The major characters in Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid and Tartuffe suffer from delusions and associated symptoms that determine their frantic behavior, exaggerated misconceptions, and distorted perspectives. Their delusions subordinate intelligence, rationality, and will power and turn them into social stereotypes that satirize in comedy the excesses and compulsions of French society. Readers should discriminate, as Arthur Reber cautions, illusions, delusions, and hallucinations. Misperceptions may be merely mistakes; hallucinations are often a symptom of schizophrenia, organic lesions, or chemical distortion. Delusions, on the other hand, may be both irrational but in some ways self-serving. Thus, a person or a whole family may stand deluded against self-evident truth because they do not want to have their opinions and egos mussed up.
Moliere's "The Imaginary Invalid" is a hypochondriac so obsessed with his real and delusory health and money difficulties that he constantly puts his delusions of about this own health and primary that he ignores his family. Argon's delusions that his body is falling to rack and ruin The apothecary adds up the bills, but Toinette, the maid, seems to be the only person in the household to refute Argon's somatic complaints. His whining obsession with his health, moreover, enables him to demand the center of attention and to make other persons subservient to his aches and his imagination.
Argon is a hypochondriac by rebutting everything he says about his doctors and illnesses with sarcastic comments. When Argon says, "You leave my insides alone." She comes back with, "I wish you would. You'd be a different man." ( ).
The tight-fisted hypochondriac, tries to marry his daughter, Angelique, to a medical student, hoping to acquire unlimited free care consultation..
Argan even feigns death to test his wife's affection only to discover her contempt. Finally the
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