Tartuffe

by Moliere

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Tartuffe Questions and Answers

Tartuffe does not enter until the third act of the play. How does Molière establish Tartuffe's hypocrisy beforehand?

What is the purpose of delayed emergence and how is it portrayed in Moliere's Tartuffe?

What is Moliere's use of rhyme in Tartuffe?

What are some examples of satire comedy in Tartuffe and The Misanthrope?

What was the king’s reason for banning Tartuffe? Who influenced his decision, and what was his chief concern? What did he fear was being ridiculed?  

Which character in Tartuffe best represents the "voice of reason" and why?

How does the first act of Tartuffe address concerns about "the possibility of sharp discrepancies between social appearance and the 'truth' of human nature" (95)? Give an example of how our society continues to struggle with this issue.

What are some metaphors of seeing and blindness in Tartuffe?

In Tartuffe, what is Moliere saying about common sense and reason?

In what ways do the conventions of French society play out in Tartuffe?

What is the satirical effect in act 4, scene 5 of Tartuffe, presented through the language/actions of the characters and overall effect on the audience through dramatic irony?  

InTartuffe which character is usually the audience's favorite and why?

Discuss a few examples of who or what is being satirized in Tartuffe by Moliere.  

Can you explain in detail what different effects rhyming couplets have in the plays The Misanthrope and Tartuffe? For example, what are the specific effects on the audience/reader, and how they aid the comedy?

In the speech by Cleante to Orgon in Tartuffe, how does Cleante employ Enlightened thinking to expose multiple irrationalities in the nature of man?

What vices or problems does Tartuffe represent in Moliere's play Tartuffe?

How are the other characters in "Tartuffe" employed to develop the theme of hypocrisy in Tartuffe himself?

What is an analysis of Dorine's character in the play Tartuffe?

Why does Moliere write Tartuffe in rhyming couplets?

What are some quotations and examples of false piety in Tartuffe?

Which characters in Moliere's Tartuffe exemplify the theme of Religious Hypocrisy versus True Christian Virtue and how do you see this?

How is Jean-Baptiste Moliere's Tartuffe representative of the Enlightenment?

How important is the character of Cleante in Act I, Scene V of Tartuffe? What is one important point that he makes in his conversation with Orgon in Act I, Scene V? How is the hypocrisy of Tartuffe discovered by Orgon in Act 4 of the Moliere drama?

What different effects do asides have in the plays Tartuffe and The Misanthrope? Are asides in both plays used for similar reasons, and how do they significantly affect both the audience and the reader?

If we compare Tartuffe with The Misanthrope, how and why are some of the characters alike or different?

In Tartuffe, how does Tartuffe uses deception and deceit to promote his personal agenda and what personal agenda he is pursuing?

Explain what both Dorine (in Tartuffe) and Sor Juana reveal about the status of women during the Enlightenment.

In Tartuffe by Molière, in relation to Madame Pernelle, what is funny about the first scene?

In Tartuffe, how does Moliere dramatize the relationship between convention and morality.

How do Moliere's characters play against expected gender roles in Tartuffe? Explain. 

Please discuss gender inequality in Moliere's Tartuffe.

What are the defining visual images or motifs that recur in Tartuffe?

Discuss the function of deception and masks in Tartuffe.

Discuss the importance of seeing in Moliere's Tartuffe—the function of deception and masks.

In Tartuffe, describe the conflict between Mariane and Valere and who is to blame and why?

Tartuffe by Moliere: I am writing a paper on trust/distrust and loyalty/betrayal. I needed a topic and was thinking it should be shorter than that .

What is Moliere's Tartuffe all about? Tartuffe by Moliere

how does moliere depict the monarchy in tartuffe?

What is Dorine's analysis of the source of rumors about the family in Scene 1 of Act I in Tartuffe?

In "Tartuffe" what elements of romance exist in the play? How would you characterize its prevailing tone?

Women take on a variety of characters in Molière's Tartuffe. How do these characters serve to challenge or support traditional power structures?

Select a quote from Tartuffee that supports making fun of religion as a whole or that supports only making fun of religion for personal gain. Explain

By the end of the play, what kind of person is Tartuffe? Has he changed? Will his behavior return? Provide quotations from the plays to support your ideas.

One early version of the play was called Tartuffe, or The Hypocrite. What implications does that title have, and how do they differ from those of the present title? Which more accurately captures the themes of the play?

In Tartuffe, what are the characteristics of Tartuffe that allow him to deceive Orgon so successfully?

Why have various productions of Tartuffe been considered controversial, starting with its being banned from public production when it was first written? Moliere's Tartuffe

What is Moliere critiquing in the play Tartuffe?

In Moliere's Tartuffe, list two characters, their flaw, and what it prevents.

First things first. What does "Tartuffe" mean (from Moliere's Tartuffe)?

What makes Tartuffe engaging, even entertaining?