SCÈNE V
26. =je suis tenté de lui en vouloir... à lui=: ‘I am almost indignant at
him.’
SCÈNE VI
=136=, 24. =n’en fait jamais d’autres=: ‘never does otherwise.’
25. =vienne l’occasion=: ‘if the opportunity presents itself.’
=137=, 18. =la récompense promise.= See Act I, Scene I, also Act I, Scene V.
=138=, 18. =à coup sûr=: ‘certainly.’
SCÈNE VII
=141=, 23. =Je répétais=: ‘I was rehearsing.’
=142=, 6. =Gardez-vous en bien!= ‘No, don’t refuse to speak!’
10. =je n’en puis venir à bout=: ‘I cannot say it right.’
20. =Oui-dà!= ‘Oh, of course!’ (ironical).
SCÈNE VIII
=145=, 7. =cela n’est pas.= ‘that is not true.’
10. =Cela est=: ‘It _is_ true.’
14. =à telles enseignes=: ‘so much so.’
14. =de sa part=: ‘in his name.’
14. =défier=: ‘challenge’ (to a duel).
26. =lui a demandé raison=: ‘has demanded satisfaction.’
SCÈNE IX
=147=, 2. =Et la princesse donc=: ‘And the princess still more.’
8. =me nommer=: ‘introduce me.’
23. =si elle ne figure pas aussi bien=: ‘if she does not appear as well.’
=148=, 11. =pour peu que je sois ressemblante=: ‘provided I resemble you,
even a little.’
=150=, 6. =se trouve mal=: ‘has fainted.’
=151=, 9. =Permettez, je réclame=: ‘Allow me to protest.’
=153=, 7. =vous n’êtes jamais au fait des choses=: ‘you are never informed
about things.’
16. =Mais, j’y songe=: ‘But now that I think of it.’
26. =Laissez donc=: ‘Nonsense.’
=154=, 2. =cette maîtresse en titre=: ‘his acknowledged ladylove.’
24. =pour nous mettre à même de prononcer=: ‘to enable us to decide.’
=155=, 13. =Cendrillon=: ‘Cinderella.’
19. =Mille et une nuits=: ‘Arabian Nights.’
=157=, 4. =est décidément des nôtres=: ‘is really our guest.’
=158=, 4. =Le Songe de Pauline.= Pauline is the heroine of the tragedy of
_Polyeucte_ by Corneille.
6. =Hermione=: daughter of Helen, in _Andromaque_ (1667) by Racine.
8. =Camille=: heroine in the tragedy of _Horace_ (1640) by Corneille.
10. =Ariane abandonnée=: a reference to the mythological story of Ariane,
daughter of Minos. She gave to Theseus the thread by means of which he
was able to find his way out of the Labyrinth, after having slain the
Minotaur. She was abandoned by him in the island of Naxos and cast
herself from a rock into the sea.
10. =Ariane=: the best tragedy (1672) by Thomas Corneille.
14. =Phèdre=: tragedy (1677) by Racine.
21. =brochures=: ‘copies of plays.’
22. =à souffler=: ‘to prompt.’
=159=, 1. “=Juste ciel!=” etc. These words are spoken, in the play of
Racine, by Phèdre, as her conscience accuses her of her passion toward
Hippolytus, her stepson, and she fears the wrath of his father, Theseus,
king of Athens. The expression, “une honteuse paix” is “une tranquille
paix” in Racine, having been intentionally strengthened by Scribe.
_Phèdre_, Act III, Scene III.
In reality this scene occurred, not in the hôtel de Bouillon, but at a
public presentation of _Phèdre_ at the Comédie-Française, probably on
the tenth of November, 1729. The love of Mlle Lecouvreur and Maurice de
Saxe was then at an end and he had abandoned the actress for the
duchesse de Bouillon. The attempted poisoning of Mlle Lecouvreur by the
duchess had occurred the preceding summer. It was while playing the
title rôle in _Phèdre_ that Mlle Lecouvreur directed these scathing
words to the duchess, as the latter was seated in her box. The audience
is said to have fully understood the bearing of the denunciation and to
have frantically applauded.
ACTE V
SCÈNE I
=162=, 13. =Le spectacle est-il terminé?= ‘Is the play over?’
27. =ne me voilà-t-il pas bien malade!= ‘Wouldn’t that harm me tho!’
(sarcastic).
=163=, 23. =c’est vindicatif... c’est méchant=: ‘they are vindictive... they
are mean.’
26. =toutes les qualités de l’emploi=: ‘all the qualities needed to play
the rôle.’
=165=, 6. =tu t’abuses encore=: ‘you are mistaken again.’
25. =que je ne vous soupçonnais pas=: ‘that I did not suspect that you
possessed.’
27. =Je triompherai d’une passion=: ‘I shall overcome a passion.’
SCÈNE II
=167=, 10. =une sensation douloureuse.= Cf. Act I, Scene II, p. 11, ll.
11-27.
SCÈNE III
=170=, 6. =dussé-je jouer mon sang et ma vie=: ‘even if I must risk my
life.’
SCÈNE IV
=174=, 16. =Psyché=: a tragi-comédie-ballet by Corneille, Molière, and
Quinault (1671). Psyché speaks thus to Amour, Act III, Scene III. The
wording has been slightly changed.
18. =remonter=: ‘bring out again.’
=177=, 1. =avec égarement=: ‘delirious.’
5. “=Va lui jurer la foi=,” etc. From _Andromaque_ (1667), Act IV, Scene
V, by Racine.
SCÈNE V
=178=, 1. =approchant le fauteuil=: ‘bringing the armchair.’