Wednesday, February 19, 2014

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.

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