Summary:
In Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere's "Tartuffe," the character of Orgon displays his ignorance throughout the story, realizing the truth only in the end. His mistakes caught up with Orgon and he had to live with them, including his mistake in giving everything to Tartuffe.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere's Tartuffe is an epic play of hypocrisy, betrayal, and the tale of a foolish mind. Moliere's choice of protagonist in this play happens to be the most blatantly ignorant character in the play. Orgon is naive to the villain Tartuffe's hypocritical ways, makes a complete dunce of himself by uplifting Tartuffe as holy, and failing to pick up the abundance of clues of Tartuffe being fake. Analyzing this character is rather interesting and at the same time frustrating to read of someone so ignorant that they fail to see the wolf hiding under the sheep clothing. A fool is a fool unless they open their eyes to see the truth, and it took Orgon the majority of the play to realize the truth.
Orgon's ignorance began to show when he arrived home to ask about his family "Dorine, Your wife two days ago had a bad fever, and a fierce headache which refused to leave her. Orgon Ah. And Tartuffe?"( Moliere (24). He didn't not care that his wife was sick but only worried about the holy Tartuffe and his well being. There was one character who wasn't even a main part of the play, but the Prince being "A prince who sees into our inmost hearts, and can't be fooled by any tricksters arts" (Moliere 66), persevered and came through for Orgon's mistakes and granted his property back to him and let him learn from his stupidity. Orgon was naive enough to think that Tartuffe was holy enough to see sins that no one could expect. Cleante was amazed at his brothers ignorance and ecided to try to state the obvious to try to take the shutters off of Organs eyes saying "There's a vast difference, so it seems to me, Between true piety and hypocrisy: How do you fail to see it, may I ask? Is not a face quite different from a mask?"(Moliere 27). Orgon's disbelief in the evil of someone so holy lead him to further problems.
Orgon's family and friends believed by now that there was no hope in helping him realize the deceit that was going on right under his nose. Orgon decided that giving his daughter to Tartuffe would be the ultimate gift, and hearing this Elmire decided that it best to try to reason with Tartuffe to make Orgon keep his promise to Valere with his daughters hand in marriage. Orgon's character is drawn as that of being naive and ignorant, and displays this when he refers to Tartuffe as blood and tells the story of Tartuffe when he first met him with him asking for money, and then saying he only needed a little not the large amount Orgon gave. " nd how austere he is! Why, he can detect a moral sin where you would least suspect."(Moliere 26). In Elmire and Tartuffe's meeting Damis hiding behind the curtains hears the foul confessions of the holy one's love for Elmire and decides to come our and catch him. Damis tells Orgon of Tartuffe's confessions and the manipulator that Tartuffe is convinces Orgon that is just a plot against him. Orgon as angry as he is makes a stupid mistake "This very day, I'll give to you alone Clear deed and title to everything I own"(Moliere 48). This mistake alone cost Orgon his son, and his family's support. Elmire's plan to call out Tartuffe one more time in front of Orgon to show there was a wolf among them worked, and Tartuffe showed his true colors for Elmire by asking for acts of true caring if her feelings were true for him made Orgon realize his own stupidity, and regretted his disbelief in his family's intuition on Tartuffe's fauced. Orgon's stupid mistake of giving Tartuffe the box caught up with him after the slip " That strong box has me utterly upset; This is the worst of many, many shocks" (Moliere 58). Orgon's foolish beliefs in the false prophet had caught up with him and made him realize how ignorant his mistakes were.
Orgon realizing his problems tried to head off Tartuffe, but the wolf had gotten the best of him and sent the bailiff to escort the family out of the house Orgon gave to him. "This is the crowning blow, you wretch; and since it means my total ruin and defeat, Your villainy is now at last complete"(Moliere 65). The bad karma had caught up with Orgon, and he had to live with his mistakes and ignorance of giving everything to Tartuffe. Orgons weak traits were revealed and Tartuffe's haughtiness showed "You needn't try to provoke me; it's no use. Those who serve heaven must expect abuse"( Moliere 65). At this mere moment Orgon had nothing, and was going to jail. Orgon's character was directly portrayed as an dynamic character that had to learn through his ignorant mistakes. Orgon's naive views taught him a lesson about hypocrites, and believing in one person to view all of mankind's every worldly move to be a downfall in God's eyes. In the end he goes back and keeps his promise to his friend to marry his daughter, and thanks the Prince for seeing through the faced of the terrible Tartuffe.
Works Cited
Moliere, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. " Tartuffe." The Norton Anthology of Western Literature: The Enlightenment Through the Twentieth Century. Vol. 2, 8th ed. Gen. Ed. Sarah Lawall. 1664
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