Sometimes, playwrights and authors are mocked for their writings, which can lead them to being banned from publishing. Books and other forms printed works such plays are banned by law. Banning literature is considered censorship. It is often done because it is against moral, religious, or political norms. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de Moliere, French actor, was victim to this censorship. He wrote Tartuffe and it led him to change how he wrote comedy. The censorship that he experienced changed his writing style for the following reasons.

Tartuffe a play is about Tartuffe the man who is worshipped first by Orgon. Orgon and Madame Pernelle say that Tartuffe, a faithful, trustworthy, and church-going person, is Tartuffe. Tartuffe appears to be a dishonest and desperate beggar to the rest. Orgon wants Mariane (his daughter) to marry Tartuffe. Nobody else wants Mariane. Tartuffe attempts seduction on Orgon’s wife Elmire when he is alone. Damis, Orgon’s son, is watching through a wardrobe. Orgon is not convinced when Damis tells him about the events. Orgon decides to disinherit Damis and grant Tartuffe his rights to the estate. Elmire decides that she will expose Orgon’s lies about Tartuffe and hide him under the table so he can witness his seduction of her. Orgon is shocked to see this, and demands Orgon leave. Tartuffe, however, has taken the time to think this through. Tartuffe owns Orgon’s rights and tells the family not to return. Tartuffe threatens Orgon and says he’d give secret papers to the King if Orgon does not leave. Tartuffe, a well-known criminal, was captured by police as they arrived at Tartuffe’s estate. The story has an happy ending. The family is able to reclaim their estate and Orgon can now marry Mariane and Valere. Orgon is obsessed by Tartuffe at the start of the play. He believes Tartuffe is honest, faithful, and church-going. Orgon tells Cleante about Tartuffe’s habit of coming to church every morning / And kneeling nearby, he started to pray. Cleante may know that Tartuffe has a facade and is not a good man but Orgon refuses the offer to listen. Orgon sees the truth about Tartuffe as soon as Elmire and Tartuffe have their second encounter. Tartuffe used religion and deceit to gain gifts, housing, and rights to Orgon’s estate. Tartuffe was convinced that he could portray himself as a humble, religious person and that he would receive praise and reward. Orgon knows that Tartuffe has manipulated him, and he tells Orgon. I’m done dealing with religious men. / Thereforeforth, I’ll hate all of false brotherhood. / And persecute the people more than Satan could. Orgon is the first religious man in the play. He now says he has a complete hatred for holy men. This scene leads to the controversy with Roman Catholicism and questions about religion in France during the seventeenth century.

Roman Catholicism can be described as one of the three major branches in Christianity. Georgetown University defines Roman Catholicism (ca. 1 BC-67 CE), would become the first Bishop in Rome, a position now called the papacy. It had a profound influence on politics, schools, hospitals, and politics. According to divine right, kings and queens could be ruled by God through their divine right. King Louis XIV, also known by the Sun King, took over in 1643. France went through a period of time known as the Wars of Religion. This was a period of conflict between Roman Catholics versus Protestants. France was influenced by Calvinism, which allowed tolerance for Huguenots (or Protestants) and led to the anger of Roman Catholics. Both sides saw many people murdered which resulted in the War of Three Henrys. The French King Henry embraced Roman Catholicism, ending the war. France was still tangled up in the French Wars of Religion of the nineteenth century. Louis XIV was looking for a solution. King Louis XIV, a Roman Catholic devout, believed that it was vital to keep control over France’s people. He also persecuted any other religion that was not Catholic. You have to wonder who ruled France in the Roman Catholic Church’s colossal power over France.

It is clear that the history of Tartuffe’s production in Moliere’s time is important. Moliere completed his work and performed it in 1664 for King Louis XIV. The play was much loved by the king despite his being a Roman Catholic. He knew the play was not meant for serious consideration and was not meant to encourage anyone to disregard religion. The Roman Catholic Church was not as happy with the production. According to church leaders and authoritative figures, the play was an attack upon the religious aspects. Tartuffe was a play that exploited religious hypocrisy. The church believed that this would make people abandon Roman Catholicism.

Moliere decided to write a new play while the ban was in place. It was called Le Misanthrope in English. The Misanthrope is a comedy written to satirize humankind. It was published in 1667. The Misanthrope tells the story of Alceste, a man who doesn’t like people but is in love with Celimene. Philinte, Alceste’s best friend, is in a relationship with Eliante, Celimene’s uncle. Arsinoe & Eliante are in a relationship with Alceste. Oronte & Acaste & Clitandre love Celimene. This is not a romance triangle. Oronte is a friend of Alceste but Alceste insults Oronte’s poetry. Oronte is furious and decides to report the crime to the police. Alceste disliked the superficiality of their gossip. Oronte soon calls the police and orders Alceste to be arrested for insulting poetry. He is eventually released by the police. Arsinoe is eager to talk with Celimene about his behavior. Celimene then verbally attacks Arsinoe by saying, “I’m very deeply obliged to your for this;/ And I will immediately discharge you of the obligation,/ By telling you about my reputation.” Alceste and Arsinoe can be alone. Celimene attempts to flirt with her, but he does not care because he is infatuated with Celimene. Philinte confesses his love to Eliante by talking to him. Alceste receives a letter from Celimene in which he confesses his love for her. Alceste still loves Celimene, even though we discover that Celimene has a lot of tricks. Alceste is eventually caught by police again and is fined a lot. Acaste and Clitandre humiliate Celimene by revealing that she was playing them and is a runaround sue’. Alceste still loves her despite all the events. He asks her to come with him but she declines. Alceste then runs off on his own. Philinte and Eliante end up being together and trying to help Alceste.

The play’s criticism of Tartuffe and The Misanthrope reflected the change in Tartuffe. Tartuffe is a form social criticism. Social criticism addresses sociological and cultural issues within modern society. This usually deals in injustices. Tartuffe’s case was a criticism of religious hypocrisy in the Roman Catholic Church. The Misanthrope’s case was an example of self-criticism. The Misanthrope could be considered Moliere’s autobiography. His life is almost identical to Alceste’s. Perhaps because of the ban on his Tartuffe, Moliere is considered a misanthrope. Moliere attempted to write his plays in new ways, taking a more serious stance than Tartuffe. Moliere, who brings out human flaws which are easily accessible to every day citizens, gives his opinion about French aristocracy. The Misanthrope uses Moliere’s style to make the characters more relatable to viewers and readers. The visual representation of The Misanthrope is more static, so the audience can pay closer attention to the storyline. This appealed to both the French church and to French citizens.

Moliere was still revising Tartuffe and rewriting it while he was performing and writing The Misanthrope. Moliere was allowed to continue performing the play even though it was banned. The play’s scandal had led to increased popularity. Moliere tried to submit the play again to the public in 1667. Unfortunately, it was not allowed to be submitted. Moliere worked for years to improve his play, until finally the ban was lifted in 1669. Moliere was able perform his play and achieved great success. Tartuffe became one of his most successful masterpieces. Authors are often banned for their writing style. Moliere was able to explore new writing styles through the censorship of Tartuffe, which allowed him to create one of his most famous plays, Le Misanthrope. Moliere’s time and location allowed him to be restricted in his speech. Tartuffe was disapproved by the Roman Catholic Church, which eventually banned him from speaking for many years. Religious leaders and religion had a significant amount of authority in Europe during the seventeenth century. They were often more powerful than the king. This resulted the banning or exploitation of religious hypocrisy. Despite being banned at first, Tartuffe was later renamed Le Misanthrope and became one of Moliere’s most successful plays.

Works cited:

Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion. “Roman Catholic Church.” Georgetown University, https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/roman-catholic-church.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia foundation, 5 March. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship_in_the_United_States.

The experts at Encyclopaedia Britannica have compiled a comprehensive resource. “Wars of Religion.” Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 25 March. 2016, www.britannica.com/event/Wars-of-Religion.

Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=misanthropemeaning&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS813US813&oq=misanhropemeaning&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2666j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

Marty, Martin E., et al. “Roman Catholicism.” Encyclop?dia Britannica, Encyclop?dia Britannica, Inc., 9 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism.

Moore, Will G., & Ronald W. Tobin “Moliere.”

The Shmoop Editorial Team provides informative and educational content. “Tartuffe Summary.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/tartuffe/summary.html.

The Shmoop staff has written a variety of materials. “Tartuffe Theme of Religion.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/tartuffe/religion-theme.html.

SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/drama/misanthrope/context/.

“Tartuffe Act 5, Scene 1 Summary & Analysis.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/tartuffe/act-5-scene-1#summary-51447.

Trueman. History Learning Site History Learning Site, 17 March. 2015, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/france-in-the-seventeenth-century/louis-xiv-and-religion/.

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Elliot Jones is a 29-year-old middle school teacher and blogger. He has been writing since he was a teenager, and his writings have been featured on various websites and in magazines. He enjoys writing about education, parenting, and lifestyle topics.