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A review by aliterarylove
Tartuffe by Molière
5.0
“Madame no happiness is ever so complete
As when, from lips we love, come words so sweet;
Their nectar floods my every sense, and drains
In honeyed rivulets through all my veins." What cunning and charming words from the biggest hypocrite perhaps in the history of literature. Tartuffe was an enormously entertaining, interesting, and exciting way to enter the Enlightenment. I have studied the Enlightenment before through lecture and Power Point, but until now I have not really read anything of it, besides half of Faust (which is German and not French anyways).
I enormously enjoyed this book. I was totally taken by the foolishness and charm of all of the characters, but my favorite was definitely Dorine: the witty handmaid who seemed to be the only character with her head on totally straight. She was witty and sarcastic, and I absolutely adored her. I wish this play had been longer just to get a bit more Dorine. She is the earliest example of sarcasm I have seen in literature, and her wit was absolutely timeless. I could read this play over and over just for her snide remarks.
Besides being hilarious throughout, this play also portrayed the mentality of the French enlightenment, and their absolute praise and adoration for Louis XIV. The critique on rationalism was also incredibly appealing. I interpreted the intervention of the king at the end, and his ability to simply end all of the trouble Tartuffe had caused, as both a point toward King Louis XIV and a symbolic representation of the Christian God himself. He could do what none of the mortal and silly characters who actually spoke in the play could not.
Overall, I really adored this play and would recommend it to everyone. I would love to see it performed on stage next!
As when, from lips we love, come words so sweet;
Their nectar floods my every sense, and drains
In honeyed rivulets through all my veins." What cunning and charming words from the biggest hypocrite perhaps in the history of literature. Tartuffe was an enormously entertaining, interesting, and exciting way to enter the Enlightenment. I have studied the Enlightenment before through lecture and Power Point, but until now I have not really read anything of it, besides half of Faust (which is German and not French anyways).
I enormously enjoyed this book. I was totally taken by the foolishness and charm of all of the characters, but my favorite was definitely Dorine: the witty handmaid who seemed to be the only character with her head on totally straight. She was witty and sarcastic, and I absolutely adored her. I wish this play had been longer just to get a bit more Dorine. She is the earliest example of sarcasm I have seen in literature, and her wit was absolutely timeless. I could read this play over and over just for her snide remarks.
Besides being hilarious throughout, this play also portrayed the mentality of the French enlightenment, and their absolute praise and adoration for Louis XIV. The critique on rationalism was also incredibly appealing. I interpreted the intervention of the king at the end, and his ability to simply end all of the trouble Tartuffe had caused, as both a point toward King Louis XIV and a symbolic representation of the Christian God himself. He could do what none of the mortal and silly characters who actually spoke in the play could not.
Overall, I really adored this play and would recommend it to everyone. I would love to see it performed on stage next!