Aglavaine and Selysette

""Aglavaine and Selysette"" is a play written by Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck. It tells the story of Aglavaine, a noblewoman who falls in love with Selysette, a young girl who is being held captive by Aglavaine's family. As their love grows, they struggle against the expectations of society and the obstacles that stand in their way. The play explores themes of love, duty, and societal norms, and is known for its dreamlike, symbolic style. Originally written in French, it has been translated into many languages and has been performed and studied around the world.1911. Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet, dramatist, essayist and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature, whose literary career began with the publication of two volumes of poetry. Lack of action, fatalism, mysticism, and the constant presence of death characterize the works of Maeterlinck. The shadow of death looms even larger in his later plays. The most inspired of Maeterlinck's dramas is unquestionably Aglavaine and Selysette. Meleandre, who has married the sweet, timid Selysette, begins to love the noble Aglavaine, a love Aglavaine returns. Selysette, a tender creature, full of abnegation, resolves to sacrifice herself for the happiness of her husband and Aglavaine. She leans out of an old turret, falls, not into the sea, but onto the sand of the beach and is wounded. Even on the verge of death she is unselfish; wishing to spare them remorse, she tries to pretend to Meleandre and Aglavaine that her fall from the tower was accidental. In this drama all of the characters are noble and generous. The play ranks among the most beautiful poetic creations of the century. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.