Introduction
Moliere and Henrik Ibsen in their plays Tartuffe and A Doll's House respectively cover the significant issues affecting the society and, importantly, the theme of money and power. Even in the modern world, wealth and power affect how people behave. Moliere and Henrik Ibsen have demonstrated how money affects how the characters in the play make decisions and relate to each other. In pursuit of money, the characters in plays Tartuffe and A Doll's House lie, fight and deceive each other. Money is used not only to gain a good reputation and respect in society but also to get happiness. The essay will cover how Moliere and Henrik Ibsen demonstrated the effect that the obsession with money has on people's lives through some of the characters in the plays. In the plays Tartuffe and A Doll's House, money is a means to happiness and power; thus, it affects people’s lives, decisions, and actions.
In the plays, Tartuffe and A Doll's House, the relationship between money and power is direct because people with money have control in the lives of those who do not have money. Both plays express the power that having money can bring to the ones with more money in the society. For example, in A Doll's House, the character Torvald Helmer controls the life of Nora Helmer, his wife. Nora has no option but to do as Torvald Helmer requires her to do (Ibsen, 2008). Torvald Helmer does this because Nora depends on him for financial support in her life. Torvald works as a bank manager. As such, he makes good money for his family. Therefore, he mistreats his wife, Nora, who does not mind the mistreatment of her husband. A clear indication of the power that money gives to people like Torvald Helmer due to their deep pockets. Comparably, in Moliere's Tartuffe, Orgon is presented as an extravagant person who was formerly respected in society. But upon retiring from this job, Orgon becomes a person with little regard to the opinion of other people in the community and his family. His vast riches make him uncontrollable. When he discovers that Tartuffe was deceiving him, he swears to punish all religious and deceitful people like Tartuffe. Both plays demonstrate the extremes in which the ones with more money in society can control others.
In both Moliere's Tartuffe and Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, money is used to express happiness, kindness, and generosity to others. In Moliere's Tartuffe, Orgon, a rich man, extends a helping hand to Tartuffe. Tartuffe introduces himself as a religious person. Orgon decides to help Tartuffe even though he knew very little about him. Orgon also permitted him to live with his family for a longer time. Orgon's family was opposed to the idea because they saw Tartuffe as a deceitful person who was only pretending to be useful (Moliere, 2018). Orgon goes ahead and even tries to get his daughter to marry Mariane to marry Tartuffe. Therefore, Moliere uses the play to show that people with wealth can use it to express kindness to others in the community. Organ’s money allowed him to accommodate Tartuffe comfortably. In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, wealth is used to signify happiness as witnessed when Nora Helmer tells her friend Kristine Linde about her husband’s new job as the manager of Mutual Bank (Ibsen, 2008). Nora is pleased about his husband's new job because it will enable the family to live a proper life. She even says that the situation will change her life and that her children. Nora is happy to help her friend and promises to talk to Torvald Helmer, her husband, and inquire whether he can help Kristine get a job in his firm.
Moliere and Henrik Ibsen have demonstrated how money affects how the characters in the two plays make decisions and relate to each other. In A Doll's House, money is why the marriage of Torvald Helmer and Nora Helmer finally breaks. Nora Helmer secretly owed Krogstad money. She had borrowed the money to finance their trip to Italy due to Torvald’s sickness due to work. The doctors needed Torvald to go to a place with a warmer climate, but they could not afford it. Nora decided to borrow the money, but she did not reveal where she got the money. As a result, she had to lie to her husband, again and again, to cover her lies. Finally, when Nora did not pay Krogstad in time, he approached her, and Torvald learned of her lies (Ibsen, 2008). Torvald was angry for the deception from his wife, and he felt that she does not deserve to be near their children. Their marriage was broken due to Nora’s lies about where she had gotten the money and her failure to pay the debt she owed Krogstad. In Moliere's Tartuffe, money leads to betrayal and hypocrisy. Tartuffe pretended to be a religious person in need. Orgon fell for Tartuffe’s schemes and offered him accommodation in his home. Orgon refused to listen to the advice from his family members and friends regarding Tartuffe's real intention good (Moliere, 2018). Later, Orgon learned of Tartuffe's true nature, but it was already too late by then. Tartuffe had already stolen from Orgon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, money is a means to happiness and power; thus, it affects people's lives, the decisions they make, and their actions, as demonstrated in the plays Tartuffe and A Doll's House. Money enables some people to control the lives of those who are not privileged with cash. For example, in the play, A Doll's House Torvald has the power to treat his wife like a 'child' Nora because she is dependent on him for financial assistance. Money also makes people betray each other, thus ending relationships. This is demonstrated in Moliere's Tartuffe when Orgon, who is a rich man, extends a helping hand to Tartuffe, who turns out to be deceiving them. Tartuffe is a hypocrite who is only after the old man's wealth.
