Adapted by Alexandre Dumas from a script by Auguste Maquet, BATHILDA tells the story of a woman who's raped by Marcel, and becomes his lover for a time.
After she leaves him and moves to Paris, she meets Deworde, her deceased spouse's nephew, and plans to marry him. But Marcel pursues her, determined that if he can't have her, no one else will either. He plays a cat-and-mouse game with Bathilda,... [click here for more]
French dramatist Adolphe d'Ennery (1811-1899) follows the Faust story originally developed by Goethe, but with a leavening of humor that the German playwright lacked. Especially entertaining is the character of the female demon Sulphurine, who's created by Faust's servant Wagner to be his slave. Needless to say, this she-devil is no one's mistress! Faust initially repels the advances of Mephistopheles,... [click here for more]
This powerful, eloquent play moves like a Greek tragedy to its inevitable conclusion. Dumas's drama is based on an actual event--the assassination of Duke Alexander of Medici in 1537 by his cousin, Lorenzo. Lorenzino lures his relative to a trap under the pretext of providing him with a woman. He gets close to the Duke by pandering to his lusts, just so that he'll have the opportunity to kill him.... [click here for more]
Written in 1836, this collaborative play is based on a real-life incident, using the actual names of the principals involved.
The young Marquis de Brunoy is snubbed at the French Royal Court of Versailles because his father, a financier, had been ennobled for his great wealth. After having to fight several duels to defend his honor, the Marquis strikes back by disregarding his rank and wealth, and... [click here for more]
Tour de Nesle (The Tower of Death) is one of Alexandre Dumas's greatest and most powerful plays, a tale of power and conviction, although its historical accuracy is far from certain.
Queen Marguerite and her sisters entertain themselves by luring unsuspecting men to the Tower, which located across the Seine from the Louvre. There they entice their victims to join them for wild sexual escapades--all... [click here for more]