Neoclassicism and Satire in Molière’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”

Molière’s “Tartuffe” was originally titled “The Imposter” for good reason. The title character, Tartuffe is seen as a hypocrite because while claiming he is a religious addict of sorts, he tries to seduce Elmire, the wife of Orgon. Incidentally, Orgon is the head of the house and unfortunately blinded by his affection for Tartuffe and his artificial love of God. To make matters even more complicated, Tartuffe also has it out for Valère by meddling in his plans of winning the heart of Mariane, the daughter of Orgon and Elmire. During the age of Neoclassicism, the vertical chain of power trickled down from God to King down to the workers. (Garreau 401) Tartuffe being the religious zealot that he is, manages to convince Orgon that he is a holy man, thus elevating his status in the vertical chain to be equal to or greater than that of Orgon’s himself. The saying “For every action there are equal and opposite reactions,” could not be more applicable than in this play. Because of the nature of society at that time, Tartuffe should not even be coveting Elmire and so the family devises a plot to try to get him to confess his desires for her hoping that Orgon would banish him from their residence. Unfortunately, that plan is foiled when Damis, Orgon’s son can no longer stand to have Tartuffe the con artist in the home and upon ousting Tartuffe’s motives, Orgon ostracizes Damis instead. As a result, Tartuffe is now closer than ever to Elmire. (Richard 29) At the root of it all, Tartuffe lives up to his name as being a hypocrite when he so confidently says, “Malicious men may die, but malice never.”

Voltaire’s “Candide” is another great example of satire. The story pokes fun at the statement, “This is the best of all the possible worlds,” said German Renaissance man Gottfried Leibniz. (Davidson 53) This is directly related to how people viewed religion at that time. This statement claims that despite having a God that is omnipresent and omnipotent, there is an inexplicable amount of suffering and tragedy in the world. Yet, he states that through it all, the world we live in today is still the best it will ever be. This relates to Voltaire’s “Candide” in that he uses satire to criticize this blind faith and optimism. The Age of Enlightenment which followed Neoclassicism was a progressive time. People were not afraid to question their faith. As a result, works such as “Candide” were born. Voltaire indirectly portrays the story’s tutor, Dr. Pangloss, very similarly to Leibniz when Dr. Pangloss says, “It is demonstrable that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end.” (Williams 37) This shows that Leibniz’s optimistic outlook on life itself is one that is humorous and not to is taken seriously at best.

Works Cited

Davidson, Ian. Voltaire in Exile. New York: Grove Press, 11 January 2009. Print.

Garreau, Joseph E. "Molière"., McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Print.

Richard, Wilber. Molière Tartuffe. San Diego: Harvest/HBJ Book, 1963. Print.

Williams, David. Voltaire, Candide. London: Grant & Cutler, 1997. Print.