Irony And Humor Essay Research Paper Essay

Irony And Humor Essay, Research Paper

Essay 1

02/08/99

Page 01

Two popular writing techniques used by many of the enlightenment’s great were irony and

humor. Great writers such as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Moliere and Francois-Marie Arouet De

Voltaire made excellent use of these techniques. With humor, both writers wrote stories which

kept their audience involved in funny situations, while with irony the writers were able to explain

their underlying messages. Born seventy-two years apart, they are a superb example of how these

techniques were carried out over time. Moliere’s Tartuffe and Voltaire’s Candide are classic

texts, which unmask man and society through their clever dark comedy. After reading these two

works, one will undoubtedly see how similar the two author’s perceptions were during this great

awakening.

Moliere’s Tartuffe is a great ironic story centered on one man’s family and the trials

and tribulations throughout their household. The protagonist in Tartuffe is Orgon. Orgon is

portrayed as an over-trusting fool. He is over concerned with his beloved guest to such great

extent that he becomes blind to the obvious fallacies that stand before him. As said in scene

two by Dorine, “. . . but he’s quite lost his senses since he fell beneath Tartuffe’s infatuating

spell. He calls him brother, and loves him as his life, preferring him to mother, child, or wife,”

Orgon has put his family and the truth aside from him and has lost his reason (21-22). It is

Orgon’s state of mind which this story actually thrives upon. Without the fool, there is no one to

take advantage of.

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Similarly, Voltaire’s Candide is an ironic story centered on one man’s trials and tribulations

through life. The protagonist in the story is Candide. Candide is portrayed as a heartbroken

wanderer. Unlike Orgon, he is not an outright fool. He is over concerned with the loss of his

beloved to such great extent that he becomes easily mistreated and hopelessly lost. The reader

can feel a pity for Candide that he cannot equate with Orgon. Very early in chapter 2 it states,

“. . . [Candide] wandered for a long time without knowing where he was going, weeping, raising

his eyes to heaven,” which foreshadows how the rest of the story will unfold (338). Like in

Tartuffe, it is Candide’s state of mind in which this story also thrives upon. Without losing

something great, there can be no reward for finding something great.

Everyone has put faith in something while losing sight of the truth, but hopefully not to the

extent that Orgon did. Also everyone has chased a lost cause, or perhaps has lost more than

gained, but not to the extent that Candide did. Both Moliere and Voltaire set up their stories with

realistic protagonists, ones whom the reader can empathize with, but who are set to extreme

natures.

Every protagonist has to have an antagonist; David had Goliath, The People have The

Government, and Batman has The Joker. Of course, when you have a fool as great as Orgon, the

antagonists in the story will be near infinite. However, Orgon had three main antagonists to

look at. In Tartuffe, Orgon’s most important antagonist is himself. In order to believe the amount

of lies that he did, Orgon had to convince himself to throw away his own self reason and

common sense. In act three from scene five, Orgon’s son Damis catches Tartuffe in the act of

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seducing Orgon’s wife (45). But of course, Orgon cannot believe what he does not want to

believe, so he dismisses Damis’ claim as slander. Tartuffe is Orgon’s most apparent antagonist.

He is the one who is held the highest by Orgon, but in actuality he is the one directly lying to

him. The last of the important antagonists to Orgon is his housemaid Dorine. She is constantly

trying to tell him how foolish he is being. Orgon actually has the most physical confrontation

with her than of all the rest. In act two from scene two, Orgon takes a swing at Dorine to shut her

mouth (32). He cannot stand her sarcastic way of speaking to him, but it is only in this manner

that she gets him to answer for his behavior.

Also so, when you have a setting as vast as Candide’s, the antagonists in the story will be

near infinite. However, Candide had three main antagonists as well. In Voltaire’s Candide,

Candide’s most important antagonist is also himself. Candide is cursed from the beginning of the

story until the end because he is determined to get back his true love. His true love, Cunegonde,

plays a very similar role to Tartuffe in robbing Candide of his senses. Candide becomes so

enraptured with the thought of finding Cunegonde again, he is taken advantage of and all his

fortune is stolen from him (372). Candide’s quest became a great antagonist for him; life itself

was against him. His story was almost epic and thus led him to encounter many obstacles.

everywhere he went seemed to become a challenge. Whether i

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