Evan Koehler Tartuffe response.

Tartuffe is very sophisticated for the 17th century. The dialogue is realistic (to the degree that dramatic dialogue can be), the characters are specific and organic; the issues are modern. The ending was absolute garbage, but, even so, in some cheap way, it’s redeeming. I did not believe Orgon’s early zeal for Tartuffe was unbelievable (in the exact meaning of the word) and the disrespect of the servants was something I found unbelievable and unrealistic as well. I found the sporadic rhyming entertaining and impressive; the play has realistic dialogue, but there’s still well-placed and timed lyricism going on. The play is definitely paternal, but the female characters---especially Dorine and Elmire---have power and are important in the plot’s advancement. I keep finding temporal problems in plays (It might be that I’m looking for them now), but I found one with regard to the proposed wedding’s planning. These don’t really bother me when I’m reading, but there could be some annoyances if I were watching the play. Or maybe the other way around. There’s a huge problem---which I already alluded to---with regard to the ending, which I’m guessing is the most cited of this play’s parts. The ending does a disservice to play; I really balked when I read the ending. I understand that messages like those (the moral, religious, ethical messages) are part of virtually all plays prior to the 20th century, but the ending is the most important part of written art and I keep remembering how bad the ending was