Moliere's dramatic play “Tartuffe” is considerably one of his best written works of all time. The play Tartuffe, written in 1664, takes place during the Restoration era. During this period of the Restoration, women were expected to be under the authority of a man. Women were expected to take care of their husbands and children and never speak for themselves. It is clear that Molière wrote the play with the components of male patriarchy to convey the difference between men and women at that time. However, once the reader begins to delve deeper into the play, one can notice that Elmire's character is radically ahead of his time. In the play Tartuffe, the character of Elmire can be defined as an independent and strong feminist who questioned the role of women during the Restoration era. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay The Restoration period took place across Europe, including France, where Tartuffe was written, in the 1600s. Moliére used the Restoration to spark the controversial topic of feminism in his play using Elmire. From the first act of the play, the reader can already recognize that Elmire is distinguished from other women by the way she dresses and how she spends her money. In the first act, it is Madame Pernelle who gives the reader a glimpse of the difference between Elmire and the women of their society: “Behavior like yours leads straight to hell. You spend money like it grows on trees, then you carry it on your back in clothes like these Are you a princess? No? You are dressed like one! We wonder who you are dressing for, not my son.” Madame Pernelle is a stuck-up and traditional woman. Madame Pernelle gives us insight into how she feels and considers Elmire a rebel. When she mentions Elmire's clothes, it is clear that in this era, women are expected to hide their bodies from others. From here, it can make the reader understand that Elmire's character does what makes her comfortable and others in society do not. Elmire doesn't care if her breasts are visible because she wants her actions and words to speak louder than her body. Another major movement of Elmire's character in the play occurred in act four. Elmire set up an elaborate plan to prove to her husband that it was indeed Tartuffe who was lying and being deceitful. Elmire is not one to be taunted or bothered because she believes in truth and equality. Elmire is determined to make her voice heard after Tartuffe tries to drag her into a scandal for his own desire. However, Orgon initially does not believe his side of the story. He believes that Tartuffe is loyal to Orgon. “Obviously, I have to give in to you, because, it seems, you are a person who refuses to believe anything I say. Only a living testimony can convey the truth of passion here, no more, no less. » At this point in the play, one might believe that Elmire was trying to prove that in their time, men did not listen to women and that they should do so because women have something to say. In this part of the play, I believe it was a not-so-subtle hint for Orgon to listen to his wife rather than someone he didn't really know. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essaySubsequently, Elmire played an important role in revealing the role of women and men in society.