The image and character of Tartuffe in the comedy Tartuffe - artistic analysis. Moliere Jean Baptiste. Abstract: “Tartuffe” by Moliere: issues and images

05.04.2019

Question No. 8. Ideological artistic analysis Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe".

Question No. 7. The work of Moliere.

Moliere comes from a wealthy, educated family. When Moliere was 15 years old. His father insisted that he go to Sarbona. Moliere graduated from the Faculty of Journalism successfully, but when he was 19, a very sharp turn took place in his life; he became “sick” of the theater. A theater from the provinces toured Paris. Moliere left home for 10 years and remained in the provinces. Performances were given either in the threshing floor, or in the knights' hall, or somewhere else. Moliere returned to Paris at the age of 30. Gradually, Moliere began to write plays and comedies, and he himself acted as a comic actor.

One of the earliest comedies was “funny primps” - comedies-lessons, characters for the first years of Moliere’s stay in Paris (a lesson for wives and a lesson for husbands), the comedy “Georges Dandin” was written in the same vein. Its hero, a rich farmer, a relatively young and ambitious man, decided to marry a noblewoman at any cost. And he makes his dream come true. An impoverished noblewoman marries the wealthy Georges. When she gets married, she begins to settle scores with Georges Dandin - for her he is an ignoramus, an ignoramus: she vents her dissatisfaction to her husband and believes that lovers should have compensation for their victims. She cuckolds her husband in any way opportunity. The image of the main character is drawn in a special way. This is a person prone to self-reflection: he first of all blames himself. This makes him simultaneously vulnerable, unhappy and increases the reader's attitude towards the hero. “You wanted this yourself, Georges Dandin.”

“Amphitryon” occupies a special place in Moliere’s work. Husband of Alcmene (mother of Hercules). No one encroaches on her honor and beauty, she was a faithful wife. Zeus falls in love with Alcmene and decides that she should belong to him. Zeus took the form of Amphitryon. The comedy “Amphitryon” was a work of both gallant and ambiguous: it depicted Louis 14 in the image of the resourceful Zeus. The king was flattered by this work, and this comedy went on. In the first years of his stay in Paris, Moliere and his theater enjoyed the sympathy of the king; the king attended performances and especially loved comedy-ballet.

For example, “The Imaginary Sick” - the main character is a man who has only one illness - unthinkable suspiciousness. He dies all day long without harm to his health. Only the maid understands that this is a pretense. She figures out how to cure an imaginary patient in one go: he needs to be initiated into an eastern doctor. At the end of the comedy, a whole group of doctors enters the patient’s room; they are armed with professional weapons - tweezers. All this guard dances and sings, dedicating the patient to the Ta-to-shi clan, that is, to the enlightened doctors. In Macaroni language – French + Latin. These dances were comedy-ballets. The century of Louis 14th was the century of ballets, quite unique. The king, queen, princes, and ambassadors dance in these ballets. The courtiers contemplated.

The king's favor was so great that he was twice godfather Moliere's children, highlighting sumina, but Moliere's children did not survive.

In the 70s. royal reverence came to an end, this is due to the comedy “Tartuffe”. When the first version was released, there was an immediate ban. The comedy was seen as a satire on the authority of the church. The second option also did not pass, followed by a ban. And in order to ensure the economic stability of the troupe, he writes the comedy “Don Juan” in 40 days, then creates the third version of “Tartuffe”.

Moliere died practically on stage: performing as the main character of “The Imaginary Invalid” and finished the play, the pain was genuine, and after that the curtain was closed and he was transferred to his house.

They could not find a single priest for Moliere to confess, but when the priest came, Moliere had already died.
Posted on ref.rf
Based on this, the church refused to bury him in the cemetery; he was buried in the cemetery, but not in sacred ground.

high comedy by Moliere. The play ʼʼTartuffeʼ.

Moliere's next comedies develop in the traditions of “The School for Husbands” and “The School for Wives”. The plot outline is typical: old man finds himself an orphan and tries to raise a wife from her to his liking, but she finds herself a young lover. In such plays a canon is formed high comedy. These are five-act plays in verse, and they portray socially typical characters. Moliere creates examples of high comedy in 1664 - 1670.

The play “Tartuffe” existed in three editions. The first of them was delivered in 1664. on the occasion of the name day of Anne of Austria. In this play, the Queen Mother saw an attack on her “Society of the Holy Sacrament,” which spread ideas of piety, but in fact served as a secret investigation. Moliere began to be persecuted, and he was forced to create a new edition of the comedy, which was published in 1666. Main character from a priest he becomes a nobleman, the most acute moments are softened, three acts are added. The third edition of the play was staged in 1669. The play turned into a kind of debate about Tartuffe and the nature of hypocrisy. As a result, Tartuffe did not appear in the first two acts. Only opinions about him and morals appeared in which Tartuffe could have appeared - blind submission to authority, inability to determine the truth.

Orgon, in his friendship with Tartuffe, looks at the external manifestations of his holiness. The maid Dorina plays an active role in the intrigue. Tartuffe becomes the manager of Orgon's house. Moliere shows doublethink when a person's actions diverge from his true nature. At the root of Tartuffe’s philosophy is undisguised self-interest and the ability to control the destinies of others. The only obstacle for him is publicity. All his actions are motivated by some good intentions. Tartuffe's behavior is that of a kind of provocateur. He causes a certain reaction by his actions, and he can only be caught with the help of human experience. But at the end of the play, Tartuffe turns into a political force. Moliere introduces a happy ending for censorship reasons, but doublethink cannot be eradicated. This was the first attempt at political comedy, which did not take root during the time of Louis XIV.

Question No. 8. Ideological and artistic analysis of Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe". - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Question No. 8. Ideological and artistic analysis of Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe." 2017, 2018.

The characters portrayed in it are remarkable. In the play there are almost no “auxiliary” characters with conventional characteristics. ( This material will help you write correctly on the topic The image and character of Tartuffe in comedy Tartuffe. A summary does not make it possible to understand the full meaning of the work, so this material will be useful for a deep understanding of the work of writers and poets, as well as their novels, stories, short stories, plays, and poems.) Mariana, the daughter of Orgon, and Valer, her lover, turned out to be perhaps the palest. However, this kind of characters were quite familiar to the French comedy of the 17th century, which required an obligatory romantic element. They were a kind of engine for the stereotyped “external” action of the comedy: the fall of obstacles to their marriage was, in essence, a signal for the end of the play. The main interest of the play often moved away from the love affair. This is what happened in Tartuffe.

Among the conventionally outlined characters is the reasoner Cleanthes, Orgon’s brother-in-law, introduced as a preacher of the principle of common sense. He is charged with proving the difference between false and true piety. According to Moliere's plan, he was supposed to set off Tartuffe's trickery. Without Cleanthe's maxims, the comedy would hardly have been allowed to be presented.

With the exception of the named persons, the rest of the characters have bright personalities, which are extremely suitable for stage embodiment.

The main character, the hero of the comedy, is Tartuffe. It is in him that the figure of the bigot hated by Moliere is embodied. Tartuffe is depicted as a complete swindler, cleverly using the naive gullibility of people, their belief that the highest virtue is always hidden behind external holiness. From the denouement of the comedy we learn that Tartuffe is essentially not even a prude, but a rogue with a criminal past. He puts on the mask of a prude to commit another trick, the victim of which is Orgon. exposes hypocrisy itself, showing that it is an instrument of crime against which naive saints are defenseless. To make the satire bright, hitting the target, accessible, and not requiring a solution, Moliere spared no colors in depicting Tartuffe’s true physiognomy.

The famous French moralist writer La Bruyère, in his “Characters” (1688), reproached Moliere for the fact that his Tartuffe was too straightforward, too careless, too revealing of himself. But Moliere sought precisely to thicken the colors, strive to free the viewer from all illusions, and ensure that from the first steps of the hero the viewer knew who he was dealing with. Tartuffe is a greedy, rude and predatory rogue. He put on a mask primarily because this mask blinds simpletons and prevents them from noticing even the most obvious trickery. Tartuffe is too confident in the blindness of the well-meaning saints he has fooled. Yes, he is impudent and careless. But this is because he, in essence, is not afraid of exposure. Having received a deed of gift from Orgon for the property and having taken possession of documents that denigrate Orgon politically, Tartuffe throws off his mask and hurries to take advantage of the trump cards he has received and destroy the now-sighted Orgon. However, when he is finally exposed, he instantly fades away. His insignificance - despite his rudeness and rapacity - is clearly revealed. Only the mask of imaginary holiness gave him the appearance of significance. Tartuffe was created by the gullibility of Orgon and others like him.

Throughout the entire comedy there are, as it were, two Tartuffes. One is a greedy, selfish, voluptuous, unscrupulous swindler who cannot restrain himself in his base aspirations. The other is his mask: a hypocrite who has mastered all the manners, all the jargon of the churchmen who fooled the simpletons. And Molière’s satire is directed not so much against the outright tricks of Tartuffe the fraudster, but rather against the hypocrisy he has internalized. Moliere shows what the mask of piety is for, how conveniently and simply the formulas of Jesuit morality cover up and justify egoism, self-interest, and crimes. and hypocrisy are incompatible things. Hypocrisy justifies everything with clever sophisms. However, these sophisms are quite primitive. Tartuffe mastered them without difficulty.

Moliere's comedy exposed the emptiness of church morality. Supporters of banning the play justified their demand by saying that abuse of piety is the jurisdiction of only the church. It is clear that this was just an excuse, and if there had been an exact line between true piety and abuse, then perhaps there would not have been such a fuss about the production. But Moliere proves that the bigot uses the formulas of the so-called “true piety” preached by official Catholicism. Tartuffe justifies his red tape with holy arguments; Orgon is disarmed with holy humility when Damis exposes Tartuffe’s dirty deeds. Orgon himself is poisoned by holy sophistry. For example, he only gives Tartuffe a box with dangerous documents in order to get a loophole for his conscience and boldly deny involvement in the storage of this box if necessary. Moliere shows that holiness opens up so many ways for transactions with conscience that it drowns out a person’s natural morality. This is the main accusatory power of comedy and the reason for hatred towards it.

Moliere developed the character of Tartuffe in a new, bold way, proving the originality of his comic talent. He brings the hero onto the stage only in the second scene of the third act. Tartuffe does not appear during the first two acts. However, his characterization is fully given in the speeches of the characters. Tartuffe, in fact, was exposed before he entered the stage. The viewer is easily convinced who in the comedy is the bearer of prudence and who is the blinded victim. From the speeches of Dorina and others, we learn the whole story of Tartuffe, an arrogant, homeless stranger who infiltrated someone else's house and became its absolute despotic master. This despotism blinds Orgon and his mother. They take Tartuffe's despotism for “holy” intolerance. And this intolerance becomes disgusting to the viewer, regardless of whether it is feigned or not. Here the understanding of human morality preached by Moliere is revealed: tolerance for the natural passions of man, humanity in broad meaning words.

Sources:

Annotation: Two plays by the great French comedian of the 17th century. In terms of the sharpness of social satire and artistic perfection, these comedies. belong to the best works world drama.

If homework on the topic: » The image and character of Tartuffe in the comedy Tartuffe - artistic analysis. Moliere Jean Baptiste If you find it useful, we will be grateful if you post a link to this message on your page on your social network.

Latest news

Categories

News

Essays on the topic
- Unified State Exam test in chemistry Reversible and irreversible chemical reactions Chemical equilibrium Answers

Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe" is the most popular play among the works he wrote. It is still in demand in all theaters of the world and represents greatest example a theatrical production performed with equal amounts of comedy and seriousness.

Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Moliere - greatest playwright era of neoclassicism. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the progenitor of modern comedy in the form in which it is familiar to most viewers and readers.

In addition to the gift of writing, Jean-Baptiste Moliere had outstanding acting talent and often played the main roles in his comedies. As the manager of his own, very popular theater, J.B. Moliere wrote and staged comedies commissioned by Louis XIV, the Sun King.

Despite the constant stream of criticism, theatrical performances Moliere and his literary heroes were popular among all segments of the population and not only in France. During the writer's lifetime, Moliere's work enjoyed special love from the public and remains relevant to this day.

Comedies of Molière

In his works, Moliere combined classical literature with realism and actually gave rise to neoclassicism. His plays have nothing in common with Shakespeare's romantic comedies and represent a completely new genre for its time. His everyday sketches and literary heroes are real and are part of life familiar to the author and viewer.

Moliere experimented with the form, structure and staging of his comedies. For example, “A Tradesman in the Nobility” is written in prose, has a clear structure and some features of the original production, being a comedy-ballet. The comedy “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is written in a poetic form, similar to a song. The play is divided into couplets written in a twelve-syllable meter called Alexandrine verse.

Plot of the play

A guest appears in the happy family of the Parisian aristocrat Orgon - a certain Tartuffe. He has gained the trust of the owner of the house so much that the previously intelligent and insightful Orgon refuses to see in his guest anything other than holiness, piety, modesty and selflessness. Attempts by the household to open Orgon’s eyes to Tartuffe’s true essence are met with a stubborn reluctance to believe anyone other than the “righteous man.”

The deceitful saint causes a break in relations with the friends of the owner of the house, a quarrel between Orgon and his son, and the separation of his daughter from her lover. Tartuffe's true face and vile character are revealed only after the blinded Orgon transfers his entire fortune to the guest. Orgon witnesses the seduction of his own wife by the “pious” Tartuffe. Realizing the depth of his stupidity, Orgon kicks out the liar, in response to which he receives an eviction order from his own house, because according to the documents he is no longer the owner.

The intervention of the wise and fair king a few minutes before the end of the play puts everything in its place: the swindler is arrested, Orgon is restored to ownership of his own property, and Orgon’s daughter Mariana marries her lover Valera.

Criticism of the play

Immediately after the first performance, Moliere was hit with a barrage of criticism from the French Catholic Church. The author was accused of mocking religion and believers. Moralists and church ministers unanimously insisted that satire and ridicule of piety in comedy contribute to the decay of public morality.

The Church, famous for its strict censorship of everything that even indirectly concerns religion, received the comedy “Tartuffe” with hostility. The king's comments, no matter how positive they were, could not influence the reaction of the Archbishop of Paris. The rejection of the play was so strong that, under the influence of the bishop, the king was forced to ban the public showing of performances of the comedy. In a letter, Louis XIV made it clear that he personally liked the play, which is why private performances were allowed.

However, Moliere's goal was not to ridicule religion and piety, but rather the duplicity and stupidity described in the comedy Tartuffe. The author personally assured that the play was written to show the public the importance of moderation and the ability to look rationally at absolutely all aspects of life. Even piety and selflessness should not be accepted blindly.

Structure of the play and the original performance

The comedy “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” reached the modern public only in the third edition, published five years after the first production. The original play consisted of three acts, while the modern version of the comedy has five acts with a varying number of scenes.

The comedy was first staged in 1664 at the Palace of Versailles and immediately after that it was banned from showing. In 1667, Moliere rewrote the play Tartuffe; The play was staged at the Palais Royal, but despite the revised scenes, the production was again banned. After the loss of influence of the Archbishop of Paris, the play began to be staged regularly in French theaters.

The latest edition has undergone major changes; many critics believe that Moliere added some scenes, including the miraculous intervention of the just king. It is believed that this scene was written in gratitude to Louis XIV for the constant support provided to Moliere during the attacks on the comedy Tartuffe. The play has been extremely popular since mid-17th century centuries to this day.

Summary: “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” according to the acts

Below is the plot of each of the five acts of the play and their summary. “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is a comedy, but all its comedy lies in the small details and dialogues between the characters.

The humor and satire that distinguish Moliere's farces can be traced in the plot and structure of the works. It is not surprising that the comedy of such a farce easily transfers into the summary; “Tartuffe” is a more serious work; the retelling of its plot is more reminiscent of a drama than a comedy.

Act one

A certain Tartuffe settled in the house of the noble Mr. Orgon - a man whose speeches are unusually religious and filled with such righteousness that Orgon and his mother are sure: Tartuffe is the most worthy of people, and they have the honor of receiving him in their home.

The righteous man himself, comfortably settled under a warm roof, with a decent salary, thinks not so much about the will of heaven, but about dinner and the beautiful Elmira, Orgon’s wife.

The rest of the household, including Elmira herself, her brother Cleanthes and Orgon's children Mariana and Damis, see right through the liar and try to show Orgon how blindly and groundlessly he believes in a complete stranger.

Damis asks Cleanthe to find out from his father his plans for the marriage of Mariana and Valera, because if Orgon takes away this blessing, then Damis will not be able to become the groom of Valera’s sister. Cleanthes directly asks the owner of the house what he intends to do with his daughter’s hand, to which Orgon gives only evasive answers. Cleant suspects something is wrong.

Act Two: Forced Engagement

Orgon informs Mariana of his desire to become related to Tartuffe, for which he wants to give the guest her hand. Mariana is discouraged, but her daughter's duty does not allow her to directly refuse her father. The maid Dorina comes to the girl’s aid and describes to Orgon the absurdity of the decision, but the stubborn man does not want to hear anything and insists on getting married soon.

Dorina persuades Mariana to firmly insist on her reluctance to marry Tartuffe, but the girl cannot imagine how she can disobey her father. The girl’s indecisiveness causes a quarrel with her lover, but Dorina stops the angry Valera in time. She suggests that young people postpone their engagement to Tartuffe for the time being.

Act Three: The Influence of Tartuffe

Damis learns about his father's decision and intends to force Tartuffe to clean water. None of Dorina’s arguments cool the ardor of the angry young man. Dorina reveals to Damis her plan to expose the deceiver: the astute maid had long suspected that Tartuffe was eyeing Elmira, and arranged for them to have a private conversation in the hope of exposing the saint. Damis hides in the closet, wanting to witness the conversation.

Left alone with Elmira, Tartuffe immediately confesses his fiery passion to her and offers to share her bed with him. Elmira reminds him of the sinfulness of such thoughts and, even more so, actions. Tartuffe is not embarrassed by such wickedness. Elmira threatens to tell everything to Orgon if Tartuffe does not give up marrying Mariana. At this time, an indignant Damis jumps out of hiding and threatens to tell his father about everything.

Orgon, having learned about what happened, takes Tartuffe’s side, kicks his son out of the house and, in order to teach his household a lesson, makes Tartuffe his heir. The owner of the house and the guest leave to draw up the necessary deeds of gift and agree on the imminent wedding of Mariana and Tartuffe.

Act Four: Exposing the Liar

Orgone returns with marriage contract for my daughter. Mariana begs her father not to force her to sign her own verdict, because she does not have tender feelings for Tartuffe, on the contrary, she considers him disgusting. Orgon claims that marriage to an unpleasant person is noble deed, since disgust mortifies the flesh. Elmira is amazed by her husband's uncompromising blindness and wonders: will Orgon believe in Tartuffe's wickedness if he sees the proof with his own eyes? Orgon is so confident in the righteousness of the guest that he is ready to witness the conversation between Elmira and Tartuffe.

Elmira asks her husband to hide under the table and calls Tartuffe. At first, the guest is wary of the hostess’s sudden change in mood, but Elmira convinces him that women are characterized by indecisiveness in matters of the heart. Tartuffe demands a “tangible pledge” of feelings and convinces Elmira that a secret relationship is not a sin and Orgon is so stupid that he will not believe in Tartuffe’s betrayal, even if he sees the betrayal with his own eyes.

The indignant Orgon demands that Tartuffe immediately get out of his house, to which the scoundrel replies: the house now belongs to him, and Orgon must get out. In addition, the safe with secret papers, which Orgon kept at the request of a friend, is in the hands of Tartuffe, now not only Orgon’s fortune, but also his life is in his hands.

Act Five: Justice Triumphed

The whole family is greatly saddened by this turn of events and everyone is thinking about a plan of action when a notary enters the house demanding that the house be vacated by morning. Damis, who has returned, threatens to kill the scoundrel, but Cleont convinces the young man that violence cannot solve the problem.

Valère enters the house with terrible news: Tartuffe took the documents to the king, accusing Orgon, the king’s faithful servant, of treason. Valere offers to take the whole family away and help them hide from the king's wrath. At this very moment, Tartuffe returns, accompanied by the bailiffs, and reports that Orgon’s path from now on leads only to prison, because he came to arrest the traitor in the name of the king, whom he is obliged to serve faithfully.

Orgon and his household are discouraged further turn events: the bailiffs take Tartuffe himself under arrest. The officers explain to the surprised family that the smart and insightful king had long heard about the harmful influence of Tartuffe on his faithful servant and ordered an investigation, which showed that the swindler had been deceiving for a long time and his name was not Tartuffe at all. The king, by his will, annulled the deeds of gift and forgave Orgon for hiding the documents in memory of his faithful service.

"Tartuffe": analysis of the play

This work is one of the author’s “adult” creations. Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe" is shining example a gradual departure from the form of French farce in which he had previously written. The play touches on themes of confrontation between truth and lies. The author shows how harmful the influence of people for whom deception is a profession can be.

As the summary suggested above proves, Tartuffe is a deceiver, and not the best one. No matter how much a swindler pretends, his true face will sooner or later be revealed. Anger, envy and the desire to get rich control Tartuffe, and he is ready to deprive his former benefactor not only of wealth, but also of freedom, and perhaps even life.

Social criticism and satire in this comedy have a more individual focus, because Tartuffe is not a representative of a certain class and his influence is limited only by individual abilities to manipulate. This is why this type of people like Tartuffe is terrible: they are capable of perverting even such sublime feelings like piety and faith.

“Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is a comedy play by Moliere, 1664. In it, Moliere mercilessly criticized the most disgusting human vices: hypocrisy, thirst for profit, meanness, stupidity, voluptuousness, selfishness, timidity.

Plot

The action takes place in Paris, in Orgon's house. A young man named Tartuffe gains the trust of the owner of the house. Mister Orgon looks at the guest as a miracle: young, learned, modest, noble, pious, selfless. Orgon considers the household members who are trying to prove to him that Tartuffe is not at all as holy as he tries to show himself to be ungrateful people mired in sins. The true essence of Tartuffe is revealed only when Orgon imprudently entrusts him with the safekeeping of the rebel treasury and transfers the house and his capital to him. Only the miraculous intervention of the king, who brings justice five minutes before the end (Tartuffe is punished, Orgon is forgiven, his house and property are returned to his family), allows the play to remain a comedy.

Main characters

Madame Pernelle - Orgon's mother
Orgon - Elmira's husband
Elmira - Orgon's wife
Damis - son of Orgon
Mariana - daughter of Orgon, in love with Valera
Valer - a young man in love with Mariana
Cleont - Elmira's brother, Orgon's brother-in-law
Tartuffe is a saint
Dorina - Mariana's maid
Flipota - Madame Pernelle's maid
Mr. Loyal - bailiff (fr. loyal, legal). Moliere deliberately gives this name to a man bribed by Tartuffe.
Officer

Each of the comedy heroes is the bearer of one dominant character trait. In this division of characters into positive and negative, the main features of classicism reveal themselves - a literary movement that does not imply the psychological development of characters. The central character - Tartuffe - appears before the reader as a creature devoid of any human dignity. The imaginary saint is the repository of a whole host of vices: he burns with passion for the wife of his benefactor, he does not hesitate to rob the one who gave him table and shelter, and finally, he is not afraid of either earthly power or heavenly court, sinning both before people and before God . Tartuffe’s life motto: “Sin quietly, and you’ll get away with everything!” The vile deceiver in the comedy is contrasted with Mariana's maid, Dorina, a smart girl with a quick tongue. She alone, throughout all five acts, manages to at least verbally resist Tartuffe. The rest of the characters cannot cope with him as a whole family: the head of the noble family, Orgon, is too gullible and stupid to discern the meanness of others; his son Damis is excessively impetuous and hot-tempered; his daughter Mariana, on the contrary, is timid and bashful; his wife Elmira prefers to occupy a distant position life position and not worry about such trifles as someone else's love and meanness. Elmira's brother, Cleant, like most nobles, is honest and smart, but lacks the inner gift of persuasion. Mariana's fiancé Valer, as a noble man, does not even think about bringing Tartuffe to light, because he will thereby interfere in the affairs of someone else's family. Each of the heroes of the comedy behaves to the very end as if he does not dare to believe in the incredible hypocrisy of the imaginary saint and the impenetrable stupidity of his patron Orgon. When in the finale the family finds itself on the verge of ruin and arrest, only the king’s intervention cuts through Tartuffe’s network of malicious intrigues. In this denouement, Moliere reveals himself as a true classicist: he endows the monarch with a number of virtues - love of truth, insight, heightened senses justice, love of goodness. In a sense, the king becomes God in Molière’s comedy, whose name Tartuffe covers himself with in order to achieve the desired wealth and woman.

The comedy genre does not prevent “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” from organically entering the classicist system of works. On the contrary, turning to the “low” layers of literary creativity allowed Moliere to present to the viewer an example social comedy, in which both the internal failure of the upper social class and the inexhaustible thirst for life of the lower class (in the person of Dorina and the ruined Tartuffe) are equally well shown. The heroes of Tartuffe are not sublime heroes of high classic genres, they are the most ordinary people, living their own small, private life, but this does not make them any less interesting.

Among the classicistic features in Tartuffe is the principle of three unities - time, place and action. Artistic time comedy does not exceed a day. Art space limited to Orgon's house, where, if necessary, all the other characters come - Madame Pernel, Valere, the bailiff - Mr. Loyal, an officer sent by the king. The plot of “Tartuffe” develops in a “single breath”: events replace each other as naturally as possible. At the same time, the composition of the work is particularly original: in the first act, the viewer gets acquainted with the problem called “Tartuffe” from the words of Orgon’s family, in the second he witnesses how detrimental the influence of the imaginary saint is on the life of a noble family, in the third – finally, Tartuffe himself discovers his true essence before Damis, in the fourth - Orgon is convinced of Tartuffe’s meanness, in the fifth the long-awaited denouement begins, starting with tragedy and ending with a finale standard for classicism - the triumph of good over evil.

Actually, “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” is a comedy in the first four acts. The fifth act is more like a tragedy. There is nothing funny in it, and even Dorina’s constantly sounding, mocking voice is not heard so clearly in the fifth act. Mariana's maid is a real mouthpiece of reason in the comedy, not afraid to speak the truth to the face of everyone who needs it. Most of the comedic situations in Tartuffe are associated with artistically Dorina and her caustic comments, revealing the true essence of what is happening.

Anti-clerical ideas occupy a special place in Tartuffe. Under the guise of the main villain of the comedy hides the image of a cunning and greedy monk who only hides behind faith to commit his villainies, well known to many (both Moliere’s contemporaries and people of the 21st century). Initially, Tartuffe was a priest, but under the influence of dissatisfied religious people, Moliere changed his image to a secular one, making the hero simply a “pious man.” As Dorina aptly notes, Tartuffe is not the only such deceitful public character: an acquaintance of Madame Pernelle, a certain old woman Oranta, does not sin simply because she is already past the age when she could do it. Orgon's brother-in-law, Cleanthe, behaves in the comedy like a true believer: he periodically tries to operate with basic Christian principles, allowing him to expose the hypocrisy of Tartuffe and the stupidity of Orgon. But the latter is too blinded by the imaginary holiness of his idol, and the former is too cunning to fall for the bait of an honest man.

Composition

TARTuffe (French Tartuffe) - the hero of Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe, or the Deceiver" (first ed. under the title "Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite" - 1664, second ed. under the title "The Deceiver" - 1667, third ed. under the present title . - 1669). The image goes back to the folklore and mythological type of trickster. The connection between the figure of T. and the farcical masks of hypocritical saints, with the corresponding characters in the works of Boccaccio, Aretino, Flaminio Scala, as well as Sorel and Scarron, is also obvious. Contemporaries found in T. a “portrait” resemblance to persons well-known at court. T. - without exaggeration the most famous creature Moliere. It was thanks to this image that the comedian gained fame as a great creator of literary types, the features of which are presented at the highest stage of their development, in the utmost expression, outlining at the same time the highest point and boundaries of the human phenomenon. Unlike Don Juan and the Misanthrope (Alceste), as if dissolved in the form of images of numerous rebels-seducers and reasoners-accusers, the image of T. is something indecomposable, integrity, testifying to aphoristic “deformation” artistic type. It is noteworthy that, having quickly turned into a transcultural image, T. lost almost nothing in its content, as happened with the majority literary images: with Don Quixote, Hamlet, Carmen, Lolita, etc. However, Moliere’s bigot did not find prospects for further movement in literature. The hero of F. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants,” Foma Fomich Opiski,” traditionally revered as the “Russian Tartuffe,” rather belongs to the same type of trickster as the French saint, rather than being a local transformation of Moliere’s image. This indicates a unique density artistic structure a character who resists dismemberment and partial exploitation in culture: T. can be “quoted” in its entirety, but cannot be “continued”, like Don Juan, for example, or “developed”, like Carmen. The name T. entered European languages as a synonym for hypocrisy and hypocrisy. However, Western literature knew the florid saints long before Moliere. All kinds of “fra” and “padre” amazed readers and spectators with their shamelessness, greed, and sometimes charming mischief. At the same time, many heroes in cassocks and rosaries, in tonsures and hoods looked extremely expressive on the pages (on stages) and could also give rise to the consolidation of their images as iconic in the culture. The phenomenon of T.’s figure consists, apparently, not only in its aphoristic emblematicity. In the image of his bigoted “empty saint,” Moliere managed to formulate a problem that was significant both for his era (which emerged with particular clarity precisely in his time) and for other (earlier and later) eras, marked by the metamorphoses of Christian religiosity. T. appears for the first time in the second scene of the third act. Until this time, the household of Orgon, who has sheltered a beggar saint, is aloud amazed at the blindness of the owner and the aggressive acting of the guest, who has become the “all-powerful tyrant” of the entire family. In Orgon’s enthusiastic monologue, a portrait of a righteous man “beloved forever” appears, whose prayers in church were filled with such fervor that “he attracted everyone’s attention.” The image of the praying T., who so enchanted his future victim, is worthy of separate consideration, for it serves not only to characterize the hero’s hypocrisy. Raising hands to heaven, ecstatic prostration, tears and “kissing the ashes” in front of shrines are completely accepted forms of Baroque religious behavior. The “Great Century” is unusually partial to representation, not only in the sphere of art or everyday life. The Church also shows a penchant for ostentation (exhibition); even the institution of preaching turns out to be infected with the desire for active visualization of the spiritual impulse and, consequently, for the accentuation of the physical, which already seems to be a sufficient expression of the spiritual. T. appears for the first time with a whip and hair shirt in his hands, demonstrating these attributes of mortification to the maid mockingly watching him. And then the flesh, the visible material shell of “immortal beauty”, “given by heaven,” remains the theme of T. The voluptuous false righteous is attracted by both the earthly charm of Orgon’s wife Elmira and the maid’s radiant health body. He is not averse to eating deliciously and receiving “as a gift” all the property of the owner conquered by his sermons. However, the motive of “flesh” in comedy serves not only to expose the liar. In the thematic system of the work, this motif is associated with the theme of guise, appearance, illusoryness - that is, with one of the most popular themes of Baroque culture. But the image of fat flesh, dressed in spirit - the image of T. - also has a religious and philosophical background. The “programmatic” characterization of T. becomes the scene of Elvira’s seduction, where the inflamed saint explains his feelings in the style of mystical eroticism, not new to Christian religiosity, but especially popular in the era of Moliere. T.’s vocabulary, the tone of his monologue, the sensual enthusiasm with which he glorifies the “creator of all living things” and his “incarnate likeness” - beautiful woman , serve not to expose the hypocrite who “made bigotry a source of profit,” but to reveal an extremely important aspect of Roman Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation era. T., perhaps, is not being too disingenuous, dressing up his passion in mystical clothes, he simply “quotes” one of the traditions of mystical theology, which describes spiritual delights in terms of earthly love, only “quotes” in reverse. In this scene, T’s demonism comes out unusually clearly. It is not a petty swindler, not a calculating criminal who emerges before the readers: the vain and very “materially” oriented family of Orgon was visited by the devil himself. I visited, as usual, wearing a mask. However, T.’s satanic mockery of Christian shrines is carried out by him in forms that are very reminiscent of the forms of confession of religion accepted by the Catholicism of the author’s time. The liturgical practice of the Counter-Reformation, reclaiming the space lost during the Reformation, makes abundant use of all forms of art. The sensual splendor of Baroque churches, the aggressive imagery of their decoration, even more theatrical worship, and finally, the “fashion” for spectacular, exalted religious behavior - that is, a noticeable increase in the visualized, “physically”, materially designed - characterize the new situation in religion. Self-sufficient aestheticism, “playing at the altar,” serves the predominance of the expressed over the expressed, the signifier over the signified. Thus, serving God suddenly falls under the power of an ambiguous, ghostly masquerade principle, inseparable from the spirit of the game, which so frightened medieval theologians. T. is the devil, who moved into the empty shell of faith, filling with himself the form in which God was supposed to reside. He is the same demon who embeds himself in something that is not alive, but pretends to be so: in godless temples, in unspiritualized prayer, in a performing priest. The image of T., precisely an empty saint (as defined by the sober servant Dorina), is the most expressive manifestation of the most significant problem of the era, relevant for both society and religion. The great comedian’s sensitivity to the nuances of the situation in the confession of the cult, apparently, forced the court clerics to seek the banning of Tartuffe, and forced a certain Sorbonne professor to come out with a brochure where Moliere is called “a demon in a corporeal shell and in human form.” The theme of a mask triumphant over the face, a seductively decorated deceptive mask that has replaced the face, turned out to be dramatically connected in the work of the moral philosopher with the theme of deep spiritual crisis, which swept society and did not escape the church. In a more general sense, Tartuffe is a play about the difficult relationship between human society and religion and about eternal problem the non-identity of faith and its confession, as well as the price that people pay for their inability to distinguish the real from the imaginary. The third, final version of the comedy was performed at the Palais Royal theater in Paris on February 5, 1669. The role of T. was played by Du Croixy. Among the famous Tartuffes XIX century- both Coquelins, senior and junior; XX century - Louis Jouvet. In Russia, the image of T. in different times created by: V.A. Karatygin ( Alexandria Theater, 1841), M.N. Kedrov (Moscow Art Theater, 1941).

Lit.: S.Rossa-Mignot Introduction // Moliere. La Tartuffe. Paris, 1959; J. Guichamaud. Moliere. Une aventure thdatrale Tartuffe. Dom Juan. Le Misanthrope. Paris, 1963; see also lit. to the article "Skalen".