How
masterful
you were!
World's Greatest Books - Volume 17 - Poetry and Drama
Am I not your Marie?
DIDIER: Marie? Or Marion de Lorme?
MARION: Didier,
Forgive me! I--I--meant to tell you all.
I feared to lose you if you learnt my name.
You had redeemed me by your love. I longed
To raise all memories of my former self,
And live a new life with you, Didier.
For, oh, I love you, and I love you still,
Deeply and truly! Didier, be kind,
Or you will kill me!
DIDIER: How have you obtained
This favour for me? Why is Laffemas
Risking his neck by letting me escape?
MARION: Not now! I cannot tell you now!
Fly! Fly!
Hark, they are coming! Do not stop to speak.
Save yourself!
DIDIER: No; I have no wish to live!
Thank God, here is the headsman!
[_A_ HEADSMAN, _carrying his axe, appears with a crowd
of soldiers, officials, and_ SAVERNY.
MARION (_falling to the earth_): Didier!
SAVERNY: What a shame
To rob me of my sleep!
THE HEADSMAN (_grimly_): The time has come
To put you both to bed.
SAVERNY (_gaily_): A headsman! Good!
I like the axe much better than the rope.
DIDIER (_embracing him_): Good-bye, my friend!
MARION (_clinging to him_): And me! Didier, me!
Will you not say good-bye to me?
DIDIER (_wildly, as the soldiers drag him off_): No! No!
My heart is breaking! Oh, Marie, Marie!
I love you. I was wrong!
MARION: You pardon me?
DIDIER: I ask your pardon. Think of me sometimes.
Good-bye, my darling. [_He is dragged behind the wall. _
AN OFFICIAL (_catching_ MARION _in his arms as she falls_):
All hope is not lost.
Look, here is Richelieu! Go and plead with him.
[_The castle guns are fired. The cloth, hiding the great
breach in the wall, drops. The_ CARDINAL _comes
in his gigantic scarlet litter, borne by twenty-four
footguards. Scarlet curtains conceal him from the
shouting mob. _
MARION (_dragging herself on her knees to the litter_):
In the name of God, oh, my Lord Cardinal,
Pardon these two poor boys!
A VOICE (_from the litter_): No pardon!
[_The litter passes on, and the crowd surges through the
wall after it_. MARION _is left alone. _
FOOTNOTES:
[J] Victor Hugo wrote "Marion de Lorme" in 1829, three months
before he composed "Hernani. " King Charles X. , however, refused to
license the play, because of the terrible way in which his ancestor,
Louis XIII. , was portrayed in it. But after the Revolution of 1830,
and the success of "Hernani," the forbidden drama was produced on the
stage. Its original title was "A Duel Under Richelieu. " The whole play
is built around the frustrated duel in which two young men engage
against the edict of the great cardinal. This economy of stage-craft
makes "Marion de Lorme" a superior work, in point of construction, to
"Hernani. " And though it may be less picturesque than that more famous
example of the romantic drama, it is on the whole a finer effort of
genius.
Ruy Blas[K]
_Persons in the Drama_
DON SALLUST DE BAZAN, _President of the Magistrates_
RUY BLAS, _Lackey to Don Sallust_
DON CESAR DE BAZAN, _Cousin to Don Sallust_
DON MANUEL ARIAS }_Counsellors_
THE COUNT OF CAMPOREAL }
DOONA MARIA, Queen of Spain
_A crowd of_ Spanish Grandees, Counsellors, _and_
Alguazils
ACT I
SCENE--_A room in the palace of King Charles II. , at Madrid, about
1695. _
DON SALLUST: So, after twenty years of constant toil,
And twenty years of honour and high power,
The weak hand of a woman strikes me down
Into the dust. Dishonoured and exiled!
And by the queen, a foolish, foreign girl
Ignorant of our ways, who has no fear
Because she has no knowledge. Had she guessed
I had so many weapons of revenge
That I am now perplexed which one to use,
She would have been more careful. Poisoning,
Of course, is easy; and when she was dead
I could retrieve the power that I have lost.
But I would rather crush and conquer her
Some other way; make her a very slave
Obedient to my slightest wish, and rule
The country in her name. The king is mad,
And she will soon be regent. (_Calling_) Ruy Blas!
RUY BLAS (_appearing at the door_): Sir?
DON SALLUST: Order my men to gather up and pack
My papers, books and documents! I leave
The palace at the break of day. But you
Must wait here till the queen comes through this room
At morning, on her way to mass. Who's that?
[DON CESAR _enters, and he and_ RUY BLAS _look at
each other in surprise. Then, seeing he is not
wanted, the lackey departs. _
DON CESAR: Well, here I am, dear cousin! Have you found,
After a search of twenty years, a post
Worthy of me? Upon the principle
Of setting thieves to capture thieves, I'd make
A splendid captain of your alguazils!
DON SALLUST: I know all your remarkable exploits,
My cousin. Were I not chief magistrate,
Your murders, thefts, and acts of brigandage
Would long since have been punished, and Don Cesar,
Count of Garofa--
DON CESAR: He died years ago.
I now am Zafari.
DON SALLUST: Zafari can die,
And Cesar, Count of Garofa, revive,
And dazzle all the ladies of the court
With his fine presence, and the wealth I'll give,
If he will serve me, as a cousin should,
Boldly and faithfully.
DON CESAR: Ah, this sounds well.
Give me a hundred ducats to begin,
And I am your man! What do you want of me?
Some rival quietly despatched?
DON SALLUST: I need
A daring, gallant and ambitious man
To help me to avenge myself.
DON CESAR: On whom?
DON SALLUST: A woman.
DON CESAR: I have fallen very low,
Don Sallust, but I have not come to that.
Murder may be my trade, but to bring down
A woman by a dastardly intrigue
Is something I would never stoop to do!
I am a wolf, maybe, but not a snake!
DON SALLUST: Give me your hand, my cousin! You have come
Out of the ordeal I prepared for you
Better than I expected.
DON CESAR: Then this plot
Against a woman----
DON SALLUST: Merely was a test.
I'll give you now the money you require.
A hundred ducats, was it? I will fetch them.
[_He departs, and signs to_ RUY BLAS _to enter. _
DON CESAR: I knew you in your strange disguise, Ruy Blas.
What are you doing here?
RUY BLAS: Ah, Zafari!
Hunger has now compelled me to adopt
The livery of a lackey. Don Sallust
To-night engaged me as his servitor,
And brought me here. And I came, Zafari,
Because---- (_He hesitates. _)
DON CESAR: You wanted food!
RUY BLAS: No. It was love
I hungered for.
DON CESAR: There are some pretty maids
In this great palace.
RUY BLAS: I am mad, mad, mad!
I am in love, Zafari, with the queen--
I, a lackey. Night after night I creep
Into the royal park, and leave some flowers
Upon her favourite seat. This evening
I put a letter with them.
DON CESAR: My poor friend,
You certainly are mad!
DON SALLUST (_opening the door slightly and pointing
out_ DON CESAR _to three armed alguazils as he
whispers_): That is the man. Arrest him when he leaves.
And kill him quickly. [_He then enters the room, and
gives a purse to_ DON CESAR, _saying:_ Here is what
you want.
Call on me to-morrow.
DON CESAR (_giving_ RUY BLAS _half the ducats_):
Come with me.
Be a free man again.
DON SALLUST (_in an aside_): The devil!
RUY BLAS (_refusing the money_): No;
I never shall be a free man again.
My heart is captive; I must stay on here.
DON CESAR: Well, each man to his fate. Your hand, old friend!
[_After shaking hands, he goes out--to his doom. _
DON SALLUST: No one has seen you yet, I think, Ruy Blas,
Clad in this livery?
RUY BLAS: No one, my lord.
DON SALLUST: Good! Shut the doors, and put on this attire.
[_Bringing out the costume of a nobleman of high
rank, he helps his lackey to dress in it. _
Splendid! You have a very gallant air,
And you will make a perfect nobleman.
Now listen. I've your interests at heart,
And if you will obey me faithfully,
You shall succeed in all that you desire.
But stay. There is a letter I must send
Before I leave Madrid. Write it for me.
[RUY BLAS _sits down at the table, and_ DON SALLUST
_dictates to him:_
"My life is in great danger. You alone
Can save me. Come this evening to my house.
No one will recognise you if you use
The side-door by the corner. " Now sign it
"Cesar," the name I commonly employ
In love affairs.
RUY BLAS: Shall I address the note?
DON SALLUST: Ah, no! I must deliver it myself.
Hark! There is someone coming. 'Tis the Queen!
[_Dragging_ RUY BLAS _with him, he opens the door,
and says to the noblemen surrounding the_ QUEEN:
Allow me to present to you, my friends,
Don Cesar, Count of Garofa, my cousin.
ACT II
SCENE. --_The Hall of Government in the palace at Madrid, six months
after. The Privy Counsellors are sitting,--among them_
DON MANUEL ARIAS _and the_ COUNT OF CAMPOREAL.
DON MANUEL: How quickly he has climbed to supreme power!
General Secretary, Minister,
And now Duke of Olmedo!
CAMPOREAL: It is strange,
A cousin of that fallen president,
Don Sallust, could have won to such a height
Within six months!
DON MANUEL: The queen reigns over us
And he reigns, over her.
CAMPOREAL: That is not so.
Don Cesar never sees the queen alone.
I know it. I have had them watched by spies.
They shun each other. Do you know, he lives
By Tormez mansion, in a shuttered house,
With two black mutes to wait on him?
DON MANUEL: Two mutes!
He is, indeed, a terrible, strange man.
And now to business! We must re-arrange
Some of the taxes and monopolies.
We want a fair division.
[_All the_ COUNSELLORS _seat themselves. _
A COUNSELLOR: I must have
The salt monopoly.
CAMPOREAL: No; that is mine!
You have the tax upon the trade in slaves.
I'll change that for the arsenic, if you like.
[RUY BLAS _has entered at the beginning of the dispute:
after listening some time he comes forward_.
RUY BLAS: You vile, rapacious gang of quarrelling thieves!
What! Can you rob the dead? Here by the grave
Of the great empire that was Spain, you sit,
Like greedy vultures, preying on her corpse!
We were the conquerors of the world, but now
Our army dwindled to four thousand men
That never get their arms, their food, their pay,
Is but a mob of brigands, and they live
By pillaging their wretched countrymen.
Our hardy peasantry is crushed beneath
A load of taxes and monopolies,
But not a ducat of the revenue
Is spent on Spain. Bankrupt in wealth and power,
Dead to all sense of honour, justice, right,
She lies, while you, you foul hyenas, snarl
Over her stricken body.
[_Turning to the_ COUNT OF CAMPOREAL, _and the_ COUNSELLOR
_who was quarrelling with him, he says sternly:_
Let me not see
Either of you again at court.
[_As they depart_, RUY BLAS _speaks to the other consternated_
COUNSELLORS:
Every man
Who will not serve Spain honestly must go.
If there are any who will work with me
In building up our country's power and fame,
On equal laws for rich and poor alike,
I shall be pleased to meet them in this room
In two hours' time.
[_All the_ COUNSELLORS _go out, bowing low to_ RUY
BLAS _as they pass by him. When he is alone, the_
QUEEN _comes from behind the tapestry; her face
is radiant with joy. _
THE QUEEN: You spoke to them as I would like to speak
Were I a man. Oh, let me take, dear Duke,
This loyal hand, so strong, and so sincere.
RUY BLAS: How did you hear me, madam?
THE QUEEN (_showing a secret door_): In this place
That Philip made to watch his counsellors.
How often have I seen poor Carlos here,
Listening to the villains robbing him,
And ruining the state!
RUY BLAS: What did he say?
THE QUEEN: Nothing, but it drove him mad at last.
But you!
How masterful you were! The voice
With which you thundered still rings in my ears.
I raised the tapestry to look at you.
You towered above them terrible and great,
A king of men! What was it that inspired
Such fury in you?
RUY BLAS: Love for you, my queen!
If Spain falls, you will fall with it. But I
Will save it for your sake. Oh, I am mad!
I love you! Love you with a love that eats
The life out of me! God! What shall I do?
Die? Shall I die? Pardon me! Pardon me!
THE QUEEN: No, live! Live for your country, and your queen!
Both of us need you. For the last six months
I have been watching from my hiding-place
Your struggle with my treacherous counsellors,
And seeing in you the master-mind of Spain, have, without
consulting you, advanced
Your interests. And now your strong, pure hands
Grasp all the reins of government and power,
Perform the work entrusted unto you!
Rescue our people from their misery.
Raise Spain up from her grave; restore to her
The strength that made her empress of the world;
And love me as I love you--
RUY BLAS: Oh, my queen!
THE QUEEN: With a pure, steady, honourable love,
Working and waiting with a patient heart
Till I am free to marry you. Farewell!
[_She kisses him on the brow, and departs by the secret
door. _
ACT III
SCENE. --_A small, dark room in the house lent by_ DON SALLUST _to_ RUY
BLAS. _It is late at night, and_ RUY BLAS _is pacing up and
down in a state of wild agitation. _
RUY BLAS: I only am a pawn with which he plays
Against the queen. He seeks to ruin her
By means of me. No! I will save her yet.
Save her and lose her! Cunning though you are,
Don Sallust, you have overlooked one thing;
Even a lackey will lay down his life
To save a noble woman whom he loves
From ruin and dishonour.
[_Going to the table, he pours something into glass. _
Oh, my queen!
Never more shall we meet upon this earth.
[_As he raises the glass to his lips,_ THE QUEEN _enters. _
THE QUEEN: Don Cesar!
RUY BLAS: Oh, my God, my God!
THE QUEEN: Fear not.
I shall protect you.
RUY BLAS: What has brought you here?
THE QUEEN: Your letter, Cesar.
RUY BLAS: Letter? I have sent
No letter.
THE QUEEN: What is this, then? Look and read.
[_She gives him the note he wrote for_ DON SALLUST _as
his lackey. _
RUY BLAS (_reading it_): "My life is in great danger.
You alone can save me. "
THE QUEEN (_continuing_): "Come this evening to my house.
No one will recognise you if you use
The side door by the corner. " Here's your name, "Cesar. "
RUY BLAS: Go! Go! It is a plot against you.
I cannot now explain. Fly for your life!
THE QUEEN: But you are in great danger. No! I'll stay,
And help you, Cesar.
RUY BLAS: Go, I tell you! Go!
The letter is not mine. Who let you in?
DON SALLUST (_striding into the room_): I did.
RUY BLAS: Go, madam, while the way is clear.
DON SALLUST: It is too late. Dona Maria is
No longer Queen of Spain.
THE QUEEN (_in terror_): What, then, am I?
DON SALLUST: A lady who has sold her throne for love.
RUY BLAS: No!
DON SALLUST (_whispering to_ RUY BLAS): I am working in your
interests.
(_Aloud to_ THE QUEEN) Now listen, madam. I have found you here,
Alone with Cesar, in his room, at night.
This conduct--in a queen--would lead the Pope--
Were the fact published--to annul your marriage.
Why not avoid the scandal?
[_Taking a parchment from his pocket, he presents it to_
THE QUEEN.
Sign this deed
Admitting everything, and we can keep
All the proceedings secret. I have put
Plenty of money in the coach that waits
Outside the door. Ride off in it and take
Cesar with you, to France or Portugal.
No one will stop you. But if you refuse
Everything shall be published. Here's a pen.
[_He leads the terrified_ QUEEN _to a writing-table, and
puts a pen in her hand. _ RUY BLAS _stands in a corner,
motionless and bewildered. _
THE QUEEN: Oh, I am lost! Lost, and yet innocent!
DON SALLUST: You lose a crown; but think of what you gain--
A life of love and peace and happiness.
Don Cesar loves you, and is worthy of you.
A man of noble race; almost a prince.
[THE QUEEN _is about to sign, but_ RUY BLAS _snatches
the pen from her hand, and tears up the parchment. _
RUY BLAS: You must not sign it! This man lies to you.
I am Ruy Blas, a common serving-man.
[_Turning fiercely on_ DON SALLUST.
No more of it, I say! I'll have no more!
You mean, contemptible scoundrel! Tell the truth!
DON SALLUST: This creature is, in fact, my serving-man,
Only he has blabbed too soon.
THE QUEEN: Great Heavens!
DON SALLUST: No matter. My revenge is good enough.
What do you think of it? Madrid will laugh!
You exiled me, my lady; brought me down
Into the dust. I'll drag you from the throne
And hold you up--the laughing-stock of Spain!
[_While he is speaking_ RUY BLAS _silently bolts the door;
then, creeping behind_ DON SALLUST, _he snatches his
sword from the scabbard. _
RUY BLAS: Insult the queen again, you wretch, and I
Will kill you where you stand. You foul, black snake,
Crawl in the further room and say your prayers.
[DON SALLUST _rushes towards the outer door;_ RUY
BLAS _pushes him back at the sword's point. _
THE QUEEN: You are not going to slay him?
RUY BLAS: This affair
Must be now settled once for all. Go in!
[_This to_ DON SALLUST, _whom he has now almost
driven into the further room. _
DON SALLUST: Give me a sword, and let us fight it out.
RUY BLAS: Surely a nobleman would never stoop
To fight a duel with his serving-man?
No! I am going to kill you like a dog!
THE QUEEN: Spare him!
DON SALLUST: Help! Murder! Help!
RUY BLAS: Have you done?
[DON SALLUST _leaps at_ RUY BLAS, _and the two men reel
into the further room, and the door closes behind
them. _ THE QUEEN _covers her face. _
THE QUEEN: Oh, God!
[_There is a silence. _ RUY BLAS _returns without the
sword. _
RUY BLAS (_falling on his knees_): Pardon me, madam, pardon me!
I am less guilty than I seem. At heart,
I am an honest man. My love for you
Led me into the trap that villain laid.
Will you not pardon me?
THE QUEEN: No!
RUY BLAS: Never?
THE QUEEN: No!
[_Staggering to the table, he seizes the glass and
drains it. _
RUY BLAS: Well, that is over, then.
THE QUEEN (_running up to him_): What have you _done_?
RUY BLAS: Nothing. But, oh, to think you loved me once!
THE QUEEN: What was there in that glass? I love you still!
What was it? Poison? Tell me.
RUY BLAS (_as she clasps him_): Yes, my queen.
THE QUEEN: Then I have killed you! But I love you now!
More than before. Had I but pardoned you--
RUY BLAS: I should have drunk the poison all the same.
I could not bear to live. Good-bye!
[_He falls down, and_ THE QUEEN _holds him up in her
arms. _
Fly! Fly!
No one will know. That door.
[_He tries to point to it, but sinks back in the agony
of death. _
THE QUEEN (_throwing herself on him_): Ruy Blas!
RUY BLAS (_reviving at the sound of his name_):
Thanks! Thanks! [_He dies. _
FOOTNOTES:
[K] In appearance, "Ruy Blas" is a pendant to "Hernani. "
In the earlier play, Victor Hugo gives a striking picture of the
Spanish nobility in the days of its power and splendour. In the
later drama, which he composed in 1838, he depicts in lurid light
the corruption into which that nobility afterwards fell. But, as a
matter of fact, "Ruy Blas" is a violent party pamphlet with a direct
bearing on the French politics of the thirties. It is the decadent
French nobility--vanquished in the revolution of 1830--that Hugo really
attacks; and Ruy Blas himself is a representative Frenchman of the era
of romanticism. Stendhal (Vol. VIII) was the first writer to study
this new type of character--the young man of the lower middle classes,
full of grandiose dreams and wild ambitions and strange weaknesses,
who thought to arrive by intrigue at the high position which the great
soldiers of the preceding generation had won on the battlefield. Balzac
(Vol. I) elaborated the character in his "Human Comedy"; and Hugo, by
ennobling and enlarging it, created the sombre, magnificent figure of
Ruy Blas.
The King Amuses Himself[L]
_Persons in the Drama_
FRANCOIS I. , _King of France_
TRIBOULET, _his jester_
BLANCHE, _Triboulet's daughter_
SALTABADIL, _an assassin_
MAGUELONNE, _his sister_
DAME BERARDE
_A woman; a man; a crowd of people_
ACT I
SCENE. --TRIBOULET, _the ugly little hunchback jester to_ KING FRANCOIS,
_has stolen from the Louvre to a secluded house in a remote
part of Paris. He takes out the key to open the door, then
stops and glances round uneasily. _
TRIBOULET: I thought I heard a footstep.
Blanche must go
Back to the country. In this wild, rough town
My little lonely girl may come to harm.
I was a fool to bring her here. A fool!
Ah, if she learns what a vile part I play
In this vile city--sees her father dressed
In patchwork, using his deformities
To make sport for a proud, vain, wicked king.
Oh, how I hate the man who laughs at me!
When I am sick and miserable, and creep
Into some corner to bewail my lot,
He kicks me out into the light, and cries,
"Amuse me, fool! " Some day I shall go mad,
And kill----
[SALTABADIL, _who has been following him, comes forward
and bows. _
SALTABADIL: Your servant, sir!
TRIBOULET (_startled_): What! Who are you?
SALTABADIL: Excuse me. I have watched you for a week
Come to this house at evening. Every time
You seem afraid some foe is following you.
TRIBOULET (_still more startled_): What do you want?
Who are you? Go away!
SALTABADIL: I want to help you. Do you need a sword?
DIDIER: Marie? Or Marion de Lorme?
MARION: Didier,
Forgive me! I--I--meant to tell you all.
I feared to lose you if you learnt my name.
You had redeemed me by your love. I longed
To raise all memories of my former self,
And live a new life with you, Didier.
For, oh, I love you, and I love you still,
Deeply and truly! Didier, be kind,
Or you will kill me!
DIDIER: How have you obtained
This favour for me? Why is Laffemas
Risking his neck by letting me escape?
MARION: Not now! I cannot tell you now!
Fly! Fly!
Hark, they are coming! Do not stop to speak.
Save yourself!
DIDIER: No; I have no wish to live!
Thank God, here is the headsman!
[_A_ HEADSMAN, _carrying his axe, appears with a crowd
of soldiers, officials, and_ SAVERNY.
MARION (_falling to the earth_): Didier!
SAVERNY: What a shame
To rob me of my sleep!
THE HEADSMAN (_grimly_): The time has come
To put you both to bed.
SAVERNY (_gaily_): A headsman! Good!
I like the axe much better than the rope.
DIDIER (_embracing him_): Good-bye, my friend!
MARION (_clinging to him_): And me! Didier, me!
Will you not say good-bye to me?
DIDIER (_wildly, as the soldiers drag him off_): No! No!
My heart is breaking! Oh, Marie, Marie!
I love you. I was wrong!
MARION: You pardon me?
DIDIER: I ask your pardon. Think of me sometimes.
Good-bye, my darling. [_He is dragged behind the wall. _
AN OFFICIAL (_catching_ MARION _in his arms as she falls_):
All hope is not lost.
Look, here is Richelieu! Go and plead with him.
[_The castle guns are fired. The cloth, hiding the great
breach in the wall, drops. The_ CARDINAL _comes
in his gigantic scarlet litter, borne by twenty-four
footguards. Scarlet curtains conceal him from the
shouting mob. _
MARION (_dragging herself on her knees to the litter_):
In the name of God, oh, my Lord Cardinal,
Pardon these two poor boys!
A VOICE (_from the litter_): No pardon!
[_The litter passes on, and the crowd surges through the
wall after it_. MARION _is left alone. _
FOOTNOTES:
[J] Victor Hugo wrote "Marion de Lorme" in 1829, three months
before he composed "Hernani. " King Charles X. , however, refused to
license the play, because of the terrible way in which his ancestor,
Louis XIII. , was portrayed in it. But after the Revolution of 1830,
and the success of "Hernani," the forbidden drama was produced on the
stage. Its original title was "A Duel Under Richelieu. " The whole play
is built around the frustrated duel in which two young men engage
against the edict of the great cardinal. This economy of stage-craft
makes "Marion de Lorme" a superior work, in point of construction, to
"Hernani. " And though it may be less picturesque than that more famous
example of the romantic drama, it is on the whole a finer effort of
genius.
Ruy Blas[K]
_Persons in the Drama_
DON SALLUST DE BAZAN, _President of the Magistrates_
RUY BLAS, _Lackey to Don Sallust_
DON CESAR DE BAZAN, _Cousin to Don Sallust_
DON MANUEL ARIAS }_Counsellors_
THE COUNT OF CAMPOREAL }
DOONA MARIA, Queen of Spain
_A crowd of_ Spanish Grandees, Counsellors, _and_
Alguazils
ACT I
SCENE--_A room in the palace of King Charles II. , at Madrid, about
1695. _
DON SALLUST: So, after twenty years of constant toil,
And twenty years of honour and high power,
The weak hand of a woman strikes me down
Into the dust. Dishonoured and exiled!
And by the queen, a foolish, foreign girl
Ignorant of our ways, who has no fear
Because she has no knowledge. Had she guessed
I had so many weapons of revenge
That I am now perplexed which one to use,
She would have been more careful. Poisoning,
Of course, is easy; and when she was dead
I could retrieve the power that I have lost.
But I would rather crush and conquer her
Some other way; make her a very slave
Obedient to my slightest wish, and rule
The country in her name. The king is mad,
And she will soon be regent. (_Calling_) Ruy Blas!
RUY BLAS (_appearing at the door_): Sir?
DON SALLUST: Order my men to gather up and pack
My papers, books and documents! I leave
The palace at the break of day. But you
Must wait here till the queen comes through this room
At morning, on her way to mass. Who's that?
[DON CESAR _enters, and he and_ RUY BLAS _look at
each other in surprise. Then, seeing he is not
wanted, the lackey departs. _
DON CESAR: Well, here I am, dear cousin! Have you found,
After a search of twenty years, a post
Worthy of me? Upon the principle
Of setting thieves to capture thieves, I'd make
A splendid captain of your alguazils!
DON SALLUST: I know all your remarkable exploits,
My cousin. Were I not chief magistrate,
Your murders, thefts, and acts of brigandage
Would long since have been punished, and Don Cesar,
Count of Garofa--
DON CESAR: He died years ago.
I now am Zafari.
DON SALLUST: Zafari can die,
And Cesar, Count of Garofa, revive,
And dazzle all the ladies of the court
With his fine presence, and the wealth I'll give,
If he will serve me, as a cousin should,
Boldly and faithfully.
DON CESAR: Ah, this sounds well.
Give me a hundred ducats to begin,
And I am your man! What do you want of me?
Some rival quietly despatched?
DON SALLUST: I need
A daring, gallant and ambitious man
To help me to avenge myself.
DON CESAR: On whom?
DON SALLUST: A woman.
DON CESAR: I have fallen very low,
Don Sallust, but I have not come to that.
Murder may be my trade, but to bring down
A woman by a dastardly intrigue
Is something I would never stoop to do!
I am a wolf, maybe, but not a snake!
DON SALLUST: Give me your hand, my cousin! You have come
Out of the ordeal I prepared for you
Better than I expected.
DON CESAR: Then this plot
Against a woman----
DON SALLUST: Merely was a test.
I'll give you now the money you require.
A hundred ducats, was it? I will fetch them.
[_He departs, and signs to_ RUY BLAS _to enter. _
DON CESAR: I knew you in your strange disguise, Ruy Blas.
What are you doing here?
RUY BLAS: Ah, Zafari!
Hunger has now compelled me to adopt
The livery of a lackey. Don Sallust
To-night engaged me as his servitor,
And brought me here. And I came, Zafari,
Because---- (_He hesitates. _)
DON CESAR: You wanted food!
RUY BLAS: No. It was love
I hungered for.
DON CESAR: There are some pretty maids
In this great palace.
RUY BLAS: I am mad, mad, mad!
I am in love, Zafari, with the queen--
I, a lackey. Night after night I creep
Into the royal park, and leave some flowers
Upon her favourite seat. This evening
I put a letter with them.
DON CESAR: My poor friend,
You certainly are mad!
DON SALLUST (_opening the door slightly and pointing
out_ DON CESAR _to three armed alguazils as he
whispers_): That is the man. Arrest him when he leaves.
And kill him quickly. [_He then enters the room, and
gives a purse to_ DON CESAR, _saying:_ Here is what
you want.
Call on me to-morrow.
DON CESAR (_giving_ RUY BLAS _half the ducats_):
Come with me.
Be a free man again.
DON SALLUST (_in an aside_): The devil!
RUY BLAS (_refusing the money_): No;
I never shall be a free man again.
My heart is captive; I must stay on here.
DON CESAR: Well, each man to his fate. Your hand, old friend!
[_After shaking hands, he goes out--to his doom. _
DON SALLUST: No one has seen you yet, I think, Ruy Blas,
Clad in this livery?
RUY BLAS: No one, my lord.
DON SALLUST: Good! Shut the doors, and put on this attire.
[_Bringing out the costume of a nobleman of high
rank, he helps his lackey to dress in it. _
Splendid! You have a very gallant air,
And you will make a perfect nobleman.
Now listen. I've your interests at heart,
And if you will obey me faithfully,
You shall succeed in all that you desire.
But stay. There is a letter I must send
Before I leave Madrid. Write it for me.
[RUY BLAS _sits down at the table, and_ DON SALLUST
_dictates to him:_
"My life is in great danger. You alone
Can save me. Come this evening to my house.
No one will recognise you if you use
The side-door by the corner. " Now sign it
"Cesar," the name I commonly employ
In love affairs.
RUY BLAS: Shall I address the note?
DON SALLUST: Ah, no! I must deliver it myself.
Hark! There is someone coming. 'Tis the Queen!
[_Dragging_ RUY BLAS _with him, he opens the door,
and says to the noblemen surrounding the_ QUEEN:
Allow me to present to you, my friends,
Don Cesar, Count of Garofa, my cousin.
ACT II
SCENE. --_The Hall of Government in the palace at Madrid, six months
after. The Privy Counsellors are sitting,--among them_
DON MANUEL ARIAS _and the_ COUNT OF CAMPOREAL.
DON MANUEL: How quickly he has climbed to supreme power!
General Secretary, Minister,
And now Duke of Olmedo!
CAMPOREAL: It is strange,
A cousin of that fallen president,
Don Sallust, could have won to such a height
Within six months!
DON MANUEL: The queen reigns over us
And he reigns, over her.
CAMPOREAL: That is not so.
Don Cesar never sees the queen alone.
I know it. I have had them watched by spies.
They shun each other. Do you know, he lives
By Tormez mansion, in a shuttered house,
With two black mutes to wait on him?
DON MANUEL: Two mutes!
He is, indeed, a terrible, strange man.
And now to business! We must re-arrange
Some of the taxes and monopolies.
We want a fair division.
[_All the_ COUNSELLORS _seat themselves. _
A COUNSELLOR: I must have
The salt monopoly.
CAMPOREAL: No; that is mine!
You have the tax upon the trade in slaves.
I'll change that for the arsenic, if you like.
[RUY BLAS _has entered at the beginning of the dispute:
after listening some time he comes forward_.
RUY BLAS: You vile, rapacious gang of quarrelling thieves!
What! Can you rob the dead? Here by the grave
Of the great empire that was Spain, you sit,
Like greedy vultures, preying on her corpse!
We were the conquerors of the world, but now
Our army dwindled to four thousand men
That never get their arms, their food, their pay,
Is but a mob of brigands, and they live
By pillaging their wretched countrymen.
Our hardy peasantry is crushed beneath
A load of taxes and monopolies,
But not a ducat of the revenue
Is spent on Spain. Bankrupt in wealth and power,
Dead to all sense of honour, justice, right,
She lies, while you, you foul hyenas, snarl
Over her stricken body.
[_Turning to the_ COUNT OF CAMPOREAL, _and the_ COUNSELLOR
_who was quarrelling with him, he says sternly:_
Let me not see
Either of you again at court.
[_As they depart_, RUY BLAS _speaks to the other consternated_
COUNSELLORS:
Every man
Who will not serve Spain honestly must go.
If there are any who will work with me
In building up our country's power and fame,
On equal laws for rich and poor alike,
I shall be pleased to meet them in this room
In two hours' time.
[_All the_ COUNSELLORS _go out, bowing low to_ RUY
BLAS _as they pass by him. When he is alone, the_
QUEEN _comes from behind the tapestry; her face
is radiant with joy. _
THE QUEEN: You spoke to them as I would like to speak
Were I a man. Oh, let me take, dear Duke,
This loyal hand, so strong, and so sincere.
RUY BLAS: How did you hear me, madam?
THE QUEEN (_showing a secret door_): In this place
That Philip made to watch his counsellors.
How often have I seen poor Carlos here,
Listening to the villains robbing him,
And ruining the state!
RUY BLAS: What did he say?
THE QUEEN: Nothing, but it drove him mad at last.
But you!
How masterful you were! The voice
With which you thundered still rings in my ears.
I raised the tapestry to look at you.
You towered above them terrible and great,
A king of men! What was it that inspired
Such fury in you?
RUY BLAS: Love for you, my queen!
If Spain falls, you will fall with it. But I
Will save it for your sake. Oh, I am mad!
I love you! Love you with a love that eats
The life out of me! God! What shall I do?
Die? Shall I die? Pardon me! Pardon me!
THE QUEEN: No, live! Live for your country, and your queen!
Both of us need you. For the last six months
I have been watching from my hiding-place
Your struggle with my treacherous counsellors,
And seeing in you the master-mind of Spain, have, without
consulting you, advanced
Your interests. And now your strong, pure hands
Grasp all the reins of government and power,
Perform the work entrusted unto you!
Rescue our people from their misery.
Raise Spain up from her grave; restore to her
The strength that made her empress of the world;
And love me as I love you--
RUY BLAS: Oh, my queen!
THE QUEEN: With a pure, steady, honourable love,
Working and waiting with a patient heart
Till I am free to marry you. Farewell!
[_She kisses him on the brow, and departs by the secret
door. _
ACT III
SCENE. --_A small, dark room in the house lent by_ DON SALLUST _to_ RUY
BLAS. _It is late at night, and_ RUY BLAS _is pacing up and
down in a state of wild agitation. _
RUY BLAS: I only am a pawn with which he plays
Against the queen. He seeks to ruin her
By means of me. No! I will save her yet.
Save her and lose her! Cunning though you are,
Don Sallust, you have overlooked one thing;
Even a lackey will lay down his life
To save a noble woman whom he loves
From ruin and dishonour.
[_Going to the table, he pours something into glass. _
Oh, my queen!
Never more shall we meet upon this earth.
[_As he raises the glass to his lips,_ THE QUEEN _enters. _
THE QUEEN: Don Cesar!
RUY BLAS: Oh, my God, my God!
THE QUEEN: Fear not.
I shall protect you.
RUY BLAS: What has brought you here?
THE QUEEN: Your letter, Cesar.
RUY BLAS: Letter? I have sent
No letter.
THE QUEEN: What is this, then? Look and read.
[_She gives him the note he wrote for_ DON SALLUST _as
his lackey. _
RUY BLAS (_reading it_): "My life is in great danger.
You alone can save me. "
THE QUEEN (_continuing_): "Come this evening to my house.
No one will recognise you if you use
The side door by the corner. " Here's your name, "Cesar. "
RUY BLAS: Go! Go! It is a plot against you.
I cannot now explain. Fly for your life!
THE QUEEN: But you are in great danger. No! I'll stay,
And help you, Cesar.
RUY BLAS: Go, I tell you! Go!
The letter is not mine. Who let you in?
DON SALLUST (_striding into the room_): I did.
RUY BLAS: Go, madam, while the way is clear.
DON SALLUST: It is too late. Dona Maria is
No longer Queen of Spain.
THE QUEEN (_in terror_): What, then, am I?
DON SALLUST: A lady who has sold her throne for love.
RUY BLAS: No!
DON SALLUST (_whispering to_ RUY BLAS): I am working in your
interests.
(_Aloud to_ THE QUEEN) Now listen, madam. I have found you here,
Alone with Cesar, in his room, at night.
This conduct--in a queen--would lead the Pope--
Were the fact published--to annul your marriage.
Why not avoid the scandal?
[_Taking a parchment from his pocket, he presents it to_
THE QUEEN.
Sign this deed
Admitting everything, and we can keep
All the proceedings secret. I have put
Plenty of money in the coach that waits
Outside the door. Ride off in it and take
Cesar with you, to France or Portugal.
No one will stop you. But if you refuse
Everything shall be published. Here's a pen.
[_He leads the terrified_ QUEEN _to a writing-table, and
puts a pen in her hand. _ RUY BLAS _stands in a corner,
motionless and bewildered. _
THE QUEEN: Oh, I am lost! Lost, and yet innocent!
DON SALLUST: You lose a crown; but think of what you gain--
A life of love and peace and happiness.
Don Cesar loves you, and is worthy of you.
A man of noble race; almost a prince.
[THE QUEEN _is about to sign, but_ RUY BLAS _snatches
the pen from her hand, and tears up the parchment. _
RUY BLAS: You must not sign it! This man lies to you.
I am Ruy Blas, a common serving-man.
[_Turning fiercely on_ DON SALLUST.
No more of it, I say! I'll have no more!
You mean, contemptible scoundrel! Tell the truth!
DON SALLUST: This creature is, in fact, my serving-man,
Only he has blabbed too soon.
THE QUEEN: Great Heavens!
DON SALLUST: No matter. My revenge is good enough.
What do you think of it? Madrid will laugh!
You exiled me, my lady; brought me down
Into the dust. I'll drag you from the throne
And hold you up--the laughing-stock of Spain!
[_While he is speaking_ RUY BLAS _silently bolts the door;
then, creeping behind_ DON SALLUST, _he snatches his
sword from the scabbard. _
RUY BLAS: Insult the queen again, you wretch, and I
Will kill you where you stand. You foul, black snake,
Crawl in the further room and say your prayers.
[DON SALLUST _rushes towards the outer door;_ RUY
BLAS _pushes him back at the sword's point. _
THE QUEEN: You are not going to slay him?
RUY BLAS: This affair
Must be now settled once for all. Go in!
[_This to_ DON SALLUST, _whom he has now almost
driven into the further room. _
DON SALLUST: Give me a sword, and let us fight it out.
RUY BLAS: Surely a nobleman would never stoop
To fight a duel with his serving-man?
No! I am going to kill you like a dog!
THE QUEEN: Spare him!
DON SALLUST: Help! Murder! Help!
RUY BLAS: Have you done?
[DON SALLUST _leaps at_ RUY BLAS, _and the two men reel
into the further room, and the door closes behind
them. _ THE QUEEN _covers her face. _
THE QUEEN: Oh, God!
[_There is a silence. _ RUY BLAS _returns without the
sword. _
RUY BLAS (_falling on his knees_): Pardon me, madam, pardon me!
I am less guilty than I seem. At heart,
I am an honest man. My love for you
Led me into the trap that villain laid.
Will you not pardon me?
THE QUEEN: No!
RUY BLAS: Never?
THE QUEEN: No!
[_Staggering to the table, he seizes the glass and
drains it. _
RUY BLAS: Well, that is over, then.
THE QUEEN (_running up to him_): What have you _done_?
RUY BLAS: Nothing. But, oh, to think you loved me once!
THE QUEEN: What was there in that glass? I love you still!
What was it? Poison? Tell me.
RUY BLAS (_as she clasps him_): Yes, my queen.
THE QUEEN: Then I have killed you! But I love you now!
More than before. Had I but pardoned you--
RUY BLAS: I should have drunk the poison all the same.
I could not bear to live. Good-bye!
[_He falls down, and_ THE QUEEN _holds him up in her
arms. _
Fly! Fly!
No one will know. That door.
[_He tries to point to it, but sinks back in the agony
of death. _
THE QUEEN (_throwing herself on him_): Ruy Blas!
RUY BLAS (_reviving at the sound of his name_):
Thanks! Thanks! [_He dies. _
FOOTNOTES:
[K] In appearance, "Ruy Blas" is a pendant to "Hernani. "
In the earlier play, Victor Hugo gives a striking picture of the
Spanish nobility in the days of its power and splendour. In the
later drama, which he composed in 1838, he depicts in lurid light
the corruption into which that nobility afterwards fell. But, as a
matter of fact, "Ruy Blas" is a violent party pamphlet with a direct
bearing on the French politics of the thirties. It is the decadent
French nobility--vanquished in the revolution of 1830--that Hugo really
attacks; and Ruy Blas himself is a representative Frenchman of the era
of romanticism. Stendhal (Vol. VIII) was the first writer to study
this new type of character--the young man of the lower middle classes,
full of grandiose dreams and wild ambitions and strange weaknesses,
who thought to arrive by intrigue at the high position which the great
soldiers of the preceding generation had won on the battlefield. Balzac
(Vol. I) elaborated the character in his "Human Comedy"; and Hugo, by
ennobling and enlarging it, created the sombre, magnificent figure of
Ruy Blas.
The King Amuses Himself[L]
_Persons in the Drama_
FRANCOIS I. , _King of France_
TRIBOULET, _his jester_
BLANCHE, _Triboulet's daughter_
SALTABADIL, _an assassin_
MAGUELONNE, _his sister_
DAME BERARDE
_A woman; a man; a crowd of people_
ACT I
SCENE. --TRIBOULET, _the ugly little hunchback jester to_ KING FRANCOIS,
_has stolen from the Louvre to a secluded house in a remote
part of Paris. He takes out the key to open the door, then
stops and glances round uneasily. _
TRIBOULET: I thought I heard a footstep.
Blanche must go
Back to the country. In this wild, rough town
My little lonely girl may come to harm.
I was a fool to bring her here. A fool!
Ah, if she learns what a vile part I play
In this vile city--sees her father dressed
In patchwork, using his deformities
To make sport for a proud, vain, wicked king.
Oh, how I hate the man who laughs at me!
When I am sick and miserable, and creep
Into some corner to bewail my lot,
He kicks me out into the light, and cries,
"Amuse me, fool! " Some day I shall go mad,
And kill----
[SALTABADIL, _who has been following him, comes forward
and bows. _
SALTABADIL: Your servant, sir!
TRIBOULET (_startled_): What! Who are you?
SALTABADIL: Excuse me. I have watched you for a week
Come to this house at evening. Every time
You seem afraid some foe is following you.
TRIBOULET (_still more startled_): What do you want?
Who are you? Go away!
SALTABADIL: I want to help you. Do you need a sword?
