Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Moliere Part Deux
Act 1, Scene 5 contains an important exchange. Orgon criticizes what he calls "free-thinking" because it challenges "faith," while Cleante delivers his long monologue about Nature (read "human nature") and "Reason's laws." This is the heart of the Enlightenment argument. But note as you read further that Cleante, for all his wise words, is relatively powerless. For that matter, power itself is an important issue here. Who wields it, or who thinks they do when perhaps they really do not?
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4 comments:
Hehe, I book marked those couple of pages between Orgon and Cleante. One of my favorite lines is
"Is not a face quite different from a mask?"
&
"Ah, brother, man's a strangely fashioned creature
Who seldom is content to follow nature,
But recklessly pursues his inclination
Beyond the narrow bounds of moderation,
And often, by transgressing reasons laws,
Perverts a lofty aim or noble cause."
I thought Cleante was on fire during his conversation with that complete idiot Orgon! Cleante should free think, because it leads to questioning, well..everything! People, THE CHURCH, fear free thinking, it leads to craving more knowledge followed by more questions, its a never ending cycle. How dare anyone question the church, their like practically in contact with GOD and know all his wishes, they know everything...the popes and priests (how? I have no idea, but they do, they do). Its sick that Tartuffe used religion as a tool to trick Orgon (although I thought Orgon should have lost it all, WHAT AN IDIOT!...just to teach em a leason). Its kinda funny, i just started reading "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" and Tartuffe reminds me a tad like McMurphy, in that he takes advantage of fools ("rabbits"),as well as disrespect for people (although i think McMurphy more as a anit-hero...so far only 100 pages in so who knows...)
I could see how the church would want this play banned, it aint now Jesus Christ Super Star!
I definantly agree with what j was saying here, Cleante was questioning the church here with free thinking, but free thinking is the reason we are where we are today. I do however dissagree with the statement 'how dare anyone question the church' being able to question anything and everything is exactly what america is, we can believe anything we like. The way Tartuffe tricked Orgon with religeon as a tool was questionable but also very clever at the time. The church would totally want this play banned, but then again that is why we have seperation of church and state, right?
i agree with both robbybooby and jman here. Free thinking is one of the most important things that we have, it opens doors and asks questions...it helps move human nature forward. Orgon was an idiot for believing tartuffe but at the same time its almost like, who else's word was he suppose to take?..
in this story (and i think we discussed this in paris, it's really the women and servants who hold the power, not the men who actually seem to be messing up left and right and acting like fools, aside from the brother in law really. The women could be described as the almost invisible glue holding the story/family together. Orgon's wife is the one who iniciates the plot to show Orgon finally Tartuffe's true colors and how he's been going behind Orgon's back to steal his wife while lying to Orgon. If it's not for her and the whole scene that follows, the whole tartuffe manipulating him thing could have lasted longer.
Even though i feel at some points tartuffe wields the power, it is only temporary and not long lasting. he gets what he deserves in the end, but only after attempting to ruin the family and take what he wants selfishly. Power is always a struggle and justice in this story at the end seems fair, however yet unexpected (did i hear Moliere was forced to change the ending?) i have a feeling it could have had a different ending, these types of stories dont end well
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