A Comparative Study Of Voltaire 's And Moliere 's Views On Religion Essay

The similarities between Moliere's Tartuffe and Voltaire's Candide are primarily rooted in common Enlightenment themes. For example, in both stories the writers focus on questioning and criticizing the nature of hierarchies in our society, particularly the members of the aristocratic or upper classes rather than "common" people. In Tartuffe, Orgon and his family are members of the aristocracy. Orgon owns his estate and clearly has enough money to provide for his entire family in addition to Tartuffe and his friend. Similarly, Voltaire's story focuses on Candide, who may be missing a fraction of his aristocratic family tree, but is still considered upper class. As the story progresses, the

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere was one of the greatest writers of the seventeenth century, being considered by many the greatest author of French comedy. In his plays, called “comedies of manners”, Moliere satirizes the morals and social conventions of his contemporaneous human society by using stock characters. In Tartuffe, a comedy of five acts, the main topic is the analysis of religious hypocrisy and leader figures of the seventeenth century, portraying Tartuffe in contrast with personages like Orgon.

Voltaire’s satire contains a strong sense of witful irony and parodies meant to elicit disgust at the topics he is criticizing. “Candide’s” sense of satire is largely derived from the Juvenalian satire which was created by the Roman satirist Juvenal. By using absurdist and ironic images of characters, satirists intend to invoke disgust or laughter at a topic to the point where it is rejected a legitimate. Thi is the point with Voltaire’s mockery of optimism in “Candide”.

oltaire’s Candide provides an Enlightenment religious and social critique of the Old Regime though satire. In Candide, Voltaire depicts the hypocrisy of the religious leaders during the Old Regime time period along with the criticizing the idea that reason can overcome social turmoil.

Moliere's Tartuffe is a satire based on religious hypocrisy. Every character is essential in Tartuffe. All of the characters play an important role, but it is easy to say that Tartuffe and Orgon are the main characters. First, we must know the definition of satire. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, satire is defined as "literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn" ("satire"). In other words, a satire is defined as literary work that uses humor to point out the foolishness of a person or just in human nature. Religious hypocrisy can be self-defined as a false assumption of a person. What follows are examples of how I believe Tartuffe exposes humor

In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century.  Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism.

After 1688, England became a constitutional monarchy under the rule of Mary and William. English society evolved from embracing the absolute monarchy to one that introduces new thought processes and beliefs. In Voltaire’s Letters on England, he contributes the development of England to its respectable regards toward religion, governmental systems, and scientific advancements. He contrasts these practices with those of the less respectable Frenchmen, and reveals the different outcomes of the two nations.

In Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” although many things and behaviors are satirized, the play focuses mainly on the issue of religious hypocrisy. Whereas Tartuffe is the obvious hypocrite and

Deception has a knack for composing persuasive theories and convincing fraudulence. Both Tartuffe and Pangloss seemed to have mastered this art of deceitfulness; however, the culprits went about their coaxing with extremely different techniques. The exposition and resolution are key sections to review in order to analyze the differences in the perpetrators. The beginning of Moliere’s Tartuffe and Voltaire’s Candide set up foundations for establishing both character’s supposed motivation for ambiguous philosophies. Tartuffe and Pangloss are polar opposites when it comes to expressing their knowledge and motivation, as well as articulating their reaction to the possible exposition of a false belief system.

Tartuffe by Moliere is a play that is centered on the theme of hypocrisy and religion. However, in this case, religion has been utilized as a contrivance to expose the duplicity of the characters. More so, the play comprises several unique characters, Tartuffe being the protagonist, hence his name being used as the title of the drama (Moliere 28). Apparently, hypocrisy is somewhat slippery, but to some individuals it is evident. For instance, Tartuffe is being regarded as a hypocrite because it is apparent through his actions. Besides, the whole play is focused on him, and as one reads through, it is easy to notice his pretense. Simultaneously, insincerity goes hand in hand with dishonesty; Tartuffe is portraying a false image. Even though

How did Voltaire exploit the pre-modern era through mockery and criticism of 18th century society?

In his novel Candide, Voltaire often criticized religious beliefs of the times. His criticism of religion surfaces throughout the entire story. The kindness of the Anabaptist that Candide met showed the silliness of religious prejudices. The old woman's story of her father, Pope Urban X, and the life of wealth she lived as a child shows the corruption of the Catholic clergy. Finally, the conversation Candide and Cacambo had with the old man in Eldorado shows the benefits of a simple religion, a contrast of the European religions of the time.

Voltaire does this by presenting to the reader fleeting examples of religion in a pure form but ensuring that it does not reappear. For instance in Chapter 3, the reader meets L’Anabaptiste Jacques, who shows Candide kindness and compassion that L’Orateur, who punishes Candide for ‘believing that Pope is the antichrist,’ does not. He dies in Chapter 4 and, while Pangloss and Le Baron de Thunder-ten-tronckh are miraculously resurrected, L’Anabaptiste Jacques is not. Similarly, Voltaire presents religion in its ideal form through Eldorado. During Candide’s visit there, he finds that there are no priests, and his reaction of, ‘Quoi! vous n'avez point de moines… qui disputent, qui gouvernent, qui cabalent, et qui font brûler les gens qui ne sont pas de leur avis?’ (page 42-3) is almost comical. As the sage replies that each man is a priest, implying that every person in Eldorado has an individual connection with God, the comedy in Candide’s interpretation further highlights his naivety. Here, it could be said that this is a more positive form disillusion as Candide learns of a way of religion purer than the one he has known and readily accepted. However, the fact that he abandons Eldorado in pursuit of Cunégonde, combined with the idea that he will not be able to return there demonstrates that he, or any other people on earth for that matter, does not have the spiritual strength to practice it himself. The purity of religion in Eldorado also serves as the criticism of the attitudes of the armies at war in Chapter 3; Gaillard writes, ‘La leçon se dégage toute seule de chaque chapître. Au lieu de prier la divinité qu’elle les délivre du mal… que les humains… regardent en faces les horreurs qu’ils s’infligent et qu’ils en tirent les conséquences. Hommes, délivrez-vous du mal, aidez-vous

Religion also comes under satirical attack in Candide. Voltaire uses Candide's experiences to illustrate hypocrisy within the church. In chapter 24 of Candide, brother Giroflee tells Candide that his life as a monk is miserable. Brother Giroflee tells Candide that he was forced into his position as a monk, which gives the underlying message that members of the clergy are not truly dedicated to God. Brother Giroflee also makes the statement, "Jealousy, faction, and fury spring up, by natural law, within the walls of convents"(Voltaire 1602). Voltaire demonstrates his view that monks and nuns no better than the common sinner. From the standpoint that we live in the best of all possible worlds, the ideas of jealousy, faction, and fury should have no place inside the walls of convents. This is a round about way for Voltaire to say that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds.

Candide was one of Voltaire’s major works, and is considered the most important by many historians and literary analysts. Throughout Candide, there are many scathing attacks, mostly through satire, irony, and absurd characters (Voltaire). Candide explores the hypocrisy that was rampant in the Church. Voltaire writes about the inhumanity of the clergy, most notably the Inquisitor, in hanging his fellow citizens over mere philosophical differences. The Inquisitor in Candide orders the flogging of Candide for merely “listening with an air of approval” (“Voltaire | Author and Philosopher”). Church officials are depicted as being the most sinful characters of all. Voltaire directly attacks the Church using examples of the hypocrites that could often be found within the Church at that time. Attacks against the