In the 17th century, during a time when the Enlightenment ideas were stirring, English authors and philosophers such as John Locke coined the term “pursuit of happiness”, which exemplifies the common right for every individual. This belief however, that human happiness can be achieved while simultaneously fulfilling social obligations is constantly being challenged by authors throughout the world in various periods of history. In fact, personal happiness and social responsibilities are constantly being negotiated and even further develop in relations to each other in specific historic and cultural contexts. Both the plays Tartuffe by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his playwright Molière, and the Love Suicides at Amijima by Chikamastu Monzaemon, develop a plot that explores the relevant conflicts of certain institutions such as marriage and social…show more content… The Age of Reason emphasized the ability of individuals to analyze and review concepts of society with logic and reasoning. While some of the French reacted with royal decapitation and violence, writers and thinkers incorporated Enlightenment ideologies in their works by juxtaposing them with the established conventions of patriarchy: “ Eighteenth-century thinkers analyzed, and eighteenth-century imaginative writers dramatized, intricate interchanges and conflicts between aspects of our selves.” With the ruling of society in Europe coming from a patriarchy, one established convention is evident- husbands and father’s exercised uncompromising authority over their households. While this the period of Enlightenment strived to change the focus of everyday life, Moliere established in his text, a society that is blatantly patriarchal to illustrate with logic and reason the conflicts between social responsibility and personal