Although they differ in their social classes, there is an interesting connection that can be made between Dorine, Orgon, and Tartuffe. Each has a role within the story that does not reflect what was commonly seen for people in their position of the time. Moliere’s original audience would have seen these misalignments of character with their position as comical. It wouldn’t have fit their everyday life to see a maid showing more sense than a wealthy, upper class man. They wouldn’t expect to see a holy man, showing the same kind of selfishness that could be described of a common thief. These three characters do not follow the set mold for their social status and this unorthodoxy can create amusing situations.
Dorine as a 17th century French…show more content… Orgon after meeting Tartuffe, is fooled by his shows of religious zeal and begins to trust him greatly. Dorine mentions how taken in Orgon is of Tartuffe. She says in response to how highly Madame Pernelle thinks of Tartuffe, "Her son is worse deceived; / His folly must be seen to be believed." Orgon starts to trust him completely and he first starts with giving him a place to stay in his house and continuing with giving his daughter’s hand-in-marriage to him. At the beginning of the play the idea of Marianne marrying Valere is introduced to the audience. Not too long later, Orgon changes his mind and wants Marienne to marry Tartuffe. He says. “Say to him, then, / That he’s the very worthiest of men, / And that you’re fond of him, and would rejoice / In being his wife”. His decision in having Marianne marry Tartuffe is based heavily on his religious beliefs. He allows his views of how noble a man Tartuffe is take control of his judgement. He can’t see Tartuffe and his deceit. His trust continues progressively to him giving him the house and everything else. He says, “This very day, I’ll give to you alone / Clear deed and title to everything I own”. In his foolishness he believes that by giving him everything he owns he is following the will of heaven. Avoiding the whole topic of religion, this still shows how trusting and gullible Orgon…show more content… He pretends to be really religious and trustworthy as a way to trick Orgon and others into trusting him and promoting his position. By portraying such a religious man at a time when religion had so much influence, the audience could see how different Tartuffe was from how they would see people with his role.Orgon states how he first saw Tartuffe saying, “I gave him gifts, but in his humbleness / He’d beg me every time to give him less”. This is exactly what the audience would expect of someone as holy as Tartuffe. Eventually however it is shown that his is not this selfless. When Orgon offers him all of his possessions, Tartuffe reasons his acceptance to Cleante saying, “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”. His acceptance he tries to explain, is based only on an honorable idea. He says that if he wouldn’t accept the money would go to evil purposes. Cleante breaks his argument saying that, “Does heaven need our help to enforce its laws”. We can see that Tartuffe isn’t really basing his acceptance of the gifts on holy reasons, but on selfish self interest. His lies about his self interest and his differences from what the audience expects in a religious zealot, create comedic
