Mandell, Zachary

Eng-H Red
April 25, 2016
A Tale of Trickery, Hypocrisy, and Comedy: Investigating the Misconduct of the Catholic
Church with Molire in Tartuffe
1. Tartuffe, a satirical comedy written by Molire in the 17th century, criticized the
Catholic Church by utilizing comedy and the themes of trickery and hypocrisy. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading the play and found the jokes entertaining. My partner,
Sophie, and I both experienced the work in similar ways and noticed the same problem
while reading. We agreed that Tartuffe lacked stage directions and clarity. However, other
than that single issue, we found it amusing and especially liked how the female characters
had greater roles than in normal plays of the time period. I enjoyed the entire play and my
opinions on it did not change over the course of the work.
2. I found information on France and the Catholic Church during the time period helpful
in the understanding of the play. The knowledge of the Churchs resistance to Molire
and his works strengthens the criticism of the Church itself. Knowing that women lacked
equality in rights and social status during the time period allows the reader to understand
that the playwright advocated for more important and substantial roles for women in the
community. Knowing that King Louis XIV supported Molire informs the audience that
the final scene of the play complimented the King.
3. My partner and I worked well together overall. We divided the project into equal
portions and trusted that we would finish the work on our own time. After we completed
our sections, we reviewed and commented on each others drafts. We discussed and
incorporated changes and did not encounter any issues with each other. We worked

together on the Pinterest board to find images and explain the significance of each. In the
presentation, we each explained the portions that we worked on and alternated speaking
on the Pinterest board.
4. I found reading the play most amusing in the process of completing the project. I
enjoyed the plot and jokes. The text did not seem dry and the comedic aspects kept the
reader engaged in the timeless and still relevant tale.
5. Molire left no memoirs or diaries. As a result, I found searching for good background
information challenging. We persevered until we obtained the information we needed.
The databases assisted us and we considered them adequate.
6. I really enjoyed the novella and highly rate it. I think that it evoked thought as well as
amused the reader. The comedic aspects make it universally appealing and entertaining. I
recommend the novella to anyone with a sense of humor and an appreciation of satirical
works.