The ideals of the Enlightenment can be found in many of the writings from this time period. There are a few characteristics that are commonly associated with the Enlightenment.
This was the age of reason. People at this time began to apply rational thoughts to figure out and understand nature and to guide their human existence. In Moliere’s Tartuffe, this ideal is expressed through the character of the king. In the end, Tartuffe has brought an officer of the king back to take Orgon away. However, in Tartuffe’s attempt to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial.
Another defining characteristic is the desire for equality and dignity for all, the thought that all have a set of basic human rights. The Enlightenment also challenged many of the former ideologies, one of which was ignorance. Tartuffe exemplifies these characteristics through the character Dorine. Dorine is Mariane’s lady-maid, in other words, someone with a low social standing because she is a member of the working class, and presumably ignorant because of this low social status. However, in the story, she is much smarter than Orgon and also a lot more reasonable. This shows that it does not matter what social class one comes from to determine their level of intelligence. Her closeness and acceptance by the family, with the exception of Orgon, shows that people can be viewed for their own worth and value. Dorine is someone from a lower social standing than the family, but yet, is able to socialize and befriend the family she works for.
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Another challenge is to superstition, deception, and oppressive traditions. Tartuffe is a character that is related to the church and yet is a very deceptive, hypocritical character. He is able to con Orgon into letting him into his home. Furthermore, Orgon is deceived into disinheriting his own son and leaving all the inheritances to Tartuffe. Orgon is an example of the oppressive person who tries to maintain complete control. His control traditionally extends over his family, especially his daughter. In the story, she is to be wed to the man she loves, but when Tartuffe enters the picture, Orgon withdraws his promise to her fiancé, and tells her she is to marry Tartuffe instead. However, Orgon is challenged by his family, who work to prove Tartuffe is a con-artist. This is in direct opposition to traditional power structure of society and brings into question the authority of this structure.
These are just a few examples of how the Enlightenment ideals are portrayed in the works of the time, in particular in Tartuffe.
