Lie and Story Tartuffe

Last Updated: 23 Mar 2020

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Brenda Duran Honors English Mr. Carpenter Per. 2 Tartuffe In the story Tartuffe by Moliere, the audience can view many foil characters. It seems as if every character had a foil, meaning opposite character. The two foils that most stood out were Tartuffe and Cleante. These characters show completely different personalities and everything about them is actually the opposite. One is a hypocrite about religion and the other one is very pious. The more you learn about the characters, the more you realize how different they are. Cleante is both a wise man and a wise guy: he's a perceptive, learned, and intellectual.

Although he is very wise, is also very humble. “Brother, I don't pretend to be a sage, Nor have I all the wisdom of the age. There's just one insight I would dare to claim: I know that true and false are not the same” (1. 5. 9-11). Cleante spends most of his time telling Orgon how wrong he is about everything. He wants his brother-in-law to see the real Tartuffe, but Orgon is ignorant about this entire situation. . He yells at his brother-in-law, "Good God, man! Have you lost your common sense – / or is this all some joke at my expense? " (1. 5. 7). Cleante is also a very pious man.

Cleante remains the voice of reason and a role model for Christian behavior throughout the play. Moreover, his Christian sentiments are sincere. Tartuffe's reputation precedes him. His name is the title, and the characters of this play spend all their time talking about him. His fundamental lack of suavity is what makes Tartuffe a memorable character. He is an extremely hypocritical man. His failed seduction of Elmire is nothing short of pitiful. He actually tells her that he's "no angel," as if that will make her see him, a supposedly holy man, in a whole new light (3. . 29). Tartuffe pretends to be very pious but he is nothing but a phony. He says that committing adultery can be forgiven and is not that big of a deal. This of course is all lies. In conclusion, in Moliere’s story Tartuffe, we can see that these men are very different and are quite the foil characters. Cleante and Tartuffe is complete opposites. Cleante is the voice of reason and honestly and Tartuffe is just full of lies. Tartuffe is the most hypocritical man in this story. There is no honestly in him, when Cleante is full of it.

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