The Wife of King Candaules

The Wife of King Candaules is a novella written by French author Theophile Gautier. The story is set in ancient Greece and centers around the character of King Candaules, who is obsessed with showing off his wife's beauty to anyone who will look. He forces his loyal servant Gyges to hide in the bedroom and watch his wife undress without her knowledge. When the queen discovers what has happened, she demands that Gyges choose between killing her husband or being killed himself. In the end, Gyges chooses to kill the king and becomes the new ruler of Lydia. The novella explores themes of voyeurism, power, and the consequences of obsession. Gautier's vivid descriptions of ancient Greece and the characters' emotions make for a compelling read.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.