“Tartuffe Reaction Paper”
A few weeks ago I was lucky to see one of Normandale Theatre Department’s Productions of “Tartuffe”, the famous comedy by the French author Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, widely known by his stage name Moliere. It was my first experience of this kind at Normandale, and I was quite impressed by the level of dedication, professionalism and talent of everyone involved in the production. Because the characters were so well presented to the audience, we had a great understanding of the purpose of each person in the play. The two characters that impressed me the most were Dorine- the maid, was played by incredible Katrina Radcliffe, and of course, Tartuffe, who was played by Bryce Jasper. The energy that the two have is absolutely incredible, and I think every one of us in the audience received the exact message the cast was sending. Dorine is quiet an outspoken being, which never misses and opportunity to say what she thinks out loud and make sure that people around her know how she feels about a particular subject. From the very beginning she reveals her somewhat outlandish character. IN Act one, Scene One she tries to convince mother of Orgon, Madame Pernell, that Tartuffe is a hypocrite and a liar, who is taking advantage of the whole family in the most senseless way. Towards the end of the scene Dorine snaps at Madame Pernell, insisting that the woman is seeking attention and respect, therefore she is defending Tartuffe, and trying to force the family agree with her thoughts. Throughout the play Dorine’s objective is to convince the family that Tartuffe is not a man of his words and as simple as it is he is a con artist who is trying to manipulate a completely oblivious man and his family. I have noticed that one of Dorine’s main tactics in the play is to take charge. When in Act Two, Scene Two, Orgon was trying o convince his daughter to marry Tartuffe, she interrupted the conversation by falling into the room while eavesdropping. She immediately began to make jokes about the future marriage, still implying that Tartuffe is no more than a hypocrite. She overpowers Orgon by laughing at him in his face, while he has nothing left to do but scream at her and tell her to be quiet, in order to show his dominance. Another example of Dorine’s character taking charge presents itself in Act Two, Scenes Three and Four. After Orgon tells his daughter she would be better off by marrying Tartuffe, Dorine begins to accuse Mariane of not standing up for herself to her father. While poor Mariane’s seeking help and advice from Dorine, she, knowing how important her role in this situation is, lets herself play with Mariane’s head, saying how lovely her life with Tartuffe will be when they wed. Finally, Dorine comes up with another one of her brilliant and witty ideas and suggest that Mariane should keep postponing the wedding instead of going against her father’s will. Again being the wisest person in the family, Dorine predicted that sooner or later Tartuffe’s wicked and vile game will be known to all people. In a number of the editions of the play, Tartuffe is called “The Impostor” or “The Hypocrite”. In my opinion, Tartuffe is an intelligent, cunning a talented man, who managed to fool a family with all its members without hesitating one bit. His dominance lies in the fact that he can precisely analyze the weaknesses and strengths in people. Therefore, he can easily manipulate them. Tartuffe appeared to me as perfect and flawless man, who never lets emotions get in the way of achieving his goals. However, Moliere humanized Tartuffe by bestowing him with one other flaw, which happened to be lust. In Act Three, Scenes Three and Four, Tartuffe pursued his passion for Orgon’s wife, Elmire. He offered her his love with the assurance of no gossip and total confidentiality. Frankly, I found the scenes with Tartuffe and Elmire the funniest out of all. The contrast of Tartuffes personality and behavior were greatly portrayed and delivered to the audience. Bryce did an amazing job jumping back and forth from powerful prayers to smooth seduction of Elmire. I think one of his main objectives were to ensure Orgon that Tartuffe is the one who is trustworthy enough to be given all of Orgon’s property and well. His tactics are threatening to Orgon and the rest of the family in the most discreet way. The respect him and look up to him, however, on the other hand they are intimidated and overawed by him. In the end, however, Tartuffe’s wicked game is revealed in the last Act Five, Scenes Six and Eight. He is then arrested and put to shame.

My choice of characters for this paper was based upon the impressions and the energy I got from them. I thought the play would not be as captivating and impressive without these particular characters and their behaviors. Dorine gives the play a certain spunk and scandal, while Tartuffe impresses the audience by his ability to senselessly lie without hesitating. The overall impression of “Tartuffe” is certainly positive. To be honest, I did not expect the Production to be at such grand level. Usually, when you think about a college play you imagine a middle-level cast, minimal props and “okay” acting skills. Normandale’s “Tartuffe” completely brought down that image and demonstrated that a college play can be a great success when professionally directed.