bad person. By saying this, Tartuffe
just makes it all the more worse that he’s manipulating everyone because the
audience knows he’s a bad person taking money from its rightful owner. Throughout
the play Tartuffe wears a mask, disguising himself as a man of God and
supposedly embodying what it means to be moral, when in reality he’s the worst
one of them all.
This
play and the character Tartuffe are all the more significant because they were
created in France during the height of the church, and by painting Tartuffe as
a corrupt clergyman, Moliere makes a statement about the Catholic Church. He is
saying that the church isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, that there is
dishonesty in this institution but the people of the world (symbolized by
Orgon) are blind to its manipulation and fall prey to its deceit. This leads to
the point of the play: that the church is all-encompassing and it’s important
to analyze what it teaches us, instead of taking everything it says at face
value.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Set a Climax Scene in Tartuffe
Blog Prompt #3 Tartuffe
Wan-Ting Lin
Set a Climax Scene in
Tartuffe
Elmire: Pull up this table, and get under it.
Orgon: What?
Elmire: It’s essential that you be well-hidden.
Orgon: Why there?
Elmire: Oh, Heavens! Just do as you are bidden
I have my plans; we’ll soon see how they fare.
Under the table, now; and once you’re there,
Take care that you are neither seen nor heard.
Orgon: Well, I’ll indulge you, since I gave my word
To see you through this infantile charade.
Elmire: Once it is over, you’ll be glad we played.
(To his husband, who is now under the table.)
I’m going to act quite strangely, now, and you
Must not be shocked at anything I do.
Whatever I may say, you must excuse
As part of that deceit I’m forced to use.
I shall employ sweet speeches in the task
Of making that impostor drop his mask;
I’ll give encouragement to his bold desires,
And furnish fuel to his amorous fires.
Since it’s for your sake, and for his destruction,
That I shall seem to yield to his seduction,
I’ll gladly stop whenever you decide
That all your doubts are fully satisfied.
I’ll count on you, as soon as you have seen
What sort of man he is, to intervene,
And not expose me to his odious lust
One moment longer than you feel you must.
Remember: you’re to save me from my plight
Whenever … He’s coming! Hush! Keep out of sight!
This scene
interests me the most because of its dramatic effect. I think the climax of
this play is in Act 4 scene 4. In the beginning of the scene, the author gave a
special setting for the characters. By revealing through Elmire’s words, the
author showed the audience that the main character Orgon is going to hide under
the table. This ridiculous setting gives special effect especially in the theater
that the audience could watch the whole plots in an omniscient perspective. That
is, both the seduction scene of Tartuffe to Elmire and the hidden Orgon are
shown on the stage, giving a real comic effect to entertain the audience.
The intention
of Elmire is obvious; she wants to show her husband of Tartuffe’s fake mask. She
is like a playwright who sets a setting (or a trap) to lure Tartuffe to enter
her room. As to setting inside her room, I think it’s because inside her room
is more private. She is familiar with her room, so she takes advantages. If anything
bad happened, she can easily get rid of the bad deed. Also, the room represents
the private place of the women. She lets Tartuffe go inside her room means she
opens part of herself to the strange man. She gives Tartuffe the chance to
violate her in order to make her husband believe that Tartuffe is a hypocrite.
In addition,
the witty Elmire also arranges her husband to hide under the table where he can
see and hear Tartuffe’s deed clearly. Rather than hiding inside a wardrobe, “under
the table” is a better choice for the playwright. By setting under the table,
Orgon’s expression and action are clearly presented to the audience. In the
plot, Elmire said, “It’s essential that you be well-hidden.” I think this
account is fairly ridiculous because hiding under the table will never be a
good idea. The place under the table is not a good choice because the one who
hides there would easily be found. There’s no cover around the table so that if
Tartuffe is careful enough, he can easily find Orgon’s hidden place. So the
words “well-hidden” which was said by Elmire is totally sarcastic.
Besides the
place setting, the plot setting is quite interesting as well. Elmire sets a
trap for Tartuffe to reveal his true face. She expresses her idea to her
husband as “I’m going to act quite strangely, now.” She warns her husband at
first in order to let her husband know that she is going to “act” as a
different person. The setting of acting as another person is also an
implication to the acting of Tartuffe. He as a hypocrite hides his true intention
and acts in front of all the people. So by acting and tricking Tartuffe into a
trap, Elmire not only wins the faith from her husband but also helps the
audience and other characters regain justice.
Blog post 3 - Lindsey (late b/c of technical issues)
Act
Two: Scene 1
Orgon:
Mariane
Mariane:
Yes, Father!
Orgon:
A word with you; come here.
Mariane:
What are you looking for?
Orgon:
(peering into small closet)
Eavesdroppers,
dear.
I’m
making sure we shan’t be overheard. Someone in there could catch our every
word.
Ah,
good, we’re safe. Now, Mariane, my child,
You’re
a sweet girl who’s tractable and mild,
Whom
I hold dear, and think most highly of.
Mariane:
I’m deeply grateful, Father, for your love.
Orgon:
That’s well said, Daughter; and you can repay me
If,
in all things, you’ll cheerfully obey me.
This is the moment where Orgon has
just arrived back to his home and is telling Mariane of his plans to go back on
his word that she may marry Valere. It is not explicitly stated thus far
whether they live in a castle or magnificent home. The play simply opens with
it saying that it in Orgon’s house in Paris throughout. However, he calls
Mariane to him and peers into a small closet. Therefore, one can assume they
are either in a private bedroom or in a central way for passerby in the house.
I’m going to assume that he calls her into a private room because he is trying
to avoid anyone overhearing their conversation. Initially, this makes me wonder
why they must go into private, as opposed to making his servants leave the
room. It is Orgon’s home, yet he must go into private in order to discuss a
private matter with his daughter. Additionally, why must it be a secret of his
new decision? He is going back on his word, and instead of being confident in
his decision and making it outright refusing anyone’s input, he does it in
private. Then, Dorine easily intrudes and begins disputing his decision. These
are all atypical actions for the head-of-household.
The scene where Tartuffe and Elmire have
an interaction seems to be set up the same way, which makes me feel as though
these scenes are meant to stand out. In the interaction between Tartuffe and
Elmire, Dorine tells Damis to not hide in the closet, which he disobeys. This
is another instance for Dorine where she is stepping out of her place as
Mariane’s lady’s-maid. Dorine has an entire scene where she is arguing with
Orgon, and continuously stepping out of place. During the first three acts
Dorine seems to be the character who contributes the most to the story. She
says what is on her mind, steps out of place by telling her ruler that he is
foolish, and is the master mind of revealing Tartuffe’s true character. Both of
the scenes are attempted to be held in private and involve Tartuffe, just as
his mischievous actions are meant to be kept in secret.
After reading the first three acts, I
think that the point of the play is that the leader always has ultimate rule,
but this does not mean that their decisions are just. Prior to the play, the
introduction talks about the legitimacy of absolute power and the self-delusion
of some authority figures. This can be seen in Orgon’s character because
despite all of the objections from his family and servants he makes the
decision of who Mariane will marry. However, it is those beneath him who
actually have the most knowledge of the situation and in the end showing Orgon
the downfalls of his decisions.
I think this point also fits with the
broad setting of the play because it is set in Paris and written in the 1660s,
being initially banned at first by the Parisian clergy. This outside
information ties in further with the power struggle in the play.
Tartuffe Part I
Moliére makes it very clear in his prefatory materials that he wishes the characters in Tartuffe to be taken as moral exemplars that the audience should either emulate or critique as the case may be. So, for each of these characters, list three adjectives that you would use to describe their primary character traits. For each adjective, find an example in the text of the character enacting or embodying this attribute:
Tartuffe
Elmire
Dorine
Orgon
Damis
When you think specifically about whether each character is reprehensible or not, are any of the results surprising? Do you see any further patterns or interesting correlations when you compare and contrast the characters? In light of all this, do you think the critiques of Moliére’s play are justified? Why or why not?
Tartuffe
Elmire
Dorine
Orgon
Damis
When you think specifically about whether each character is reprehensible or not, are any of the results surprising? Do you see any further patterns or interesting correlations when you compare and contrast the characters? In light of all this, do you think the critiques of Moliére’s play are justified? Why or why not?
Hamlet Wrap-Up
The confrontation between Hamlet and Laertes at the end of the play is remarkable because of the lack of emotion with which both parties seem to approach the duel (see their exchange in V.ii.211-263, in which the language is utterly bureaucratic and emotionless). Similarly, the plot centering on Hamlet’s revenge on Claudius (which is ostensibly the main point of the play, especially given the expected conventions of revenge tragedy) is also resolved in a way that feels hollow, anti-climactic, and unsatisfying.
So, my question to you is: what do we make of this ending? Yes, it is bloody, but the blood seems unsatisfying. What is lacking that would otherwise make the ending more climactic? Why did Shakespeare choose to structure the play in this way? Finally, what do we make of Fortinbras giving Hamlet a soldier’s funeral?
So, my question to you is: what do we make of this ending? Yes, it is bloody, but the blood seems unsatisfying. What is lacking that would otherwise make the ending more climactic? Why did Shakespeare choose to structure the play in this way? Finally, what do we make of Fortinbras giving Hamlet a soldier’s funeral?
Monday, February 17, 2014
Incapable of Her Own Distress: Setting in Hamlet
Perhaps nowhere does setting become more crucial to a text, especially one intended for acting, than when it is absent. As Queen Gertrude rushes to deliver the disasterous news of Ophelia’s demise in the later portion of Act IV, scene vii, we see demonstrated the importance of place in the queen’s ability to imbue a somber symbolism to each of Ophelia’s actions that otherwise could not be relayed by vision alone. Laertes, too, dismisses the action itself as central to the relation of the story by first responding “Where?” in line 164 rather than “how?” or “why?” One might argue that by locating the event Laertes hopes to find fault outside of sister, a cause within the environment rather than the self. This directly contrasts with much of what Shakespeare’s main conflicts in Hamlet concern; namely, the plots, deception, and internal emotions of the characters lead to conflict rather than, say, the looming foreign army. In this way, too, Ophelia’s death physically and symbolically separates her from the rest of the court because she escapes public scrutiny (or at least her awareness of it) and suffers the least violence (even the queen is fully aware of her demise in the moment and so undergoes psychological trauma knowing she cannot live to protect her beloved son).
In terms of the description of Ophelia’s death itself, the depiction of the scene does more to portray Ophelia’s grief than her actual words or deeds. Consider the “willow grow[ing] askant by the brook/That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream;” this figure, known to be “weeping” in folklore, observes its own sad state in the still water as though like mirror in much the same way Ophelia reflects the sadness around herself (165-166). Indeed, the word “hoary” heralds the imagery of winter despite the numerous flowering garlands Ophelia creates, and this theme continues as the queen mentions that the “cold maids” call long purples “dead men’s fingers” (170). In the same way that Ophelia in life has attempted to surround herself with goodness through the industry of her own heart yet finds herself surrounded by death, so, too, does the surrounding serve to reinforce this tragedy. Gertrude goes on to personify the very world that leads to Ophelia’s drowning by blaming an “envious sliver” for breaking and causing Ophelia’s descent into the “weeping brook”(172, 174). In this way Ophelia escapes the fault of her action through the surroundings and is even pitied by nature rather than face the consequences of a suicide. While Hamlet is fraught with arguments and implications about gender expectations, one should also note that Ophelia is able to do what Hamlet has only talked about: escape the oppression of the courts and die free. In this way we may take her physical journey and separation as one of spiritual symbolism as well.
Shakespeare carefully toys with the idea of nature vs nurture within Hamlet, the titular character feeling physically trapped and then even mentally and emotionally bound to Denmark when able to escape, yet despite his own logical arguments unable to overcome the restraints he so desperately loathes. Reasonably, then, Ophelia’s “tragedy” demonstrates not the power of the mind in combating the environment and restraints of responsibility directly, but in complete disregard of the strict laws and edicts of nature. Hamlet and the other characters of the court, Ophelia shows us clearly, has always had the freedom to walk away from the miserable complexities of revenge and manipulation. The choice is not whether “to be or not to be,” but how, and perhaps more importantly, where.
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