s pain.” (1.5.15 – 21) Orgon was so vexed by Tartuffe that he disowned his only born son and made Tartuffe his only heir. “This very day, I’ll give to you alone / clear deed and title to everything I own.” (3.7.37 – 38) Had Orgon trusted and cared more for his family, he may have been spared the complete humiliation he suffered at the hands of Tartuffe. His family had come second to his public image. Even after believing he had lost all his possessions the thing he was most worried about was, “That strong-box has me utterly upset; / This is the worst of many, many shocks.” (5.1.4 – 5) The image-tarnishing secret was out. In the end everyone in town knew of the papers and of Orgon’s being completely duped by Tartuffe. In the 2000’s a society exists in which social conventions hold individuals more responsible for their public images than for their private lives. An individual is deemed worthy or unworthy by the image they project in their public lives. This is true now as it was then, only in the eyes of the beholder. One can live one’s life to the specifications of society if that is his/her choice. Works Cited Moliere, Jean – Baptiste Poquelin. Tartuffe. Reprinted in The Anthology of World Masterpieces: The Western Tradition. Seventh Edition, Volume 2. Edited by Sarah Lawall, et.al. NY: Norton and Co., 1999, 11- 68...
