Lisette

Chapter 46 ~ Above Your Station

Outside the Musain, on the way home, I couldn't help but ask Jehan what he thought of Hernani, in the absence of Bahorel and with Bossuet distracted. 

"As a play, it was wonderful," he explained. "But I think it had the wrong audience. People these days are too impatient - too easily bored. Details, flowing poetry, carefully crafted words - all of these are ignored in favour of the sorts of plays that Scribe writes, where you can predict the end by the first line, where there are no nuances, no development."

"Though I'm sure I've heard you argue before about plays that everyone just wants to watch exactly the same thing over and over, just repackaged. That doesn't strike me as a bored audience."

"No - just an audience that doesn't want anything new, or anything where they really have to think or use their brains. But this was a play where you had to think - where you had to watch and keep up with what was going on, rather than having conversations or playing at cards."

"So your ideal audience would sit down, shut up, and just watch the play? I can't imagine people doing that. Especially the richer ones - they go to see and be seen, not for what's going on on the stage!"

"And so actors are hardly appreciated for all the work that they do," Marguerite interjected softly. "I will grant Bossuet the point that Mme Mars is more suited to comedy than tragedy, but for the first four acts, she had very little to work with, so I don't think she is entirely to blame."

"And the dialogue she did have - the dialogue they all had - truly sparkled with new and bold beauties. Such a style - it was far more lively and picturesque than anything I've seen written recently."

"You're not still talking about Hernani, are you?" asked Musichetta, slowing down to keep pace with us and leaving Joly and Bossuet, arm in arm, to walk on ahead.

"Just getting a slightly different view of it to the one that was prevailing earlier," I smiled.

"It wasn't the prevailing view!" Jehan exclaimed. "It was just the most - the most loudly held view. And that isn't the same thing at all!"

"That I will grant you," said Musichetta. "So you liked it, then?" 

"It was truly sublime," Jehan enthused. "Granted, the ending was somewhat contrived, but that's often the case in tragedies - " 

"And comedies," remarked Marguerite.

" - and it was more than made up for by the vigour and wealth of the poetry. Even without the sets - "

"Which in themselves were something to behold," Marguerite added.

" - the imagery was striking, and for all that Bossuet complained about Firmin's performance as Hernani being full of mistakes, it wasn't at all lacking in poetic grace - he truly was burning as his character."

"And Mme Mars, for all that she was lacking in the first four acts - she came into her own in the final one."

Jehan squeezed Marguerite's hand at this remark. 

"Yes - to the point where she almost drew tears from you!"

"So it would be worth going to see, then?" I asked.

"I'd say so," Marguerite said. "If only so that you can make up your mind about it for yourself, rather than being caught between arguments about it for the rest of forever!"

 "We could go, I suppose," shrugged Musichetta.

"You're still swayed by Bossuet?"

"That and the behaviour of the audience! I don't want to get caught in that."