Candide is a famous French satire written by the French philosopher Voltaire. In this satire, Voltaire humorously ridicules Leibniz's belief in optimism, the violence employed by the military during war, and the hypocrisy of religion. This essay aims to describe some of the techniques that Voltaire uses to satirize Leibniz through the character of Pangloss, on the military through the Bulgarian War, and on religious figures through the hypocrisy of the Grand Inquisitor and the Friar, showing how the humor is realized in the description of the characters. One of the "important" figures that Voltaire satirizes would be Leibniz and his theory of philosophical optimism. According to Leibniz, we live in the “best of all possible worlds” and Voltaire ridicules this in his novel by introducing the character of Pangloss who also believed that “things cannot be otherwise than they are: since all are created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end." (Chapter 1, p1) Throughout this novel, regardless of the misfortunes Pangloss encounters, he defends optimism by stating that "everything is for the best", then continues to justify the possible reasons for such an event. A prime example would be when Pangloss had unfortunately contracted syphilis from Paquetta, yet he believed that “it was an inevitable thing, a necessary ingredient in the best of all worlds; since if Columbus had not contracted this disease on an island in America, which contaminates the source of generation, and often prevents the propagation itself, and is evidently contrary to the great purpose of nature, we would have had neither chocolate nor cochineal." (Chapter 4, p8) The stupidity and incessant belief of Pangloss's optimism are fully displayed here as Voltaire uses the technique of irony... middle of paper... numerous figures in Candide appear to be almost all corrupt and deceitful with the exception of a few like Jacques, and the characters in Candide appear to be accustomed to such events, showing little shock at their "ungodly" behavior. This way of portraying these characters further enunciates Voltaire's views on various religious people. In conclusion, through techniques such as irony, exaggeration, parody and understatement, Voltaire effectively satirizes Leibniz, military and religious figures, mocking Leibniz's philosophy of optimism, disapproving of the brutality of the military and criticizing the hypocrisy of religious figures. Humor was achieved through irony and exaggeration which he cleverly weaved into his novel, making it much easier for readers to digest despite the novel being highly critical of his modern society, tackling many serious issues..