To the left a bower. On the right _Marguerite's_ house, with a bow
window facing the audience. Trees, shrubs, flower beds, etc.
_Siebel_ enters by the wicket. Stopping at one of the flower beds and
about to pluck a nosegay, he sings the graceful "Faites-lui mes aveux"
(Bear my avowal to her). But when he culls a flower, it shrivels in
his hand, as _Méphistophélès_ had predicted. The boy is much
perturbed. Seeing, however, a little font with holy water suspended by
the wall of the house, he dips his fingers in it. Now the flowers no
longer shrivel as he culls them. He arranges them in a bouquet, which
he lays on the house step, where he hopes _Marguerite_ will see it. He
then leaves.
_Faust_ enters with _Méphistophélès_, but bids the latter withdraw, as
if he sensed the incongruity of his presence near the home of a maiden
so pure as _Marguerite_. The tempter having gone, _Faust_ proceeds to
apostrophize _Marguerite's_ dwelling in the exquisite romance, "Salut!
demeure chaste et pure."
[Music]
_Méphistophélès_ returns. With him he brings a casket of jewels and a
handsome bouquet. With these he replaces _Siebel's_ flowers. The two
men then withdraw into a shadowy recess of the garden to await
_Marguerite's_ return.
She enters by the wicket. Her thoughts are with the handsome
stranger--above her in station, therefore the more flattering and
fascinating in her eyes--who addressed her at the kermis. Pensively
she seats herself at her spinning-wheel and, while turning it, without
much concentration of mind on her work, sings "Le Roi de Thulé," the
ballad of the King of Thule, her thoughts, however, returning to
_Faust_ before she resumes and finishes the number, which is set in
the simple fashion of a folk-song.
Approaching the house, and about to enter, she sees the flowers, stops
to admire them, and to bestow a thought of compassion upon _Siebel_
for his unrequited devotion, then sees and hesitatingly opens the
casket of jewels. Their appeal to her feminine vanity is too great to
permit her to return them at once to the casket. Decking herself out
in them, she regards herself and the sparkling gems in the handglass
that came with them, then bursts into the brilliant "Air des Bijoux"
(Jewel Song):
[Music]
Ah! je ris de me voir
Si belle en ce miroir!...
Est-ce toi, Marguerite?
(Ah! I laugh just to view--
Marguerite! Is it you?--
Such a belle in the glass!...)
one of the most brilliant airs for coloratura soprano, affording the
greatest contrast to the folklike ballad which preceded it, and making
with it one of the most effective scenes in opera for a soprano who
can rise to its demands: the chaste simplicity required for the
ballad, the joyous abandon and faultless execution of elaborate
embellishments involved in the "Air des Bijoux." When well done, the
scene is brilliantly successful; for, added to its own conspicuous
merit, is the fact that, save for the very brief episode in Act II,
this is the first time in two and a half acts that the limpid and
grateful tones of a solo high soprano have fallen upon the ear.
_Martha_, the neighbour and companion of _Marguerite_, joins her. In
the manner of the average duenna, whose chief duty in opera is to
encourage love affairs, however fraught with peril to her charge, she
is not at all disturbed by the gift of the jewels or by the entrance
upon the scene of _Faust_ and _Méphistophélès_. Nor, when the latter
tells her that her husband has been killed in the wars, does she
hesitate, after a few exclamations of rather forced grief, to seek
consolation on the arm of the flatterer in red, who leads her off into
the garden, leaving _Faust_ with _Marguerite_. During the scene
immediately ensuing the two couples are sometimes in view, sometimes
lost to sight in the garden. The music is a quartet, beginning with
_Faust's_ "Prenez mon bras un moment" (Pray lean upon mine arm). It is
artistically individualized. The couples and each member thereof are
deftly characterized in Gounod's score.
For a moment _Méphistophélès_ holds the stage alone. Standing by a bed
of flowers in an attitude of benediction, he invokes their subtle
perfume to lull _Marguerite_ into a false sense of security. "Il était
temps!" (It was the hour), begins the soliloquy. For a moment, as it
ends, the flowers glow. _Méphistophélès_ withdraws into the shadows.
_Faust_ and _Marguerite_ appear. _Marguerite_ plucks the petals of a
flower: "He loves me--he loves me not--he loves!" There are two
ravishing duets for the lovers, "Laisse-moi contempler ton visage"
(Let me gaze upon thy beauty), and "Ô nuit d'amour ... ciel radieux!"
[Music]
(Oh, night of love! oh, starlit sky!). The music fairly enmeshes the
listener in its enchanting measures.
[Music]
_Faust_ and _Marguerite_ part, agreeing to meet on the morrow--"Oui,
demain! des l'aurore!" (Yes, tomorrow! at dawn!). She enters the
house. _Faust_ turns to leave the garden. He is confronted by
_Méphistophélès_, who points to the window. The casement is opened by
_Marguerite_, who believes she is alone. Kneeling in the window, she
gazes out upon the night flooded with moonlight. "Il m'aime; ... Ah!
presse ton retour, cher bien-aimé! Viens!" (He loves me; ah! haste
your return, dearly beloved! Come!).
With a cry, _Faust_ rushes to the open casement, sinks upon his
knees. _Marguerite_, with an ecstatic exclamation, leans out of the
embrasure and allows him to take her into his arms. Her head rests
upon his shoulder.
At the wicket is _Méphistophélès_, shaking with laughter.