Does Damis tell Orgon about Tartuffe's attempted seduction of Elmire?
Damis Character Analysis. Damis. Hot-headed and impetuous, Orgon’s son and Elmire’s stepson makes no secret of his abhorrence for Tartuffe. He feels strongly, too, about his sister Mariane’s engagement to Valère, because he himself wishes to marry Valère’s sister. Enraged when he observes Tartuffe attempting to seduce Elmire, Damis is ...
How does Tartuffe react to Elmire's change in character?
Tartuffe says that he will not be fully convinced until he has more concrete proof and advances toward Elmire. She restrains him by asking time to catch her breath. In order to delay his advances, she inquires if her love might not be offensive to Heaven, toward which Tartuffe professes such reverence.
Who is Orgon's wife Elmire in Tartuffe?
Act III: Damis and Dorine concoct a plan to expose Tartuffe. Tartuffe tries to seduce Elmire, but she fends him off and agrees not to tell Orgon about his attempted seduction if Tartuffe promises to let Mariane marry Valere. Damis overhears everything and threatens to reveal Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Damis tells Orgon about Tartuffe's attempted ...
How does Tartuffe seek revenge against Orgon?
Oct 06, 2002 · Tartuffe. -- Act Three. Outline of Act Three. i. Dorine forestalls Damis, the hot-headed son of Orgon, from rashly confronting Tartuffe with violent threats. She reveals Elmire has sent for Tartuffe to sound him out. Unable to persuade Damis to leave, and hearing the approach of Tartuffe, she shoves Damis in a closet. ii.
What happens after Tartuffe's hypocrisy is exposed?
After Tartuffe's hypocrisy is exposed, the tables are turned when Tartuffe reveals that he is now master of the house and that it will be Orgon who will have to leave. Molière's technique here is not to dwell upon Orgon's stupidity — it would be too easy to merely make him the butt of more sarcasm.
What does Elmire feel about Tartuffe?
For example, after a couple of speeches, Elmire feels that Tartuffe has already said enough to prove that he is out to seduce her. She constantly coughs and talks to the table in a very loud voice, hoping that her husband will put an end to the farce.
What happens after Orgon is gone?
After he is gone, Orgon emerges from his hiding place, completely astounded. Elmire tells him to return to hiding until he is completely satisfied, but Orgon is now convinced of Tartuffe's hypocrisy. As Tartuffe is returning, Orgon hides behind Elmire and then immediately accosts Tartuffe and orders him from the house.
What does Elmire tell Orgon to do?
Alone with her husband, Elmire instructs Orgon to hide under a table and not to be surprised by some strange behavior on her part. She informs him that she will be only too glad to drop the entire act whenever he is fully satisfied that Tartuffe is a hypocrite who is determined to seduce her. She also reminds Orgon to save her in case Tartuffe advances too far too rapidly.
What does Elmire pretend to do?
After coughing loudly a number of times and still not being rescued by her husband, Elmire finally pretends to consent to the seduction, but conceives of another ruse to gain time by asking Tartuffe to see if anyone is watching. She pretends to be afraid that her husband might catch them.
How many monologues does Dorine have?
The beginning and ending lines of eight monologues involving Dorine are listed below, along with a brief explanation of the content of each speech. These monologues come from Moliere’s Tartuffe, translated into English verse by Richard Wilbur, an extraordinarily understandable translation of the French comedy.
How many lines does Dorine torture Marianne?
Dorine tortures Marianne with a predictive description of her life as Tartuffe’s wife. The scene has 13 lines and ends with: “To the drone of bagpipes—two of them, in fact, / And see a puppet show or an animal act.”.
What does Dorine express?
Dorine expresses disdain for how people who behave badly seem to be the first to smear the reputations of others. She speculates that their delight in spreading the word of the transgressions of others springs from their belief that their own guilty deeds are less obvious when those of others are emphasized.
How many lines does Dorine have in the scene?
She attributes this woman’s prudish perspective to jealousy of looks and actions that she is no longer privy to. The scene has 20 lines.
What is Dorine's focus in Moliere's Tartuffe?
A Focus on the Housemaid, Dorine. Dorine is the sassy, sensible, witty, and wise servant in the household that is the focus of Moliere’s Tartuffe. Her servant status makes her an inferior, but she courageously expresses her opinions to her superiors, who are actually her intellectual inferiors.
What is the meaning of the play Tartuffe?
Tartuffe translates to The Imposter or The Hypocrite. The play was performed for the first time in 1664 and features popular characters like Tartuffe, Elmire, Orgon, and Dorine. Tartuffe is written in twelve-syllable lines called alexandrines. The plot focuses on Orgon's family dealing with the pious fraud Tartuffe as he pretends to talk ...
Who is Orgon's wife?
Orgon's wife, Elmire, is one of Tartuffe’s prospects, and she is also the stepmother to Damis and Mariane. Luckily, Dorine is the family housemaid who tries to get to the bottom of Tartuffe's fake personality to help the other characters.
What is the difference between Orgon and Tartuffe?
Tartuffe himself is a figure representing the dangers of excess; he is depicted as a glutton—a man who eats and drinks immoderately at the expense of another man. Orgon is also a man of excess, although his excess takes the form of obsession. Orgon becomes so obsessed with Tartuffe that he loses all sense of reason and, as a result, nearly destroys his own family. Even after Orgon learns of Tartuffe's true nature as a fake and a hypocrite, his first response is extreme; he determines that he will never trust another man again and will curse all those who claim to be virtuous. Cléante, however, represents the voice of reason in pointing out to Orgon that moderation in all things is better than extremes; he tells Orgon, "You never are content with moderation … you fly back and forth between extremes." Cléante advises Orgon that the lesson to be learned from his experience with Tartuffe is not to curse all men who appear to be good but rather to carefully avoid all extremes of behavior and judgment and to act less impulsively. As with the matter of religious hypocrisy, Cléante voices a central message of the play, that moderation and reason in all things is better than extremes or obsessions of any sort.
What is the title character of the play?
Tartuffe , the title character of the play, is a seasoned criminal, referred to by the other characters as a hypocrite and an imposter. Tartuffe pretends to be a pious man whose life is devoted to religious worship and moral behavior. Tartuffe met Orgon at a church, where he made such a show of religious devotion that Orgon decided to take him into his home as a religious guide. Tartuffe exerts a strong power over Orgon, who worships him as if he were a saint and shuns his own family in favor of this stranger. Orgon decides to make his daughter marry Tartuffe and disinherits his own son in order to make Tartuffe his sole heir. When Damis reports to Orgon that Tartuffe has tried to seduce his wife, Orgon does not believe this and instead blames Damis for speaking out against Tartuffe . However, when Orgon hides under a table and overhears Tartuffe trying once again to seduce her, he finally sees that he has been betrayed. Orgon orders Tartuffe to leave his home immediately, and Tartuffe threatens him with revenge. After Tartuffe leaves, he arranges to have Orgon arrested and his property taken away from him. However, at the last moment, a Gentleman of the King's Guard arrests Tartuffe instead and informs Orgon that his property will be restored to him. The Gentleman of the Guard explains that Tartuffe had committed a long list of crimes under a different name and will be sent to prison.
What does Orgon tell Elmire about Tartuffe?
Orgon tells Elmire that he does not believe Tartuffe made a pass at her. Elmire tells Orgon to hide underneath a table in order to overhear her conversation with Tartuffe. While Orgon is hiding under the table, Elmire tells Tartuffe that she would like to have an affair with him. Tartuffe responds that she must prove to him that she is sincere through an act of physical passion. Elmire then asks Tartuffe to look out in the hallway and make sure her husband is not listening in on the conversation. While Tartuffe is out of the room, Orgon comes out from under the table and admits to Elmire that Tartuffe has betrayed him. When Tartuffe returns to the room, Orgon orders him to leave the household immediately. Tartuffe responds that he will get revenge against Orgon for turning against him. Orgon explains to Elmire that he has given Tartuffe certain information that will make it possible for Tartuffe to ruin the family out of revenge.
Why did Orgon give Tartuffe a strongbox?
This strongbox had been given to Orgon by a friend who fled the country in order to escape legal problems. Orgon now fears that Tartuffe will use these documents as evidence against him by turning them over to the legal authorities. These documents would serve as evidence that Orgon has been concealing a crime committed by the friend who gave him the strongbox.
Why does Damis hide in the closet?
Damis, Orgon's son, hides in a closet in order to overhear a conversation between Elmire and Tartuffe. During this conversation, Tartuffe propositions Elmire with the offer of an elicit affair behind her husband's back. He assures Elmire that he would keep her infidelity a secret in order to safeguard his own reputation as a pious man. Elmire lets Tartuffe know that she has no interest in conducting an affair with him. However, she tells him that she will not tell her husband about his sexual advances if he promises to convince Orgon to allow Mariane to marry Valère. At that moment, Damis steps out of the closet where he has been hiding and states that he must report Tartuffe's inappropriate behavior to his father. Elmire pleads with Damis not to tell Orgon of Tartuffe's behavior, but Damis insists that Orgon must be informed of the matter.
What is the name of the play that Molière wrote?
Molière's play Tartuffe (also sometimes referred to as Tartuffe, or, The Imposter) is a masterwork by France's most celebrated comic playwright. Tartuffe is set in the realm of seventeenth-century Parisian high society during the reign of King Louis XIV.
Where is Tartuffe set?
Tartuffe is set in the Paris home of Orgon, a wealthy man who lives with his wife, Elmire; his daughter, Mariane; and his son, Damis. Orgon also has several houseguests, including Madame Pernelle (his mother), Cléante (Elmire's brother), and Valère, who is engaged to Mariane. Orgon has recently befriended a man named Tartuffe, who has presented himself to Orgon as an extremely pious and devout man. Orgon invites Tartuffe to stay in his home as a moral guide and religious teacher. Orgon regards Tartuffe with extreme reverence, devotion, and adoration and treats him with greater love, affection, and favor than he does his wife and children. Orgon has taken Tartuffe as his close confidante, dotes on his guest excessively, and worships the man as if he were a saint.
What does Valère tell Orgon to do?
Just when things seem like they couldn't get any worse, Valère comes in and tells Orgon that he must flee the country , as Tartuffe has denounced him to the King.
What does Tartuffe ask Elmire to do?
Elmire becomes increasingly antsy, and eventually asks Tartuffe to step outside the room and look to make sure her husband – Orgon – isn't around.
What happens when Orgon appears?
When Orgon appears, marriage contract in hand, Mariane, Dorine, and Elmire plead with him. Though he has pangs of conscience, he stands firm. Elmire takes matters into her own hands, and promises to show him the truth about Tartuffe. She makes him hide under a table and tells Dorine to call in Tartuffe.
What does Damis tell Dorine about Tartuffe?
When Damis, Orgon's son, hears about his father's plan to marry Mariane to Tartuffe, he flips out and tells Dorine that he's going to give Tartuffe a knuckle sandwich.
What does Orgon tell Mariane when she acts surprised?
Mariane is speechless, but luckily Dorine, a saucy servant, isn't. She comes in and asks Orgon if Mariane is really going to marry Tartuffe.
What does Cléante ask Orgon about?
Cléante asks Orgon about the rumored postponement of Mariane's (Orgon's daughter) wedding. Orgon confirms that it has indeed been postponed, but he will say nothing further. Cléante is rightfully concerned. Orgon calls Mariane in for a chat. He wants to know how she feels about Tartuffe.
What does Orgon think of Tartuffe?
According to the rest of Orgon's family, Orgon has been "taken in.". They think Tartuffe is a hypocritical, self-righteous con artist. When Orgon returns from the country, we find that he's become obsessed with Tartuffe; he would rather hear about him than about his sick wife.