Mary Magdalene: A Play in Three Acts

Mary Magdalene: A Play in Three Acts

I have borrowed from Mr. Paul Heyses drama, Maria von Magdala, the idea of two situations in my play, namely, at the end of the first act, the intervention of Christ, who stops the crowd raging against Mary Magdalene with these words, spoken behind the scenes: He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone; and, in the third, the dilemma in which the great sinner finds herself, of saving or destroying the Son of God, according as she consents or refuses to give herself to a Roman. Before setting to work, I asked the venerable German poet, whom I hold in the highest esteem, for his permission to develop those two situations, which, so to[Pg vi] speak, were merely sketched in his play, with its incomparably richer plot than mine; and I offered to recognize his rights in whatever manner he thought proper. My respectful request was answered with a refusal, none too courteous, I regret to say, and almost threatening. From that moment, I was bound to consider that the words from the Gospel, quoted above, are common property; and that the dilemma of which I speak is one of those which occur pretty frequently in dramatic literature. It seemed to me the more lawful to make use of it inasmuch as I had happened to imagine it in the fourth act of Joyzelle, in the same year in which Maria von Magdala was published and before I was able to become acquainted with that play. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 67806
Author: Maeterlinck, Maurice
Release Date: Apr 10, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company
Publication Date: 1910
Publisher Country: United States

Contributors

Translator: Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander, 1865-1921