Victor Hugo’s
drameabout the famous seventeenth-century courtesan
Marion de Lorme(1831) interweaves two thematic threads that tie together a plot concerning the effect of public policy on the private passions of an ill-fated love. The first thread tells the story of a man with no name (Didier) who loves a woman with no honour (Marion de Lorme). The second provides two visions of monarchy: an impotent King (Louis XIII) castrated by a tyrannical priest (Cardinal Richelieu). The stories intertwine when Marion de Lorme’s lover, the orphan Didier, is sentenced to death by Cardinal Richelieu, an act both she and the King are powerless to stop. At the play’s inception, the portrayal of Louis XIII would lead to censorship, delaying its performance by two years.
Though Marion de Lorme was
2583 words
Citation: McMahan, Matthew. "Marion De Lorme". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11218, accessed 08 September 2024.]