Sophia Hastings

English H-Red
4-25-16
Criticism on Tartuffe or the Catholic Church: A Modern Molire
1. Tartuffe, written by Molire, a satirical comedy, focuses on the hypocrisy of the
Catholic Church during the 1600s. Tartuffe by definition means a religious hypocrite,
fitting for the comedy. Tartuffe revolves around a family who distrusts a border,
purposely named Tartuffe, and his brainwashing of Orgon, the head of the household.
Orgon, infatuated with Tartuffe, cares more about the hypocrite than his ill wife.
Unfortunately for Tartuffe, his blatant trickery unfolds itself to Orgon and leads to his
downfall. This plot demonstrates a sense of eloquence as well, especially with the rhyme
scheme. Overall, I enjoyed this comedy, even though I became confused at times and had
to re-read certain portions of the text.
2. Working with a partner made it easier to understand because often times, I could
ask questions to make sure I really understood certain scenes in the comedy. My partner
seemed to enjoy Tartuffe more than I did; however, we connected over parts that made us
laugh. We also agree that the use of strong and outspoken female leads helped the
storyline and, even though uncharacteristic of the time period, highly relatable. Finding
out that many of Molires works lack many original lines due to revision, helped prove
that Tartuffe criticizes the Catholic Church. His portrait as Julius Caesar also
demonstrates the amount of respect for his work.
3. He and I worked very well together. We split up tasks, such as the pinterest board,
and work together. We reviewed each others grammar and spent time on our separate
paragraphs as well. The only worry I had consisted of his later start on the powerpoint;
however, he did just as much work as I did and put in the same amount of effort.
4. As a visual person, I enjoy creating visual aids; therefore, making the actual

powerpoint and pinterest board captured my interests. Not only do they help explain
things to others, but they help me organize my thoughts. I enjoy computer made things as
well, especially since I lack typical artistic ability.
5. Using databases seemed easier to use than in actuality. Due to a lack of memoirs
or pieces written on our writer, the task proved difficulty. I think that databases contain
great information; however, they often miss having certain articles that pertain to what
the researcher wants. It became easier to find information on Molire from non-scholarly
websites and harder to find proof to back that information up.
6. I would recommend this novella to other students because it covered a
controversial topic without degrading peoples beliefs, so much so, that one may not have
realized the satirical purpose without research. Tartuffe also conveyed a sense of good
comedy and connects very well with modern perceptions of religion.