Molière’s “L’Étourdi,” “The Blunderer:” Lélie defends Clélie … (3)

31 Tuesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Comedy, Molière

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Act 3, L'Étourdi, Molière, The Blunderer

355px-Oeuvres_de_Molière_-L'Étourdi_-_Bret_-_Jean-Baptiste_Simonet_btv1b86171826_116bis

L’Étourdi par Moreau le Jeune (théâtre-documentation.com)

ACT THREE

Virtuous & Virtuoso

In a previous post on Molière’s L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps, I noted that Mascarille, the rogue of L’Étourdi, looks upon his stratagems as virtuous. However, to be perfectly accurate, Mascarille is a virtuoso. Virtuosity suggests considerable dexterity, which describes Mascarille’s nimbleness.

Molière © SUPERSTOCK – SIPA

L’ÉTOURDI OU LES CONTRETEMPS

Dramatis Personæ (the cast)

LÉLIE, (son of) fils de Pandolphe.
CÉLIE, (slave to) esclave de Trufaldin.
MASCARILLE, (lackey to) valet de Lélie.
HIPPOLYTE, (daughter of) fille d’Anselme.
ANSELME, (old man) vieillard.
TRUFALDIN, vieillard.
PANDOLPHE, vieillard.
LÉANDRE, (son) fils de famille.
ANDRÈS, (believed to be) cru égyptien.
ERGASTE, valet.
UN COURRIER.
DEUX TROUPES DE MASQUES

Lélie defends Célie’s virtue

You may remember that in Act Three, Mascarille tells Léandre, Lélie’s rival, that Clélie is a loose woman. Léandre does not want to marry a woman who is “public property.” However, Lélie so loves Célie that he will not believe Léandre who says that she is stained. She is as pure as the morning dew. He calls her his divinity

Feignez, si vous voulez, de ne me pas entendre;/ 1005 Mais, croyez-moi, cessez de craindre pour un bien,/ Où je serais fâché de vous disputer rien;/ J’aime fort la beauté qui n’est point profanée,/ Et ne veux point brûler pour une abandonnée.
Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[Pretend, if you please, not to understand me ; but believe me, do not apprehend that I shall take a property which I should be sorry to dispute with you. I adore a beauty who has not been sullied, and do not wish to love a depraved woman.]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 39)

Ah! que vous êtes bon!/ 1010 Allez, vous dis-je encor, servez-la sans soupçon,/Vous pourrez vous nommer homme à bonnes fortunes: Il est vrai, sa beauté n’est pas des plus communes;/ Mais en revanche aussi le reste est fort commun.
Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[Oh! how credulous you are! I tell you once more, you may attend on her now without suspecting anybody. You may call yourself a lady-killer. It is true, her beauty is very uncommon, but, to make amends for that, the rest is common enough.]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 39)

Ce que j’avance ici me vient de bonne part.
Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[What I state here I have from very good authority.]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 40)

Quiconque vous l’a dit, est un lâche, un pendard;/ On ne peut imposer de tache à cette fille:/ Je connais bien son cœur.
Lélie à Léandre (III. iii)
[Whoever told you so is a scoundrel and a rascal. Nobody can discover the least blemish in this young lady; I know her heart well.]
Lélie to Léandre (III. 3, p. 40)

Mascarille has told Léandre that Célie is not the pure woman she appears to be. How can he doubt Mascarille?

Mais enfin Mascarille,/ 1025 D’un semblable procès est juge compétent;/ C’est lui qui la condamne.
Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[But yet Mascarille is a very competent judge in such a cause: he thinks her guilty.]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 40)

Act Three, Scene Four

When Mascarille enters the stage, Lélie is livid.

1035 Langue de serpent fertile en impostures,/ Vous osez sur Célie attacher vos morsures!/ Et lui calomnier la plus rare vertu,/ Qui puisse faire éclat sous un sort abattu!
Lélie à Mascarille (III. iv)
[You serpent’s tongue! so full of lies! dare you fasten your stings on Celia, and slander the most consummate virtue that ever added lustre to misfortune?]
Lélie to Mascarille (III. 4, p. 40)

At this point, Léandre learns that Lélie does not beat Mascarille. Lélie is spoiling Mascarille’s stratagem, which is to make others believe that they must trust him, because his master beats him. Mascarille tries to stop Lélie from saying the truth, but Lélie does not pay attention to him.

Quoi! châtier mes gens n’est pas en ma puissance?
Lélie à Léandre (III. iv)
[What! have I no right, then, to chastise my own servant?]
Lélie to Léandre (III. 4, p. 41)

Comment vos gens?
Léandre à Lélie (III. iv)
[What do you mean by saying “your servant?”]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 4, p. 41)

Encore! Il va tout découvrir.
Mascarille (III. iv)
[(Aside.) He is at it again! He will discover all.]
Mascarille (III. 4, p. 41)

Quand j’aurais volonté de le battre à mourir,/ Hé bien? c’est mon valet.
Lélie à Léandre (III. iv)
[Suppose I had a mind to thrash him within an inch of his life, what then? He is my own servant.]
Lélie to Léandre (III. 4, p. 41)

… C’est maintenant le nôtre.
Léandre à Mascarille (III. iv)
[At present he is mine.]
Léandre to Lélie (III. 4, p. 41)

Donc les coups de bâton n’étaient qu’imaginaires.
Léandre à Mascarille (III. iv)
Then all this cudgelling is purely imaginary?
Léandre to Mascarille (III. 4, p. 42)

Léandre leaves.

The Masquerades

As Act Three ends, Ergaste tells both Mascarille and Lélie, that he knows of a plot by Léandre. Léandre’s brigade will assault Trufaldin’s house, wearing a disguise, and will abduct Célie. They will be women. Lélie runs to Trufaldin asking him to keep his doors carefully closed.

Fermez soigneusement votre porte ce soir.
Lélie à Trufaldin (III. vii)
[Keep your door carefully closed tonight.]
Lélie to Trufaldin (III. 10, p. 46)

However, when Mascarille hears about the planned assault, he quickly gathers a brigade of his own that reaches Trufaldin’s house before Léandre and his team. Lélie finds Mascarille behind a disguise. He therefore blunders again and blames Mascarille. See the image at the bottom of this post. It is by François Boucher and Laurent Cars, and shows Mascarille dressed as a woman. Lélie lifts the veil.

Et contre cet assaut je sais un coup fourré,/ Par qui je veux qu’il soit de lui-même enferré;/ Il ne sait pas les dons dont mon âme est pourvue./Adieu, nous boirons pinte à la première vue.
Mascarille à Ergaste (III. v)
[Ay, well! He has not yet reached the height of his happiness; I may perhaps be beforehand with him; and as to this thrust, I know how to give him a counter- thrust, by which he may run himself through. He is not aware with what gifts I am endowed. Farewell, we shall take a cup together next time we meet.]
Mascarille to Ergaste (III. 6, p. 45)

Mascarille’s masquerade’s is foiled by Lélio. He blunders again. But he claims not to have been ignored only to switch to self-imprecation. Lélie/Lelio blames Mascarille only to blame himself. However is he entirely to blame? “How adverse is our fate!” Mascarille is a virtuoso, but there are “contretemps,” events that are always standing in both Lélie’s and Mascarille’s way.

Hélas! quelle surprise! et quel sort est le nôtre! L’aurais-je deviné,n’étant point averti/ 1230 Des secrètes raisons qui t’avaient travesti!/ Malheureux que je suis, d’avoir dessous ce masque,/ Été sans y penser te faire cette frasque!/ Il me prendrait envie, en ce juste courroux,/ De me battre moi-même, et me donner cent coups.
Lélie à Mascarille (III. viii)
[Alas! How astonished I am! How adverse is our fate! Could I possibly have guessed this, as you did not secretly inform me that you were going to disguise yourself?Wretch that I am, thoughtlessly to play you such a trick, while you wore this mask. I am in an awful passion with myself, and have a good mind to give myself a sound beating.]
Lélio to Mascarille (III. 12, p. 46)

In Act Three Scene Nine, Léandre’s brigade arrives. Trufaldin tells them that:

… La belle est dans le lit, et ne peut vous parler;/ 1250 J’en suis fâché pour vous: mais pour vous régaler/ Du souci qui pour elle ici vous inquiète,/ Elle vous fait présent de cette cassolette.
Trufaldin à Léandre (III. ix)
[… the girl is in her bed and cannot speak to you; I am sorry; but to repay you for all the trouble you have taken for her sake, she begs you will be pleased to accept this pot of perfume.]
Trufaldin to Léandre (III. 13, pp. 47 – 48)

We break here. Next we will read a conversation between Léandre and Anselme.
It is Act Four, Scene Three. The rest of the play is short. Lélie has a second rival.

(to be continued)

RELATED ARTICLES

Molière’s “L’Étourdi,” “The Blunderer” (2) (16 February 2020)
Molière’s “L’Étourdi,” “The Blunderer” (1) ( 7 February 2020)

Sources and Resources

L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps is a toutmoliere.net publication.
The Blunderer is Gutenberg’s [eBook #6563].
The Blunderer is an Internet Archive publication.
Our translator is Henri van Laun.
Images belong to theatre-documentation.com, unless otherwise indicated.
Notes et Variantes (Maurice Rat, Pléiade, 1956).
Bold characters are mine.

Love to everyone 💕

Chronicling COVID-19 (3)

29 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in COVID-19, Love, Sharing

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Covid-19, Matthew 7.3, Plank, Sawdust

Saint Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni (Google)

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew, 7.3)

I went into quarantine on 10 March. One person came to my apartment when the kitchen faucet exploded. It was a danger to my neighbours. I kept at a distance from the plumber and I chose a faucet that looks industrial. The kitchen no longer looks the same. I also disinfected the kitchen counters. Kitchen counters are the preferred home of germs and nasty relatives. Our colleague, Colltales, wrote about the many virtues of plain rubbing alcohol. It disinfects.

I could have lost money to Internet fraud. Fortunately, I pay a fee so my credit card is protected. For my loved-ones, believing I had to renew McAfee was rather reckless. But many Quebecers did not start self-isolating before 23 March, the day the government locked down the province. Was I such a fool?

On 17 March, I phoned the clinic where my doctor works. I had an appointment that day, but I said that, in my opinion, getting into a cab to go to a public clinic did not seem prudent. I then learned that doctors had been asked, on that very day, to phone patients. My doctor phoned and also announced that he would be retiring in December 2020, which is a long time from now. Would the crisis last until then? He had found a doctor who would look after me. which reassured me, but he regretted that he could not refer all of his patients to a doctor. They would see supervised interns. My doctor supervises interns. One often knocked at the door, so I had to wait, but I had a doctor. In Quebec, it takes three years to find a family doctor. That is very disconcerting.

However, being told in March that my doctor will retire in December suggests that it might be a long time before doctors can see patients, except victims of the corona virus. I will attempt to make sure my medication can be renewed for at least two years.

Mistakes were made, but this pandemic was a surprise. Although blaming others may make some people feel better, it could be very wrong. I’m now ageing, but pain is still pain. COVID-19 is a terrible affliction. People could not tell what an evil it would be, but solidarity is our finest weapon. We must have one another to turn to.

Love to everyone 💕

St. Matthew and The Angel, 1661 - Rembrandt

Saint Matthew and the Angel by Rembrandt (WikiArt)

Que c’est triste Venise

25 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

A MI MANERA

Que c’est triste Venise (Que triste está Venecia) es una canción escrita por la novelista Françoise Dorin y compuesta e interpretada por Charles Aznavour.

Se lanzó como un single de 45 rpm en 1964 y fue un éxito internacional, especialmente en los países latinos gracias a su versión en español, titulada esta vez Venecia sin ti.

El vídeo, con la versión que grabó en francés Aznavour en 1964, recoge imágenes de otros publicados en YouTube en los que vemos Venecia estos últimos días prácticamente desierta a causa del coronavirus.

View original post

Chronicling COVID-19

25 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Canadian art, Canadian wilderness, Music in Canada, Pandemic, Quebec Art

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Arrogance, Covid-19, Early Music, Hank Knox, Quebec lockdown, Self-Isolation

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

My posts are delayed because of essential business. Quebec is closed.

My main meal comes from meals-on-wheels. As I was going to pick it up, wearing protective gear, I bumped into an assembly of people who doubted we should take authorities seriously. They were not standing at a distance from one another and I saw a person coming out of the swimming pool room.

I didn’t think I had it in me to transform myself into the manager of the building. It was an incredible moment. What I said and wrote in emails was, basically,

disperse immediately and do not let anyone into the building. If something is delivered, it stays in the lobby and someone rings your apartment. Three apartments are for sale. Real Estate is not an essential service. No one comes to visit apartments. If a rule is broken, I’ll call the police, the RCMP (Mounted Police), la GRC (Gendarmerie royale canadienne) …

This morning I saw a sign asking people not to use the swimming pool.

Our worst enemies are the people who are too arrogant to obey the law. They don’t know that their freedom ends where the freedom of others begin. Only food, medication and the mail can be delivered.

I then had a conversation with a friend who is a postmaster. Mailmen will not ask you to sign if there is a delivery. That is contact. Covid rests on surfaces, which may include the mail.

One must also realize that there is very little medical help. I often tell people that if they wish to be well treated, they should go to the vet’s office. They have to learn medicine carefully as animals do not speak, except “en son langage.”

I am embedding music played by Hank Knox, a member, by marriage, of Sir Ernest MacMillan‘s family. My dear friend Andrea, whom I lost to cancer recently, was Sir Ernest’s niece. I knew the family but not closely, except for Andrea. We became friends when David and I rented the lower floor of her house.

David had found employment in Toronto. We were in a hotel looking for a home. David drove through streets he knew I would like. He saw a sign on a big tree and Andrea standing outside. He learned that she loved music and cats. So David said he would pick me up because he was certain I wanted to live in that house and that a friendship would grow. I must phone Betsy. She sent me harpsichord music.

https://www.mcgill.ca/music/hank-knox

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hank+Knox&&view=detail&mid=4484F90DC0AD59DEDB0C4484F90DC0AD59DEDB0C&&FORM=VDRVRV

Barns by A. Y. Jackson, 1926 (The Group of Seven) (WikiArt)

Un peu de tout …

18 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Pandemic, The United States

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Angels & Archangels, Coronavirus, Mr Trump, Related Article

“Trump didn't cause the pandemic. What he did was squander America's only advantage—a lag time during which to prepare for the crisis—thus encouraging the spread of the disease when it might have been contained. He has, in real and material ways, made this crisis worse.” pic.twitter.com/dpfEqH02uI

— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) March 17, 2020

I have been in self-isolation for more than a week. I’ve never smoked. Yet, a little over a year ago, I lost my voice and I was then diagnosed with advanced emphysema. If I can remain in self-isolation, I may be safe, but how long can one be in self-isolation?

In theory, I should not see anyone, but tomorrow, a plumber will come to my apartment and replace the kitchen faucet. It burst apart. I spoke with the manager who told me it had to be replaced immediately, while there was still time.

Sherbrooke has testing facilities and treatment facilities. But distancing is the rule. In fact, authorities have asked people to refrain from going to testing facilities. One must phone and make an appointment. Symptoms must be very clear.

President Trump

Mr Trump tells us that he knew about the impending pandemic. Did he? As you know, with Mr Trump, first, the news is “fake news.” Second, he is not accountable. Yet, Americans will get paid sick leave, etc. They will be helped and they will have an income.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/18/trump-coronavirus-economic-plan/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most.

Ironically, on 16 March, Canadian Prime Ministre Justin Trudeau addressed Canadians. However, he did not close the border separating Canada from the United States. He may have feared a negative reaction from our neighbours to the South. But Mr Trump did not hesitate. The border is closed to non-essential traffic. In the days of novel coronavirus, distancing is necessary, but it is a form of togetherness. We need one another perhaps more than ever before.

Canada may have a small advantage. Most Canadians do what their experts tell them to do. Not that they are blinded by what authorities advise, but that they dare not be foolhardy. However, we lack supplies.

We are now returning to Molière…

Angels and Archangels: Michael, Lucifer … (30 November 2014)

The Alcan Quartet performs Sir Ernest MacMillan‘s “Notre Seigneur en pauvre”

Europa

The Coronavirus: Paid Sick Leave

16 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Pandemic, The United States, War

≈ Comments Off on The Coronavirus: Paid Sick Leave

Tags

Containment, Paid Sick Leave, The Experts, The Pandemic Industry

President Trump speaks about the coronavirus during a news conference at the White House on Sunday, (Chris Kleponis/Bloomberg)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/16/paid-sick-leave-coronavirus-house-bill/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/anthony-fauci-fights-outbreaks-with-the-sledgehammer-of-truth/2020/03/12/b3f81f52-6473-11ea-845d-e35b0234b136_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_ideas

Dear President Trump,

I would urge you to provide an income to all American employees whose benefits do not include paid sick leave. Would that I could say, help them when they fall ill, but such advice would make no sense. They must leave the workplace now. People who stay in the workplace will catch the virus and transmit it. The number of victims will then grow at an exponential rate.

One may be tempted to say that the economy will be hurt. Not necessarily. Pandemics are an industry. So much has to be manufactured: respirators, ventilators, the best masks, testing facilities, treatment facilities … It’s like a war effort and the United States has fought wars and thrived.

Make sure that the people working in the Pandemic industry are protected from head to toe.

I’ve listened to many videos and heard about measures taken in various countries. Containment is essential. There is no better strategy than containment. But one must eat.

Let us listen to what our experts have to say. They are the authorities. They can organise the war on Covid-19. We also have economists, experts. They can keep the boat afloat as the battle rages and wipe up the mess when it subsides.

Accountability

By ensuring that drastic measures are taken to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus you will reassure the markets. It’s the responsible choice. This choice will also comfort the people of the United States and the world.

I am posting this article, but the situation has already started to change, for the better. People must leave the workplace.

No country should allow the spread of a potentially deadly virus, which will happen if the little guy cannot get away from the working place. Not only would he or she be in the line of fire, but the virus would not be contained and the state would be accountable.

Love to everyone ♥

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The Coronavirus.3
The Coronavirus.2
The Coronavirus.1

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (The Verge)

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (The Verge)

The Coronavirus.3

14 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Epidemic, Italy, Pandemic

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Bomb, Containment, Covid-19, Dr Giacomo Grasselli, Milan, Prevention, Triage, Victims

The Creation of Adam (The Verge)

Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, his wife, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Grégoire, have tested positive for Covid-19. Therefore, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in self-isolation, but he can work. Wherever it is possible, people are working from home. Moreover, in certain countries, employees whose benefits do not include paid sick leaves are being supported by their government. I hope that movement will spread because avoiding exposure to the virus is our best weapon. Covid-19 is extremely dangerous, but if we work together, we may defeat it.

Worse than a bomb … a tsunami

The BBC interviewed Italian Dr Giacomo Grasselli who stated that Covid-19 arrived in his country in a manner that was worst than a bomb. Covid-19 spreads quickly, it is agressive, and it is new. It’s a tsunami, says Dr Grasselli (CBC).

Italy was not given sufficient time to prepare. But many countries had time to prepare, at least minimally. They were able to enlarge medical facilities and purchase the materials they require. As well, people are being sent home, so they do not catch the disease and transmit it.

Pandemics are horrible and Covid-19 is a new threat, but I am seeing people working together to save themselves and to save their neighbours. Doctors alone cannot defeat Covid-19. It’s a community project.

Italy had little time to prepare, but the first order of business was containment, which is what Dr Grasselli is advising and which many of us have been given the time to do. However, Covid-19 is nevertheless a surprise and many of us are in denial.

I heard people trivialise the situation, which we can’t. We must keep at a distance from one another, which, in the days of coronavirus, is working together. Covid-19 is real and it is happening.

Two weeks before the bomb fell and multiplied, Dr Grasselli would not have expected the calimity that is unfolding.

I embedded a BBC (British) interview with Italian Dr Giacomo Grasselli (publications) as well as a CBC (Canada) interview.

Love to everyone ♥

The BBC

The CBC

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5491009/italians-must-follow-rules-and-stay-home-to-stop-coronavirus-disaster-says-doctor-1.5491013

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (Wikipedia)

The Coronavirus.2

11 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Disease, Illustrations, Middle Ages

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Coronavirus, Netherlands, Pieter Bruegel, Plague

The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

This may seem to contradict an earlier post on Intellectual Property, but it doesn’t.

One copies, but one names one’s source. My post on Coronavirus can be shared.

Would that we could listen time and again to Smetana’s “Moldau.” Played on the harp by a lovely young woman, it is heavenly. But the spectrum of heavenly music is rather wide.

Love to everyone ♥

The Land of Cockaigne (1567), Alte Pinakothek, an illustration of the medieval mythical land of plenty called Cockaigne, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (Wikipedia)

The Coronavirus.1

10 Tuesday Mar 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Disease, Middle Ages, Songs

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Coronavirus, Epidemic, Giovanni Boccacio, la peste noire, Pandemic, Self-Isolation, the Black Death, The Decameron

La peste noire en Europe a également au des conséquences dramatiques sur le reste du monde

Burying victims of the Bubonic Plague at Tournai

In this history book written in the 1340s by the French chronicler and poet Gilles li Muisis, residents of a town stricken by the plague burn Jews, who were blamed for causing the disease. (Royal Library of Belgium)

About Covid-19

A potentially deadly virus is threatening lives everywhere. It may have started in China, and it may not. It seems that viruses and other pathogens can lie in a dormant state for years, perhaps centuries, only to rise again here and there. The Black Death is still alive. The Black Death so horrified Europeans that many of Europe’s inhabitants would not take baths fearing that freshly-cleansed skin could absorb pathogens.

I remember reading that Henri IV of France sent for his advisor, Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully, but that hearing from his messenger that Sully had just taken a bath, Henri IV asked that he stay indoors for a few days. The Black Death also survived in songs and in literature. Camus (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) wrote La Peste (The Plague), 1947, but we will focus on Giovanni Boccacio’s Decameron. The Decameron was completed in 1353, as the Black Death (1347-1351) was waning. Wikipedia reports the “[i]n total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an estimated 475 million to 350–375 million in the 14^th century epidemics.” The Decameron had an enormous influence on Geoffrey Chaucer‘s (1340 – 1400) Canterbury Tales. But we are not looking at the Decameron, as a work of literature. The Decameron, written in Florentine Italian, is an example of self-isolation to avoid contagion, and, in our case, an epidemic heralding a pandemic.

Black Death, pandemic that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, taking a proportionately greater toll of life than any other known epidemic or war up to that time.[1]

A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse, 1916 (Wikipedia Commons)

The Decameron: self-isolation

The Decameron consists of a hundred tales told by seven young women and three young men who had self-isolated outside Florence. Self-isolation may well be the best option is a global attempt to save humanity. It’s a form of containment.

I believe that persons who can afford to self-isolate have a better chance of surviving Covid-19. The affluent and employees who benefit from sick leave may be able to self-isolate. But what about citizens who have been fired because they are not needed and may not have sick leave? These would be, for instance, persons working in travel agencies or for an airline company that may go bankrupt.

The agora is no longer a safe area and people should travel and use public transportation as little as possible. What happens to the individuals who have no sick pay? One cannot live without an income, but if earning an income means not only possible, but probable exposure to the coronavirus, remaining in the agora is unacceptable.

Flagellants-Black-Death-Netherlands-atonement-sins-God

Flagellants in the Netherlands scourging themselves in atonement, believing that the Black Death is a punishment from God for their sins, 1349 (Britannica)

We spend billions on defence: war. And we may have to spend billions on another type of defence: a war on a devastating virus now deadlier than war. China is building hospitals and hospitals might be built elsewhere. But time is of the essence. Bill Gates and other wealthy people have donated huge amounts of money to essential research. But, again, time is of the essence. A researcher may have a brilliant idea tomorrow, but that may not happen. Moreover, producing the vaccine or remedy may also take time. In such a case, it is perhaps best to stay home at the government’s expense. Research is essential, but who and when will researchers discover the cure.

These viruses are unpredictable and fickle. The 1918 Spanish flu killed three grown sons in a day, but a daughter and her child survived. Coronavirus seems to attack the elderly and spare children. But we are all at risk, including those who recover. One will recover, but will one recover fully? They may find it difficult to earn a living even if they can manage their illness.

I caught a virus (H1N1) in February 1976. It did not kill me, but caused a permanent disability that eventually cost me my position and my blue house. My employers knew I needed more rest than other persons, but my workload grew heavier than the workload assigned to my colleagues.

But the current case is the novel coronavirus.

We must help those who cannot help themselves for lack of an income. We all pay taxes. Once this outbreak is under control, planes will fly again and travel agencies will reopen, but our current obligation is to save lives and contain the disease, which may mean self-isolation. Moreover, among the persons who survive, some may not be as strong as they were before their illness. Will employers everywhere increase their workloads, causing them to fall ill? That’s what they did to me.

It may cost a great deal of money, but we must save humanity. Let’s go through this horror with dignity, calm, and as charitably as we can. All of us must avoid exposure, and the elderly are at a terrible risk.

Life will be normal again.

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