In Molière's comedy Tartuffe, we see
women who challenge or support the traditional roles of women in terms of the power
structures of Molière's time.
After Orgon introduces
Tartuffe—the scam artist who presents himself as a pious and holy man—into the
household, other members of the "family unit" are critical and
suspicious.
Madame Pernelle, Orgon's mother, refuses to
continue to live under the roof where the family refuses to heed the religious messages
of Tartuffe. Madame Pernelle would represent the devout followers of the religious
community who believed without opening their eyes, following the rhetoric when it was no
longer guided by faith, but by men (i.e.,
Tartuffe).
Orgon's wife Elmire, and his daughter Mariane
are presented as subservient women who will follow the dictates of the head of household
dutifully, even if it means their feelings—or even religious and social dictates—are
ignored. In terms of the power structure, these women have no free will, and would be
expected to conform without question. It is not until the end that Elmire devises a way
to show her husband what Tartuffe is really like—because even after all he has heard
from others, he will not believe what his wife says but must see (or hear it) for
himself.
The one female character who opposes the power
structures in the play is Dorine. Dorine (Mariane's maid) tries repeatedly to explain to
Orgon why Mariane's marriage to Tartuffe would be a mistake. It is she who tells Mariane
that she must refuse her father's wishes for the marriage (but Mariane is too obedient
to consider opposing her father). It is also Dorine who says she will come up with a
plan to make certain that Mariane and Valère do marry, while taking steps to guarantee
that the couple does not lose sight of their love for each
other.
Molière portrays three very different kinds of
women, within the society presented in his play.
No comments:
Post a Comment