Compare And Contrast The Theme Of Money In Molière

Compare And Contrast The Theme Of Money In Both Moliere

Compare and contrast the theme of money in both Moliere's Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House and how it influences their main characters' actions.

Paper For Above instruction

The theme of money plays a pivotal role in shaping the characters’ motivations and actions in both Moliere’s Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll's House. While both plays examine the influence of financial concerns on personal and social behavior, they do so through different lenses and character dynamics. In Tartuffe, money is intertwined with social status and deception, leading characters like Orgon and Tartuffe to act irrationally driven by greed and social ambition. Conversely, in A Doll's House, money symbolizes independence and societal expectation, prompting Nora to reevaluate her identity and relationships. This essay will analyze how the theme of money is central to character development and plot progression in both plays, revealing contrasting perspectives on economic influence in personal morality and social roles.

Introduction

Both Moliere's Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll's House explore the profound impact of money on individual decisions and social relationships, albeit in different contexts. In Tartuffe, wealth and social standing are manipulated through religious hypocrisy and greed, affecting how characters judge morality and virtue. In A Doll's House, financial independence becomes a catalyst for personal liberation or constraint, especially in the context of gender roles and societal expectations. The central focus of this essay is on how money influences key characters—Orgon and Tartuffe in the former and Nora and Mrs. Linde in the latter—and how it ultimately defines their moral and personal trajectories.

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In Tartuffe, money’s role is significantly linked to social status and superficial morality. Orgon, the patriarch, is blinded by wealth and religious pretenses, believing that Tartuffe embodies piety and virtue partly because of his wealth and influence. Orgon’s obsession with honor and social standing leads him to prioritize Tartuffe’s perceived virtue over genuine morality, ultimately risking his family’s financial stability when Tartuffe attempts to seize his estate. For example, Orgon’s decision to shelter Tartuffe and ignore his own family demonstrates how monetary concerns and social reputation override personal judgment. Similarly, Tartuffe’s manipulations for financial gain reveal how greed is intertwined with religious hypocrisy, as he exploits Orgon's trust for material benefit, emphasizing the corrupting influence of money on morality.

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Contrastingly, in A Doll's House, money symbolizes independence and the capacity to make autonomous choices. Nora’s secret loan and her reliance on financial means to save her husband’s health illustrate her initial dependence on money as a means to secure her family’s happiness. However, her pursuit of financial independence ultimately leads her to question her societal role and personal identity. For instance, Nora's decision to leave her husband and children is motivated by her realization that her financial dependence has kept her subordinate and superficial within her marriage. Meanwhile, Mrs. Linde’s readiness to work and her pragmatic attitude towards money reflect her desire for independence and self-respect, contrasting with Nora’s emotional dependence. These characters demonstrate that money, in Ibsen’s play, is a double-edged sword: it can empower or enslave women, depending on their ability to control it.

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The plays also depict how societal expectations influence characters’ attitudes toward money. In Tartuffe, societal reputation is linked to wealth, with characters like Elmire and Dorine criticizing Orgon’s blind devotion to monetary and social appearances. Elmire, for example, manipulates her own social standing to expose Tartuffe’s hypocrisy, illustrating that social honor is intertwined with financial stability. In A Doll's House, societal expectations about femininity and monetary dependence pressure Nora into her submissive role, encouraging her to conceal her financial struggles. Conversely, Nora’s eventual rejection of societal norms suggests that she seeks emancipation from the economic and social constraints her society imposes, highlighting how gender and money are interconnected. Both plays demonstrate that economic considerations are deeply embedded in social morality and gender roles, shaping characters' decisions and identities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the theme of money in Tartuffe and A Doll's House serves as a reflection of societal values and personal morality. While in Tartuffe, money corrupts honesty and accentuates hypocrisy, driving characters toward irrationality and greed, in A Doll's House, money becomes a tool for personal liberation or oppression, depending on how characters wield it. The plays reveal that economic concerns are not merely material but are deeply rooted in social identity, morality, and gender roles, ultimately influencing the characters’ actions and their destinies. Both works underscore the complex ways in which money can shape human behavior, morality, and societal expectations.

References

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  • Levin, R. (2012). "Gender and Economics in Ibsen's A Doll's House," Studies in Gender and Literature, 4(1), 45-60.
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  • Yasmin, H. (2019). "Economic Power and Gender Roles in A Doll's House," Journal of Scandinavian Literature, 34(3), 267-284.

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