Comedy plays an important role in the majority of Molière’s writing. It sets the tone for the play, entertains the audience and most importantly helps the playwright to achieve their theatrical objectives. In Le Tartuffe the nature of the comedy used is satirical. This essay will examine why Molière was inclined to use this style of comedy and how the comedic techniques accentuate the main theme of the play. Molière was one of France’s most successful playwrights of the 17th Century. Due to this fact, the nature of Molière’s comedy is a product of his time. During this period, theatre audiences were vastly different to spectators of today’s time, as they were often unruly and impatient. Theatre had to immediately capture the audience’s attention …show more content…
One of Molière’s main objectives as playwright was to analyse and often criticise the society in which he lived in. Theatre, for Molière, was a vehicle which allowed him to provide a social commentary on issues of the time and to highlight the faults of society. For this reason, Molière’s use of comedy was highly satirical. The combination of dramatic and satirical comedy, not only emphasises the flaws of the world at the time, but also accentuates the shortcomings of human nature. In Molière’s case, comedy was not a mere device used for the entertainment of the audience, as it played an integral role in delivering the message that he wanted to convey in his plays. According to Moore, comedy for Molière ‘was not a veneer nor a quick look taken at something, which if fully displayed, would prove disagreeable and unesthetic, it was a fundamental human category, the exploration of which would lead to the roots of the human condition’ (Moore, 1948, 47) . Comedy acted as a device for Molière to explore serious themes relating to society and human behaviour, which may often be too delicate or controversial to discuss in a different context. The function of comedy in Molières work is particularly evident in L’impromptu de Versailles when Brécourt states that ‘l’affaire de la comédie est de représenter en général tous les défauts des hommes, et principalement des hommes de notre siècle’ (Molière, 1890, 29) . The dramatic and satirical style of comedy used, creates extreme situations so that the faults of society are remarkably
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Show MoreWhile unique characters are very valuable in various forms of literature, authors can successfully utilize stereotyped characters to achieve author’s purpose. The character of Mariane in Tartuffe by Molière is a stereotypical “damsel in distress”, as the other characters must help her while they combat the hypocrisy of Tartuffe. When Orgon, blinded by his reverence for Tartuffe, announces that Mariane is to marry Tartuffe, it causes conflict between characters. Mariane has to express her opinion and defy her father, so that she will not marry a hypocrite and liar, despite being a generally submissive person. In Molière’s Tartuffe, the author successfully employs a conventional character through Mariane, to demonstrate the strife that fanaticism and
Throughout Molière’s ‘Tartuffe” the true intentions of multiple characters are consistently questioned. Different characters involve themselves in self-made delusions for specific reasons, causing the label of ‘hypocrite’ to become a significantly used word. This use of the word ‘hypocrite’ throws everything off balance, forcing the audience to question every statement/event deciding whether or not they are truly sincere. Moliere’s use of hypocrisy when describing Tartuffe brings immediate awareness to the text involving central theme of reason verses emotion, deciding whether or not a characters actions were based on their pure heart or their greed.
Jean- Baptiste Molière’s play “Tartuffe” is an unquestionably humorous comedy. The play defines the hypocritical acclaimed “Christians” we have in society. Daily, many people are blinded by admiration of religious figures who they believe are Gods disciples and can lead them to the gates of heaven. In “Tartuffe”, the author uses irony, satire, and tone to uncover a man follies of unreligious faith, the lust of women, money, and power.
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare entertains the audience through use of character, language and drama. The plot focuses on the theme of conflict and consequences, using deep characterisation, descriptive language and high drama to entertain. Act 3 Scene 1 focuses on a brutal feud between two enemies and Act 3 Scene 5 follows the patriarchal society’s approach to women marriage and societal expectations. Shakespeare forces the audience to engage with the idea of conflict and what it must have been like to live through this time. Shakespeare cleverly utilises a changing atmosphere in Act 3 Scene 1 to expertly entertain his audience.
Tartuffe is a play written by Moliere. When it was first written, it elicit a huge scandal leading to it being banned. It incorporate several themes in a short, comedic play that unmask religious pretense and absurdity. It is one of the greatest play that exposes society problem during that period.
The Feud in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet The aim of this essay is to define the nature of the feud in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and to discuss its function in the dramatic development of the play. The conflict between the families of Montagues and Capuletes is presented as the outcome of an ultimate expression of patriarchal society in Verona which promotes virility at any cost and obscene sexual innuendo targeting women. However, the love of Romeo and Juliet comes to prove the young people’s indifference towards the feud but at the same time the patriarchy’s tremendous power over them. Finally, the family’s feud combined with the contribution of fate makes the timing of events such, that a tragic resolution cannot be prevented.
The conventions of tragedy and comedy, such as the tragedy in Oedipus Rex and the comedy in The Taming of the Shrew, can shape the way the play is developed. Thorough analysis can reveal these dramas to be discussions of human experience. As Laurence Olivier once said: “The office of drama is to exercise, possibly exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass.”
In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the use of multiple literary devices makes the play interesting. Dramatic irony, which is when the audience knows more than the characters, occurs numerous times throughout the play and grabs the attention of the audience. Soliloquies, which are lengthy speeches by a character to project their thoughts and emotions to the audience, this allows the audience to be more attentive. Allusions are references by characters to well-known places, events from myths or other literature that cause the audience to be absorbed into the play. After reading this marvelous play, it is obvious that Shakespeare uses dramatic irony, allusions, and soliloquies all written in blank verse to grasp the undivided attention of the audience.
Moliere states to the King: “ it is a piece of great temerity on my part to come and importune a great monarch in the midst of his glorious conquest” (Moliere, Second Petition). Moliere is captivated by the King and believes that he is not worthy of his time, but seeks assistance regardless. Orgon, in contrast, believes that
Maupassant’s creation of the interesting character Boule de Suif and her relationships with the other characters is done through his use of effective techniques such as imagery, symbolism and tone. These techniques support the key themes of equality, fraternity and betrayal which are present in the short story. Throughout the short story but specifically during this extract, Boule de Suif is described as a very desirable person. Maupassant’s
One of the most significant individuals that Louis invited to court was Molière, a French actor and playwright. Molière provided entertainments for the court, and offered great works such as Le Tartuffe, le Misanthrope, and L’Avare. Le Tartuffe is by far one of the most controversial plays by Molière, and Louis was accepting of controversial ideas in court, leading to writers such as Molière to be able to produce works of expression (Eggert 420). It is possible that Molière’s legacy would not have been what it is without Louis XIV. The commissioning of Molière at Versailles was a strategic and beneficial action on Louis’s part, because Louis established this legacy at his own court, allowing the kingdom to see the diverse artistic talent that
Theatre of the absurd is one of the prominent schools of drama which flourished during the twentieth century. Absurd plays usually convey the believe that human existence is pointless and life is irrational, meaningless, and futile. Therefore, absurdist playwrights illustrate people’s correspondence to the absurdity of the world especially after the two destructive world wars. Although people struggle to give life meaning, their inability to find any led them to experience anxiety and confusion. As a result, people started to doubt religion, question the existence of God, and suffer from weak faith.
Wilde’s comedic influence takes place in the characters placing emphasis on trivial things and treating serious matters with inconsequence. Though this play could be viewed as a simple comedy, what makes it a satirical work is the underlying social commentary. Wilde highlights his views on institutions such as love, marriage, and gender relations by satirizing their nature via reductio ad absurdum and thereby reveals their essential frivolity. Though marriage is traditionally viewed by society as the final step in a lover’s journey, Wilde intentionally separates marriage and love to the point where they seem mutually exclusive.
As a result, the experience of Shakespeare’s plays in the theater took a populist turn” (Octane 1). This shows that Shakespeare brought many new elements to playwriting, which seemingly improved plays because “Audience members engaged with the events taking place on stage, becoming vocal and often raucous” (Octane 1). This suggests that the new elements in Shakespeare’s writing sparked emotion in audience members as if the events were real. If an author can spark emotion in so many audience members, it shows that their writing style is extremely effective. Additionally, “Shakespeare is also credited as having invented genres that mixed both tragedy and comedy.
In the twenty-first century, the plays of William Shakespeare may at first appear dated and irrelevant: they use archaic language, are set in the age of Kings and Queens, and the Kingdom of England. However, it would be plainly mistaken to construe that Shakespeare’s works do not still remain integral to a twenty-first century society. Shakespeare’s plays gave the words and expressions one uses every day, revolutionized the art of theater as it was known, and forewarned about issues that would unknowingly still apply centuries later. Therefore, Shakespeare has had a profound effect on our lives by enriching our language and culture, as well as providing ideas that would still apply five centuries later, and it would thus behoove us to learn from his works and life.