Topic Research: Tartuffe

I decided to go with the following topic:

Idea #1: Choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following questions: what is the author's attitude towards her? (how can you tell?); what is your attitude towards her?; how do at least 2 other characters view her?; how does she view herself?

My initial response to these questions was:
I'm interested in this topic because as a female, I can relate to female characters in what we read. I think it'd be interesting to look at a piece of reading and analyze it through a female character on whom to focus, and relate it to how others, including myself, view her and what attitudes we might have towards her.

My thoughts after:
After rereading these questions and thinking about the texts we've read this far in class, I feel I can relate these questions best to "Tartuffe."

The author's attitude towards Mariane:
Even though this story is named after the character Tartuffe, and although it heavily involves him and his hypocritical character, it also heavily involves Mariane. Because Orgon is trying to arrange the marriage between Tartuffe and Mariane, it seems as though the author, Jean-Baptiste Moliere, doesn't have Mariane's character around as much as I had wished. I say this because Moliere doesn't seem to have Mariane talk about the marriage situation enough to give a good, decent explanation of how she feels about the arranged marriage, Tartuffe and his character, and why she doesn't stand up to her father. She does answer a few of these questions but I felt they were heavily instigated by the other characters and I think Moliere could have either expanded her answers or added more clairity. I don't know if during the time Moliere wrote this, women didn't speak up to men or speak up around men as much; perhaps it was a male-dominated time period, I'm not sure. It makes me wonder if Mariane was just a distraction or an object to which Moliere could use to bring out Tartuffe's deceitful, hypocritical character in the story. Moliere even writes:

"Mariane: But my refusal will bee seen as pride
And, worse, contempt. And I have to hide
My feelings for Valere, I must not show
That I'm in love at all. If people know, 
Then all the modesty my sex is heir to
Will be gone. There's more: how can I bear to
Not be a proper daughter to my father?" (Pg. 162)

This passage, in my opinion, shows that Moliere has written his characters in a way that men are higher and better and more in charge of things than women; as if women have no rights to what they want in life. It's like Moliere is saying that Mariane's refusal to marry Tartuffe is a refusal of pride and can even be contempt, like back talking to her father and making their family look bad because she didn't listen to her father. Mariane also seems to be saying that by refusing to marry Tartuffe that she isn't being a "proper daughter to her father" - I know that I don't like making my parents and family look bad, but at the same time, I'd rather be happy with my life and partner than be with someone that my family wants me to be with and be unhappy and miserable for the rest of my life.

My attitude towards Mariane:
I like Mariane's character a lot because I feel I can relate to her on many levels. Aside from both being female, I can understand Mariane's struggle of wanting to be with Valere, whom she is in love with and already engaged to and the fact that her dad, Orgon, is trying to arrange a marriage between her and Tartuffe. Mariane confesses her love for Valere:

"Dorine: Let's think. All right?
Didn't Valerie propose the other night?
Do you or don't you love Valere?
Mariane: You know the answer, Dorine - that's unfair.
Just talking about it tears me apart.
I've said a hundred time, he has my heart.
I'm wild about him. I know. And I've told you." (Pg. 161)

It's obvious Mariane is in love with someone already and her family should honor and respect that, especially if Mariane and Valere both love each other and want to be married to each other. A little bit later, Mariane and Dorine talk about the "other wedding:"
"Dorine: So what about this other wedding?"
Mariane: I'll kill myself. That's what I've decided." (Pg. 162)

This part reminds me of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" love story, where they love each other so much, even though their love is forbidden and their families hate each other, but their love is so strong that they are willing to die for each other. As a woman, even as an independent human being, I wouldn't want to be told who I can and can't love nor who I have to marry, regardless of how my family helped that person out or what my family gave that person or even if that person was the richest, most handsome person in the world - we love who we love, and no one can change that.


How do 2 other characters view her?
Dorine seems to care the most about Mariane. I got this impression because from the beginning she has tried to see, hear and understand Mariane's point of view and how Mariane feels about this arranged marriage. Dorine actually asks Mariane how se feels about the arranged marriage and seems to also agree with Mariane that Tartuffe isn't someone to marry, and that he isn't as great a person as Orgon makes him out to be. Dorine also understands that Mariane is in love with Valere and wants to marry him, regardless of what her father says or thinks.

Orgon, although he is Mariane's father, seems to think she isn't able to find a worthy man that suits her, hence why he tries arranging the marriage between her and Tartuffe. (I also strongly felt throughout the entire story that Orgon has strong feelings for Tartuffe, almost as if ORGON is the one whose in love with him.) If Orgon, as Mariane's father of all people, should want nothing but the best for her and let her choose the man she really truly loves to be with and to marry. He should genuinely consider her point of view on the arranged marriage and respect her feelings.

How does she view herself?
Mariane views herself as being loyal and obedient to her family, especially her father. She doesn't want to disobey his wishes of her getting married to Tartuffe, but it certainly doesn't make her happy. She doesn't stand up for herself, which she should do more often; so perhaps she thinks of herself as unworthy of being with the one person she really truly loves, which is Valere. I don't get the impression she thinks very highly of herself since, like I said, she doesn't stand up for herself, she doesn't speak up for herself, and she comes off as quiet and timid. It didn't even seem like she said as much as the other characters throughout the story. 

Just some side notes:
A few common themes in this story:
 - Love: There is love between Mariane and Valere, their love seems true and pure and that they genuinely want to get married to each other; There is also love between Orgon and Tartuffe, Orgon seems very much overly infatuated with Tartuffe, and I got the impression that Orgon loves him as more than just a brother.
 - Loyalty: Mariane shows a lot of loyalty to her father and family by wanting to not disobey Orgon and go through with the arranged marriage, even if she is really in love with Valere. Orgon shows his loyalty to Tartuffe by trying to make him more legally a part of his family by having the marriage and doesn't want Tartuffe to not be a part of his life, regardless of how dishonest and deceitful Tartuffe really is.
 - Trust: Many people don't trust Tartuffe. The only person that does is Orgon. Orgon "loves him like a brother," not matter how or why others don't. Tartuffe plays everyone, including Orgon; even if Orgon and Tartuffe are good buddies, Tartuffe still goes behind Orgon's back and ends up making romantic advances on Orgons wife. Tartuffe even tries taking their house at the end of the story.