Dom Garcie de Navarre ou le Prince jaloux (The Happy Jealousy of Prince Rodrigo) was written shortly after Molière’s return to Paris. The company he founded in 1643, l’Illustre Théâtre, went into bankruptcy in the spring of 1645. Molière was imprisoned briefly in August 1645 and after his release, he left Paris for several years, nearly fifteen years. Molière’s father paid the bulk of Molière’s debts.

The collapse of l’Illustre Théâtre was due, in part, to Molière’s inability to play tragic or serious roles. He did not have the right looks, nor did he have the right voice. However, he could not resist writing Dom Garcie de Navarre ou le Prince Jaloux and gave himself Dom Garcie’s role, a serious role. The play was performed on 4 February 1661, at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, and it closed after 7 performances. It was a failure. The play was not published during Molière’s lifetime, but it was included in the 1682 publication of Molière’s works. In 1661, Molière’s company was la troupe de Monsieur Frère Unique du Roi. Monsieur was Philippe d’Orléans and Louis XIV’s only brother (frère unique).

Sources

Molière’s source was the Gelosie fortunata del principe Rodrigo (The Fortunate Jealousy of Prince Rodrigo), by Italian dramatist Cicognini, a play published in Perugia, in 1654. Prince Rodrigo is very jealous, but he succeeds in marrying the lady he loves. Similarly, Done Elvire will marry Dom Garcie, whom she loves. It will be discovered that Dom Sylve is the rightful heir to the throne of Léon and her brother. She had rejected Dom Sylve as a lover and favoured a marriage between Dom Sylve and Done Ignès, who loves him, but is Done Ignès who was captured by Mauregat, a usurper.

Cicognini may have found his material in a Spanish play. Baumal[1] writes that according to Riccoboni, there was a Spanish source. There may well have been a Spanish source, but unless there were two dramatists named Riccoboni, Riccoboni could not have reported Spanish ancestry to Molière’s Dom Garcie de Navarre. Moreover, Riccoboni was born in 1707, which means that he was ten years old in 1717, when he staged a Dom Garcie in Paris. Yet, a Spanish source is altogether possible. One recognizes the Spanish pun d’honor and remembers Pierre Corneille‘s Cid (1637).

Our DRAMATIS PERSONÆ is

DON GARCIA, Prince of Navarre, in love with Elvira. (Molière’s role)
DON ALPHONSO, Prince of Leon, thought to be Prince of
Castile, under the name of Don Silvio (Sylve).
DON ALVAREZ, confidant of Don Garcia, in love with Eliza (Alvar).
DON LOPEZ, another confidant of Don Garcia, in love with Eliza.
DON PEDRO, gentleman-usher to Inez (Ignès).
A PAGE.
DONNA ELVIRA, Princess of Leon.
DONNA INEZ, a Countess, in love with Don Silvio, beloved
by Mauregat, the usurper of the Kingdom of Leon.
ELIZA, confidant to Elvira.
Scene. ASTORGA, a city of Spain, in the kingdom of Leon.

Plot and Themes

• Jealousy
• A love question
• the Salons

As noted in an introductory paragraph, written on 29 November 2019, although Dom Garcie features young lovers who are about to marry, the main theme of the play is jealousy and the comédie is a comédie héroïque (heroic comedy). However, Molière interiorizes the conflict, or agon, between the alazṓn, a senex iratus or miles gloriosus, and the eirôn. Dom Garcie is so jealous that he offends Done Elvire and jeopardizes his own marriage. He is both the young lover and the blocking-character. This he will realize.

THE SALONS

In 17^th-century salons and Précieux milieux, love questions were discussed. One of these was whether jealousy was a sign of love or a source of constant and humiliating suspicion and recriminations that could prevent, or destroy, a marriage. In Dom Garcie de Navarre ou le Prince jaloux, Done Elvire rejects Dom Garcie.

ACT ONE

• Destiny: “ces chaînes du ciel”
• Jealousy as a sign of love
• Jealousy as dreadful

SCENE ONE

Done Elvire has been courted by Dom Sylve and Dom Garcie. Dom Garcie extremely jealous, which offends Done Elvire, but he has saved her life. However, what we hear first is that Done Elvire loves Dom Garcie de Navarre, as destiny (ces chaînes du ciel) willed.

Si le mérite seul prenait droit sur un cœur./ Mais ces chaînes du ciel, qui tombent sur nos âmes,/ Décidèrent en moi le destin de leurs flammes;/ Et toute mon estime égale entre les deux,/ Laissa vers Dom Garcie entraîner tous mes vœux.
Done Elvire à Élise (I. i)
[If aught but merit could gain my heart, the conqueror were yet to be named; but these chains, with which Heaven keeps our souls enslaved, decide me, and, though I esteem both equally, my love is given to Don Garcia.]
Done Elvire to Élise (I. 1)

But Élise sees matters differently. Jealousy is a manifestation of love.

Enfin, si les soupçons de cet illustre amant,/ 90 Puisque vous le voulez n’ont point de fondement;/ Pour le moins font-ils foi d’une âme bien atteinte,/ Et d’autres chériraient ce qui fait votre plainte./ De jaloux mouvements doivent être odieux,/ S’ils partent d’un amour qui déplaise à nos yeux./ Mais tout ce qu’un amant nous peut montrer d’alarmes,/Doit lorsque nous l’aimons, avoir pour nous des charmes;/ C’est par là que son feu se peut mieux exprimer,/ Et plus il est jaloux, plus nous devons l’aimer;/ Ainsi puisqu’en votre âme un prince magnanime…
Elise à Elvire (I. i)
[Though the suspicions of that illustrious lover have no foundation—for you tell me so—they at least prove that he is greatly smitten: some would rejoice at what you complain of. Jealousy may be odious when it proceeds from a love which displeases us; but when we return that love, such feelings should delight us. It is the best way in which a lover can express his passion; the more jealous he is, the more we ought to love him. Therefore since in your soul a magnanimous Prince… ]
Élise to Elvire (I. 1)

Done Elvire’s response is unambiguous:

Ah! ne m’avancez point cette étrange maxime/ Partout la jalousie est un monstre odieux,/ Rien n’en peut adoucir les traits injurieux;/ Et plus l’amour est cher, qui lui donne naissance/ Plus on doit ressentir les coups de cette offense.
Done Elvire à Élise  (I. i)
[No, no; nothing can excuse the strange madness of his gloomy and unmanly jealousy; I have told him but too clearly, by my actions, that he can indeed flatter himself with the happiness of being beloved. Even if we do not speak, there are other interpreters which clearly lay bare our secret feelings.]
Elvira to Élise (I. 1)

Yet, although Done Elvire loves Dom Garcie de Navarre destiny (ces chaînes du ciel) has spoken and destiny is inescapable. The role destiny plays in our lives is often expressed in Molière, but seldom so vigorously as it does in Dom Garcie de Navarre.

Si le mérite seul prenait droit sur un cœur./ Mais ces chaînes du ciel, qui tombent sur nos âmes,/ Décidèrent en moi le destin de leurs flammes;/ Et toute mon estime égale entre les deux,/ Laissa vers Dom Garcie entraîner tous mes vœux.
Elvire to Élise (I. i)
[If aught but merit could gain my heart, the conqueror were yet to be named; but these chains, with which Heaven keeps our souls enslaved, decide me, and, though I esteem both equally, my love is given to Don Garcia.]
Elvire to Élise (I. 1)

Done Elvire also seems to know that her brother is returning. Her brother is the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Léon. She doesn’t know, however, that Dom Sylve is Dom Alphonse and her brother. Dom Sylve, who first loved Done Ignés, is rejected by Done Elvire, but not harshly. Destiny is also tied to public interest. Rumour has it that Don Alphonse is returning:

Et si les bruits communs ne sont pas des bruits vains;/ Si la bonté du Ciel nous ramène mon frère,/ Les vœux les plus ardents, que mon cœur puisse faire;/ C’est que son bras encor, sur un perfide sang/ Puisse aider à ce frère, à reprendre son rang.
Elvire to Élise (I. i)
[If common reports be true, and Heaven should grant my brother’s return, I wish fervently, and with all my heart, that his arm may aid my brother to recover his throne…]
Elvire to Élise (I. 1)

SCENE TWO

In Scene Two, Alvar (Alvarez), a confident to Dom Garcie, confirms rumours that the rightful heir, Dom Alphonse, is returning. Jealousy, destiny, and public interest are intertwined in Dom Garcie de Navarre. In Scene Three, Done Elvire says to Dom Garcie that she will tell whether she loves when he knows how to love, which is when he will cease suspecting rivals, but destiny may and will support Dom Garcie, even at the desperate point, as the play closes, when her brother returns. Done Elvire points out that one can hear what one wants to hear. A jealous mind will expect support for his accusations. Done Elvire’s statement is consistent with the current theory of information: expectations may change and, occasionally, distort a message.

239 Souvent on entend mal, ce qu’on croit bien entendre, Et par trop de chaleur, Prince, on se peut méprendre./ Mais puisqu’il faut parler, désirez-vous savoir,/ Quand vous pourrez me plaire, et prendre quelque espoir?
Elvire à Dom Garcie (I. iii)
Often we hear badly when we think we hear well. Too much ardour, Prince, may lead us into mistakes. But since I must speak, I will. Do you wish to know how you can please me, and when you may entertain any hope?
Elvire to Dom Garcie (I. 3)
Ce me sera, Madame, une faveur extrême.
Dom Garcie à Elvire (I. iii)
[I should consider this, Madam, a very great favour.]
Dom Garcie to Elvire (I. 3)
Quand vous saurez m’aimer, comme il faut que l’on aime.
Dom Garcie à Elvire (I. iii)
[When you know how to love as you ought.]
Elvire to Dom Garcie (I. 3)

Dom Garcie tells Done Elvire that he cannot control his jealousy.

Ah! Madame, il est vrai, quelque effort que je fasse, Qu’un peu de jalousie en mon cœur trouve place, 265 Et qu’un rival absent de vos divins appas/ Au repos de ce cœur vient livrer des combats./ Soit caprice, ou raison, j’ai toujours la croyance/ Que votre âme en ces lieux souffre de son absence;/ Et que malgré mes soins, vos soupirs amoureux/ 270 Vont trouver à tous coups ce rival trop heureux.
Dom Garcie à Elvire (I. iii)
Alas, Madam, it is true, that, notwithstanding my utmost effort, some trifling jealousy lingers in my heart; that a rival, though distant from your divine charms, disturbs my equanimity. Whether it be whimsical or reasonable, I always imagine that you are uneasy when he is absent, and that in spite of my attentions, your sighs are continually sent in search of that too happy rival.
Dom Garcie to Elvira (I. 3)

The Letters

FIRST LETTER

Elvire then receives a letter (un billet). The letter is from Done Ignès who bemoans Mauregat’s violence and his wish for Done Elvire to marry his son. Dom Garcie is not appeased until he sees the letter.

Malgré l’effort d’un long mépris,/ Le tyran toujours m’aime, et depuis votre absence,/ 365 Vers moi pour me porter au dessein qu’il a pris,/Il semble avoir tourné toute la violence, Dont il poursuivait l’alliance/ De vous et de son fils./ Ceux qui sur moi peuvent avoir empire/370 Par de lâches motifs qu’un faux honneur inspire,/ Approuvent tous cet indigne lien;/J’ignore encor par où finira mon martyre;/ Mais je mourrai plutôt que de consentir rien./Puissiez-vous jouir, belle Elvire,/375 D’un destin plus doux que le mien.
«Done Ignès.»
Done Ignès to Done Elvire (I. iii)
[ In spite of all that I do to show my contempt for the tyrant, he persists in his love for me; the more effectually to encompass his designs, he has, since your absence, directed against me all that violence with which he pursued the alliance between yourself and his son. Those who perhaps have the right to command me, and who are inspired by base motives of false honour, all approve this unworthy proposal. I do not know yet where my persecution will end; but I will die sooner than give my consent. May you, fair Elvira, be happier in your fate than I am. DONNA INEZ.]

ACT TWO

• Dom Élise and Dom Lope (rejected)
• The Kind of Navarre has chosen a leader for the Kingdom of Léon.
• The second letter

In Scene One, Élise is speaking to Dom Lope. He has, at times, told Garcie about possible rivals. Élise has parted with Dom Lope. She has chosen Dom Alvar who enters the stage in Scene Two announcing that the King of Navarre has declared his support for the Prince of Léon. Public interest surfaces briefly.

Enfin, nous apprenons que le roi de Navarre/ Pour les désirs du Prince, aujourd’hui se déclare;/ 470 Et qu’un nouveau renfort de troupes nous attend/ Pour le fameux service, où son amour prétend. / Je suis surpris pour moi, qu’avec tant de vitesse,/ On ait fait avancer… Mais…
Dom Alvar à Élise (II.ii)
[At last we have received intelligence that the king of Navarre has this very day declared himself favourable to the Prince’s love, and that a number of fresh troops will reinforce his army, ready to be employed in the service of her to whom his wishes aspire. As for me, I am surprised at their quick movements… but…]
Don Alvarez to Élise (II. 2)

THE SECOND LETTER

In Scene Three, Dom Garcie returns wishing to know what Done Elvire is doing. Élise says that Done Elvire has been writing letters.

Quelques lettres, Seigneur, je le présume ainsi;/ 475 Mais elle va savoir que vous êtes ici.
Élise à Dom Garcie (II. iii)
[I think, my Lord, she is writing some letters; but I shall let her know that you are here.]
Élise to Dom Garcie (II. 2)

Dom Garcie is alarmed.

The letter gets separated when Dom Lope picks it up and Léonor grabs half of the letter. One half of the letter belies the other half. Ironically the letter is addressed to a rival, but it tells that Done Elvire has chosen Garcie over Dom Sylvie.

« Quoique votre rival, Prince, alarme votre âme,/ 615 Vous devez toutefois vous craindre plus que lui,/ Et vous avez en vous à détruire aujourd’hui/ L’obstacle le plus grand que trouve votre flamme./ « Je chéris tendrement ce qu’a fait Dom Garcie,/ Pour me tirer des mains de nos fiers ravisseurs,/ 620 Son amour, ses devoirs ont pour moi des douceurs; / Mais il m’est odieux avec sa jalousie./ « Otez donc à vos feux, ce qu’ils en font paraître,/ Méritez les regards que l’on jette sur eux;/ Et lorsqu’on vous oblige à vous tenir heureux,/ 625 Ne vous obstinez point à ne pas vouloir l’être. »
Done Elvire à Dom Sylve (II. vi)
[Though your rival, Prince, disturbs your mind, you ought still to fear yourself more than him. It is in your power to destroy now the greatest obstacle your passion has to encounter. I feel very grateful to Don Garcia for rescuing me from the hands of my bold ravishers; his love, his homage delights me much; but his jealousy is odious to me. Remove, therefore, from your love that foul blemish; deserve the regards that are bestowed upon it; and when one endeavours to make you happy, do not persist in remaining miserable.]
Done Elvire’ letter to Dom Sylve (II. 6) 

ACT THREE

In the First Scene of Act Three, Élise and Elvire discuss the episode of the second letter. Done Elvire has forgiven Dom Garcie and regrets a gesture she sees as une faiblesse, a weakness. Done Élise’s attitude remains unchanged. Jealousy is a proof of love.

In Scene Two, Dom Sylve visits Done Elvire, seeking her love. She has chosen Dom Garcie. She reminds Dom Sylve that his first choice was “l’aimable comtesse,”  Done Ignès, who is now fighting Mauregat’s “violence.” She believes it is a crime to leave one’s first love:

Oui, Seigneur, c’est un crime, et les premières flammes,/ Ont des droits si sacrés sur les illustres âmes,/ Qu’il faut perdre grandeurs, et renoncer au jour,/ 915 Plutôt que de pencher vers un second amour.
Done Elvire à Dom Sylve (III. ii)
[Yes, my Lord, it is a crime, for first love has so sacred a hold on a lofty mind, that it would rather lose greatness and abandon life itself, than incline to a second love.]
Elvira to Dom Sylve (III. 2)

If leaving Done Ignès, Dom Sylve’s first love, was a crime, Elvire should not marry Dom Garcie, her first love. It would be a crime. However, Dom Sylve’s sentiments give Dom Garcie a rival.

Ah! Madame, à mes yeux n’offrez point son mérite,/ Il n’est que trop présent à l’ingrat qui la quitte;/ 930 Et si mon cœur vous dit, ce que pour elle il sent,/ J’ai peur qu’il ne soit pas envers vous innocent.
Dom Sylve à Done Elvire (III. 2)
[Ah, Madam, do not present her merit to my eyes! Though I am an ungrateful man and abandon her, she is never out of my mind; if my heart could tell you what it feels for her, I fear it would be guilty towards you.]
Dom Sylve to Elvira (III. 2)

Dom Garcie arrives and sees a rival in Dom Sylve. He despises Dom Sylve and threatens him. He will prevent Done Elvire from ever marrying Dom Sylve.

Si l’ingrate à mes yeux pour flatter votre flamme,/ À jamais n’être à moi, vient d’engager son âme;/ Je saurai bien trouver dans mon juste courroux/ Les moyens d’empêcher qu’elle ne soit à vous.
Dom Garcie à Dom Sylve (III. iv)
[If the ungrateful woman, out of compliment to your love, has just now pledged her word never to be mine, my righteous indignation will discover the means of preventing her ever being yours.]
Don Garcia to Don Sylvio (III. 4)

ACT FOUR

Jealousy reaches a peak in Act Four. Wishing to escape her tyrant, Mauregat, Ignès comes to Done Elvire’s home dressed as a man. She has made believe that she is dead and she is seeking a refuge. The door is ajar. In Scene Seven, Dom Garcie sees Done Elvire embracing Ignès dressed as a man. He believes Done Elvire is embracing a man, which tears him apart. Dom Garcie:

J’ai vu ce que mon âme a peine à concevoir, Et le renversement de toute la nature/ Ne m’étonnerait pas comme cette aventure;/ C’en est fait… le destin… je ne saurais parler.
Dom Garcie à Dom Alvar (IV. vii)
[I have seen what I can hardly conceive; the overthrow of all creation would less astonish me than this accident. It is all over with me … Fate … I cannot speak.]
Dom Garcie to Don Alvarez (IV. 7)
Ah! tout est ruiné,/ Je suis, je suis trahi, je suis assassiné;/ 1240 Un homme, sans mourir te le puis-je bien dire,/ Un homme dans les bras de l’infidèle Elvire?
Dom Garcie à Dom Alvar (IV. vii)
[Alas! Everything is undone. I am betrayed, I am murdered! A man, (can I say it and still live) a man in the arms of the faithless Elvira!]
Dom Garcie to Don Alvarez (IV. 7)

Done Elvire returns and faces unacceptable reproaches. She tries to “reason” with Dom Garcie, but unsuccessfully. Dom Garcie did see a man, but this man was Ignès dressed as a man. Done Elvire rejects Dom Garcie despite Dom Alvar’s opinion that Dom Garcie is to be pitied.

Mais il vous faut de moi détacher à l’instant,/ À mes vœux pour jamais renoncer de vous-même,/ 1385 Et j’atteste du Ciel la puissance suprême,/ Que quoi que le destin puisse ordonner de nous,/ Je choisirai plutôt d’être à la mort qu’à vous;/ Voilà dans ces deux choix de quoi vous satisfaire,/ Avisez maintenant celui qui peut vous plaire.
Elvire à Dom Garcie (IV. viii)
[B]ut you must then renounce me at once, and for ever give up all pretensions to my hand. I swear by Him who rules the Heavens, that, whatever fate may have in store for us, I will rather die than be yours! I trust these two proposals may satisfy you; now choose which of the two pleases you.
Elvira to Dim Garcie (IV. 8)

(Élise entre.)
Faites un peu sortir la personne chérie…
Allez, vous m’entendez, dites que je l’en prie.
Elvire à Élise (IV. vii )
[Let out, briefly, the beloved person…
Go, you hear me, and say that I beg to see her.]
Elvira to Élise
Prenez garde qu’au moins cette noble colère,/ Dans la même fierté, jusqu’au bout persévère;/ Et surtout désormais songez bien à quel prix/ Vous avez voulu voir vos soupçons éclaircis./ 1440 Voici, grâces au Ciel, ce qui les a fait naître,/ Ces soupçons obligeants que l’on me fait paraître,/ Voyez bien ce visage, et si de Done Ignès,/ Vos yeux au même instant n’y connaissent les traits.
Elvire à Dom Garcie (IV. viii)
[Take care at least that this righteous indignation perseveres in its ardour to the end; above all, do not henceforth forget what price you have paid to see your suspicions removed (To Don Garcia). Thanks to Heaven, behold the cause of the generous suspicions you showed. Look well on that face, and see if you do not at once recognize the features of Donna Inez.]
Elvire to Dom Garcie (IV.  9 & 10)

Ô Ciel!
Dom Garcie (IV. x)
O Heavens!
Dom Garcie (IV. 10)

Dom Garcie knows that jealousy left him no time to reflect. He will continue to see what his jealous mind compels him to see: a rival.

In Act Four, Dom Garcie says to Dom Alvar that he, Dom Garcie, is his worst enemy:

Ah! Dom Alvar, je vois que vous avez raison,
Mais l’enfer dans mon cœur a soufflé son poison;
Et par un trait fatal d’une rigueur extrême,
1485 Mon plus grand ennemi se rencontre en moi-même.
Dom Garcie à Dom Alvar (IV.  ix)
[Ah! Don Alvarez, I perceive you were in the right; but hell breathed its poison into my soul; through a merciless fatality I am my worst enemy.]
Dom Garcie to Dom Alvar (IV.  9)

His despair is such that Dom Garcie feels only his death can wash away the injurious humiliating rage to which he subjected Done Elvire, but he intends to die killing the usurper Mauregat. Dom Sylve kills Mauregat.

Il faut que de ma main un illustre attentat/ Porte une mort trop due au sein de Mauregat,/ Que j’aille prévenir par une belle audace,/ Le coup, dont la Castille avec bruit le menace,/ 1510 Et j’aurai des douceurs dans mon instant fatal,/ De ravir cette gloire, à l’espoir d’un rival.
Dom Garcie à Dom Alvar (IV. ix)
[I must attempt a deed of daring, and with my own hand give to Mauregat that death he so justly deserves. My boldness will forestall the blow with which Castile openly threatens him. With my last breath, I shall have the pleasure of depriving my rival of performing such a glorious deed.]
Dom Garcie to Don Alvarez (IV. 11)

ACT FIVE

In Act Five, Scene One, Alvar tells Élise, the woman he loves, that Dom Sylve killed Mauregat and that Mauregat’s death will force the rightful heir, Dom Alphonse, to tell who he is. The rightful heir is about to visit his sister, Done Elvire. He is the one who will give his sister’s hand in marriage. Done Elvire still wishes to marry Dom Garcie.

Her destiny and Dom Garcie’s destiny are tied to the well-being of the state.

Mais, enfin, vous savez comme nos destinées,/ Aux intérêts publics sont toujours enchaînées,/ Et que l’ordre des Cieux pour disposer de moi,/ 1595 Dans mon frère qui vient, me va montrer mon roi./ Cédez comme moi, Prince, à cette violence,/ Où la grandeur soumet celles de ma naissance[.]
Done Elvire à Dom Garcie (V. iii)
[But you know that it is the doom of such as we are, to be always the slaves of public interests; that Heaven has ordained that my brother, who disposes of my hand, is likewise my King. Yield, as I do, Prince, to that necessity which rank imposes upon those of lofty birth.]
Elvira to Dom Garcie (V. 3)

But the king she expects to meet is Dom Sylvie/Dom Alphonse, her brother. A mariage is not possible.

Vous attendez un frère, et Léon son vrai maître,/ 1745 À vos yeux maintenant le Ciel le fait paraître./ Oui, je suis Dom Alphonse, et mon sort conservé,/ Et sous le nom du sang de Castille élevé,/ Est un fameux effet de l’amitié sincère,/ Qui fut entre son Prince, et le Roi notre père.
Dom Sylve/Alphonse à Done Elvire (V. v)
[You expect a brother, and Leon its true master; Heaven now presents him before you. Yes, I am Don Alphonso; I was brought up and educated under the name of Prince of Castile; this clearly proves the sincere friendship that existed between Don Louis and the King, my father.]
Dom Sylve/Alphonse to Done Elvire (V. 5)

In Scene Six, Done Elvire tells Dom Garcie that she will marry him. She loves him and state interests weigh heavily in favour of her marriage to Dom Garcie, whom she had vowed not to marry. Moreover, she has realized that Dom Garcie cannot help feeling jealous.

Non, non, de ce transport le soumis mouvement,/ Prince, jette en mon âme un plus doux sentiment,/ Par lui de mes serments je me sens détachée,/ 1865 Vos plaintes, vos respects, vos douleurs m’ont touchée,/ J’y vois partout briller un excès d’amitié,/ Et votre maladie est digne de pitié./ Je vois, Prince, je vois, qu’on doit quelque indulgence,/ Aux défauts, où du Ciel fait pencher l’influence,/  1870 Et pour tout dire, enfin, jaloux, ou non jaloux/ Mon roi sans me gêner peut me donner à vous.
Done Elvire à Dom Garcie (V. vi)
[No, no, Prince, your submissive attitude brings more tender feelings into my heart; I feel that the oath I took is no longer binding on me; your complaints, your respect, your grief has moved me to compassion; I see an excess of love in all your actions, and your malady deserves to be pitied. Since Heaven is the cause of your faults, some indulgence ought to be allowed to them; in one word, jealous or not jealous, my King will have no compulsion to employ when he gives me to you.]
Done Elvire to Dom Garcie (V. 6)
Ciel! dans l’excès des biens que cet aveu m’octroie,
Rends capable mon cœur de supporter sa joie.
Dom Garcie à Done Elvire  (V. vi)
Heaven! enable me to bear the excess of joy which this confession produces.
Dom Garcia to Elvire (V. 6)

And all leave to enjoy the return of Léon’s true prince and the marriage(s) that take place at the end of a comedy.

Conclusion

• three episodes
• jealousy is not a sign a love
• an anagnorisis or recognition
• Done Elvire still loves Dom Garcie

So Dom Garcie de Navarre ou le Prince jaloux contains three episodes causing Dom Garcie to be literally sick with jealousy. The first two are letters and the third is finding Done Elvire kissing a person looking like a man. In Dom Garcie de Navarre, fits of jealousy so harm Dom Garcie that we cannot conclude the jealousy is a sign of love. This discussion will be continued.

Sources and Resources

Dom Garcie de Navarre is a toutmoliere.net publication
Dom Garcie de Navarre is Gutenberg’s [EBook #6740]
Images belong to the BnF.
Bold letters are mine.

_______________
[1] Francis Baumal, Molière auteur précieux (Paris: La Renaissance du livre, 1925), pp. 86-87.

Love to everyone and apologies for the length of this post. Bilingual posts are lengthy and preparing them may confuse the writer. 💕

Marin Marais —L’Arabesque
from Tous les matins du monde (film)

© Micheline Walker
4 December 2019
WordPress