[PDF] Victor Hugos Ruy Blas and its 19th century English adaptations

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ǯ19th century English adaptations

Russell Burdekin, May 2019

Ruy Blas and a short history of the

19th century English adaptations and how each relates to the original. It was part of the

preparation for a paper given at the Music in Nineteenth Century Britain Conference, Canterbury Christ Church University, July 5, 2019.See harbinger_of_English_Romantic_Opera_demise.pdf ) five act verse play Ruy Blas was first performed on 8 November 1838 at the opening of the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. In brief, a Spanish grandee, Don Sallust,

exiled by the Queen, plots revenge by getting his servant, Ruy Blas, to impersonate an

aristocrat, Don César,1 in order to gain the Que achieved, Sallust engineers a compromising situation between Blas and the Queen to force her abdication. Blas kills Sallust but takes poison when the Queen will not forgive his deception until too late. For all that it has a convoluted and unlikely plot, Hugo included some highly charged scenes and speeches. In London, it seems to have been mooted for performance in 1840 but nothing came of it. A licence to perform it in 1845 at the St James was refused (Stephens 51). The reason for these failures was not any inherent problem with the play but a sensitivity that allusions might be made to Prince Albert and his relationship with Queen Victoria. In 1852 it was again submitted for performance in French at the St James and this time allowed. The manuscript shows and a few lines invoking God at more length omitted. T53703: 243) included the caveat which implies that at least some of the changes although some might have been the manager, John Mitchell, aware of what the censor was likely to object to. However, Queen Victoria saw the play and was not amused. She complained about the Queen falling in love with and marrying a footman in livery (although the play as submitted did not actually include a marriage). The play was swiftly withdrawn after three performances and a promise extracted from Mitchell not to perform it again. A proposed English version was aborted. An English version by Frederic Phillips under the title The Secret Passion was submitted for performance by Mr and Mrs Clarence Holt at the Marylebone Theatre, where it premiered on

1 Frédérick Lemaître who took the part of Ruy Blas in the première was so taken with the Don César character that

he commissioned a play from Dumanoir et Adolphe d'Ennery that supposedly followed his later career called

Don César de Bazan (1844). This also spawned several London adaptations and was the basis for William

Maritana (1845).

2

15 February, 1858 (Marylebone Mercury, 13 Feb 1858: 1). It was licenced with provisos about

Ruy Blas being dressed as a retainer rather than a footman (Stephens 51). At the Marylebone it was subtitled The Queen and the Retainer but not when the Holts took it to the Theatre Royal, Norwich, in the March and the City of London Theatre in the April. on 27 October 1860, John Coleman at the Adelphi Theatre, Sheffield, in December 1860 and Benjamin Conquest at the Grecian on 14 January 18 October 1861. They all plot in the main details although often compressing the text and omitting some more peripheral scenes. One point of interest is that the English versions, other than Phillips , attempted to obscure the precise status of the Queen because of the potential moral concerns about hers, as a married woman, and Ruy Blas or as the London Review (3 Nov. . Thus Falconer describes it as a proxy marriage to the King while Coleman, Conquest and Glover imply that she is engaged rather than married. Hugo leaves no doubt that the

Queen is married to the KingAll versions except

, which would underline that they were married.

Bibliography

Stephens, John Russell. The Censorship of English Drama 1824-1901. (Cambridge: CUP, 1980).

French editions

Victor Hugo, Ruy Blas. Bruxelles: Meline, Cans & Co., 1839. [Add MS 52929 CC] Victor Hugo, Ruy Blas. Bruxelles: Hauman et Co., 1839. Available at https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Hugo_-_Ruy_Blas,_%C3%A9dition_1839.djvu . First English editions (British Library manuscripts) Victor Hugo (adapted by Frederic Phillips). The Secret Passion. Add MS 52971 R, 1858. Victor Hugo (adapted by Edmund Falconer). Ruy Blas. Add MS 52995 W, 1860. Victor Hugo (adapted by John Coleman). Ruy Blas. Add MS 52998 V, 1860. Victor Hugo (adapted by Benjamin Conquest). Ruy Blas. Add MS 53000 A, 1861 Victor Hugo (adapted by William Howard Glover). Ruy Blas. Add MS 53008 A, 1861 3

Appendix

Victor Hugo Ruy Blas detailed synopsis

(Bruxelles: Hauman & Co., 1839) The action takes place at the royal palace in Madrid in 169-.

Act 1 Don Salluste

Scene 1

Don Salluste explains to his friend Gudiel that he has been exiled as a result of refusing to marry the lady in waiting whom he has got pregnant. He plots revenge. Gudiel leaves and Salluste orders his servant, Ruy Blas, to show in his renegade cousin Don César. Salluste realises that César and Blas know each other.

Scene 2

Don Salluste lists some of César but César is unrepentant. Salluste undertakes to pay Césarto restore him to his position in society, promising him a down payment by way of good faith. In return he wants César to help him gain revenge but when César knows that it is to be upon a woman he refuses. Salluste pretends that he has been joking and goes out to get the promised 500 ducats payment gesturing for Ruy

Blas to enter.

Scene 3

Ruy Blas, who knows César as Zafari, renews his acquaintance with him. They reminisce about their schooldays together. Blas bemoans that he was a dreamer who and to avoid starving was forced to take up a position as Sallustekey. Blas then reveals that he is in love with the Queen and gathers flowers that he has left for her together with a note. Salluste has been listening to this and comes back with . While César is counting it, he tells guards to arrest Don César when he leaves and to sell him to African pirates.

Scene 4

Salluste gets Blas to write two letters, one supposedly to his mistress, whom he addresses as queen and asks to come to his house and the other in which Blas confirms that he is SallusteSalluste then gets Blas to dress as an aristocrat.

Scene 5

Salluste presents Blas to some of the court as his recently returned cousin, Don César.

The Queen enters.

4

Act 2 The Queen of Spain

Scene 1

The Queen is with her ladies but is fearful of what Don Salluste might do and is bored with her restricted fresh activity is squashed by her chaperone, the elderly Duchess of Albuquerque, on the grounds of protocol. Finally they leave the Queen to her devotions.

Scene 2

Left alone the Queen wonders who is leaving the flowers and notes when a letter from the king arrives.

Scene 3

The Duchess reads out the letter which is only one line long. When the Queen reads it she realises that the king must have dictated it and that the hand is the same as the one on the secret notes. It is quickly identified as that of Don César (Ruy Blas), who also brought the letter. Ruy Blas is informed that it is his duty to let the King into the apartment, which upsets him and puts him in a near faint. The Queen realises that Blas is her secret admirer and he knows that she does.

Scene 4

Seeing that the Queen favours the new man, an elderly gallant of the court, Don

Guritan, challenges Ruy Blas to a duel.

Scene 5

The Queen hears of the proposed duel and sends Don Guritan off to Germany immediately so that it can be prevented.

Act 3 Ruy Blas

Scene 1

power as prime minister and Duke of Olmeda and his relationship with the Queen.

They then trade favours.

Scene 2

good. They resign. He receives an anonymous letter that a leading person is to be abducted.

Scene 3

The Queen has been hearing all this from a secret room and congratulates him on what he has done. They declare their love for each other.

Scene 4

Left alone Blas mulls over what has happened.

Scene 5

Don Salluste returns disguised as a servant and demands that Blas, as his lackey, helps him despite his new position, producing the letter that Blas had signed months previously. 5

Act 4 Don César

Scene 1

Ruy Blas tries to find a way out of the impasse by apologising and asking the newly returned Don Guritan to guard the Queen and make sure that she remains in her palace.

Scene 2

The real Don César arrives in the palace having fallen down a chimney. He wants revenge on Don Salluste.

Scene 3

There is a confused scene with a lackey who comes to give some gold to the fraudulent Don César (Ruy Blas), of which deceit the real Don César is unaware.

Scene 4

A lady of the court arrives with a note from the Queen and again he assumes that it is for him.

Scene 5

Don Guritan comes in and again a confused scene takes place with Don Guritan killed when it descends into a duel. On their exit Don Salluste enters.

Scene 6

Don Sallust reflects on how his plot is going. Don César enters.

Scene 7

Don César is wary of Don Salluste and to gain revenge for his abduction summons the guards.

Scene 8

However, Don Salluste manages to manipulate the situation and get César arrested. They also discover the dead Don Guritan and Don César is accused of the murder and taken away.

Act 5 The Lion and the Tiger

Scene 1

Ruy prevents him.

Scene 2

Ruy Blas is confused as to why the Queen has come. She produces the other letter that Blas had written to Salluste dictation. Blas tries to get her to return to the palace but

Don Salluste enters.

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Scene 3

Salluste

arranges a coach for her and Blas to flee to Portugal. Blas admits he is an imposter and really only SallusteSalluste revels in his revenge but Blas takes his sword and and kills him. The Queen falls exhausted.

Scene 4

Ruy Blas asks for forgiveness for his deception but the Queen refuses. He takes the poison. The Queen recants but it is too late and he dies but not before she calls him by his name and admits her love for him. Just before dying he begs the Queen to leave so as not be found with his dead body.

English Adaptations

Victor Hugo (adapted by Frederic Phillips). The Secret Passion.

Add MS 52971 R, 1858.

Ruy Blas is called Alvar Coelho, Don Salluste is Don Sallustre and Don César is Don Garcia. There are a number of crossing outs, presumably by the censor. Phillips does not attempt to as a married woman as other adaptations did. Act 1 This covers much the same ground as Hugo but some details differ. After a shortened exchange with Gudiel, Garcia enters and is sounded out by Don Sallustre. He meets Alvar when Sallustre goes for the money. As before Garcia is arrested and Alvar introduced to the court as Garcia. Act 2 This the end of the act. Alvar (p. 33/19)2 out presumably by the censor. Act 3

Again, this stays quite close to Hugo.

Act 4 The real Don Garcia does not return. However, Alvar has a duel with and kills Don Guriton. The play then runs much as Hugo, although the Queen encourages Alvar to kill Sallustre. However, then some of the court, whom Alvar had castigated, enter and attempt to arrest the Queen and Alvar. The guard enter and in turn

arrest the conspirators as well as telling the Queen that the King is dead. The Queen

pronounces Alvar as Prime Minister as well as telling him aside that she will marry him.

2 The Secret Passion

manuscript there is an old number and a newer one for each page. 7 Victor Hugo (adapted by Edmund Falconer). Ruy Blas.

Add MS 52995 W, 1860.

The manuscript sent to the censor included the adjoining drawing, lackeylike. Don César becomes Don Leon. Various phrases referring to livery, lacquey, slave etc have been underlined. These might have been the further deletions that he insisted on during rehearsals (Stephens 52). The Queen is referred to in the cast list as Princess de Neuborg married by proxy to the King. Act 1 Follows Hu. Don Sallust refers to the Queen as Princess and that she the . He also says that the Princess has been putting off the marriage ceremony. to gain her affection but has been repulsed. This is very much making sure that her relationship with Ruy Blas is seen in the most positive light. Act 2

Scene 1

Follows Hugscenes 1 to 3 quite closely except that the Queen suspects that Don Leon (Ruy Blas) has been placed at court by Don Salluste to attack her. Scenes 4 and 5 with Don Guritan are omitted; he never appears. As with most English editions, there is a to mitigate any objections of impropriety in the relationship of the Queen and Blas. the t Duchess (p.14) responds that she is the Queen by virtue of her proxy marriage but not yet

Scene 2

from the King to make preparations for his marriage, again highlighting that the Queen is not in such a compromising position as in the Hugo original. The Queen realises that

Blas is not Salluste

must never meet again. Act 3 As with most adaptations, Act 4 is omitted but goes straight into . The only difference is that Don Salluste wounds Ruy Blas and Blas throws him over the terrace. Ruy Blas dies of his wounds rather than poison but again the Queen finally ends up forgiving him. He tells her to go but she remains. 8

Victor Hugo (adapted by John Coleman). Ruy Blas.

Add MS 52998 V, 1860.

Act 1 Follows Hugo in the main. Coleman makes it clear that the Queen is not yet married so as to

Princess

Act 2 Keeps quite close to Hugo except that the Queen is referred to as the Princess throughout. It includes the Don Guritan scenes with his quarrel with Blas and the Queen sending him away on an errand. Act 3 castigation of the councillors and the Queen overhearing.

The main difference is

that she has received an anonymous note accusing Blas of treason. After hearing his speech she realises that it is false but forestalls any idea of a future relationship by commanding that he should know her only as the Queen of Spain. Act 4

As with most other adaptations, Act 4 is omitted.

including Blas and Salluste taking their duel offstage and Blas drinking poison because the

Blas tells her to fly.

Victor Hugo (adapted by Benjamin Conquest). Ruy Blas.

Add MS 53000 A, 1861

Don Salluste becomes Diego Sallustro. Ruy Blas is renamed Perez Blas although the cast list does not include that and that name is not used consistently throughout. Below Ruy Blas is used to reduce confusion. Act 1 The act starts with the Queen asking Diego why he will not marry her lady in waiting and Diego insinuating it is because he is in love with the Queen. There is a small protocol the Act roughly again attempting to distance the potentially adulterous relationship. However, in Act 2 the

Act 2 Scene 1

This covers the same ground as Act 2, scenes 1 to 3.

Act 2 Scene 2

This Act 2, scenes 4-5.

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Act 2 Scene 3

, although the dialogue reduced. Act 3 Uniquely for early English adaptations it includes with Don killing of Don Guriton and his eventual re-arrest, although details and dialogue are omitted. s Act 5 then follows on essentially unchanged in that Blas dies of poison. He points to the door and tells the Queen to go. Victor Hugo (adapted by William Howard Glover). Ruy Blas. Add MS 53008 A, 1861, transcription at http://englishromanticopera.org/operas/Ruy_Blas/ Ruy_Blas_libretto.pdf. There is a printed libretto at the Library of Congress - https://www.loc.gov/item/2010657981/

but omitted an act and two scenes that were peripheral to the main action. Don Salluste

becomes Don Sallust. Don César is listed as Don Caesar in the libretto cast list but otherwise named as Don Cesar. A page, Oscar, and extra groups are added, presumably, to increase the number of voice options. Glover generally managed to fit his songs into the dramatic flow without too much trouble but there is some rearrangement of episodes particularly in Act 1 to accommodate them. Instead of poison, Ruy Blas dies of stab wounds inflicted by Don Sallust Act 1 This essentially follows Hugo but with some rearrangement of episodes and shortening of the dialogue. It opens with a chorus of courtiers curious about Don Sallust and asking Oscar, a page introduced presumably to increase the musical variety, about it. Gudiel brings Sallust news of his impending exile. Don Cesar enters and Ruy Blas recognises him and discusses his past history and love for the Queen. Sallust overhears this. When Blas leaves Sallust has his unsuccessful conversation with Cesar and arranges his abduction. Sallust gets Blas to write the two letters and then introduces him as Cesar to the court. As in all the other early English adaptations Glover muddies the status of the Queen. Here

Blas tald

Act 2 This essentially follows Hugo but with the Don Guritan scenes 4 and 5 left out and some banter between Oscar attendant, introduced early in the Act. Act 3 This roughly follows Hugo. There is a council meeting but it is more focussed on tension between two factions (probably to offer a greater choral opportunity) during which we learn . Blas dismisses the rebellious faction. The Queen enters and he declares his love but she says that she must hold back at this time. Act 4 act generally Blas reflecting on his life and about to take poison when the Queen enters followed shortly after by Sallust 10 who issues his threats. The Queen tries to stop Ruy Blas killing Sallust which gives Sallust the opportunity to stab Blas. Blas dispatches Sallust over the balcony. Again the Queen refuses to pardon Blas but then relents. There is a violent knocking as a passing patrol come Again this is probably to offer choral opportunities. In the manuscript, the Queen escapes but in the printed version she remains.

Two later English editions

Victor Hugo (adapted by William Terriss). Ruy Blas. London: John Dicks, 1879. This uses with a few text changes and omissions. Terriss expands a little on the idea of Blas telling the Queen to fly by producing a key. Victor Hugo, Trans W.D.S.Alexander. Ruy Blas. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1894. This is an attempt at a fairly literal translation although it is hampered by using rhyme. It A burlesque entitled Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué by A. C. Torr and Herbert F. Clark with music by Meyer Lutz was staged at the Gaiety Theatre on 21 September 1889 but, as might be expected, it did not follow the original very closely.

Operatic versions

The best known operatic version of Ruy Blas is that by Filippo Marchetti in 1869, which still gets an occasional performance and has been recorded. other operatic versions by Ferdinando Besanzoni (1843), Josef Poniatowski (1843), Giuseppe Rota (1858), Francesco Chiaromonte (1862, titled Maria di Neumburgo), Max Zenger (1868) and Giuseppe Pietri (1916). Mendelssohn wrote an overture and a chorus for a performance of the play in Leipzig in 1839.quotesdbs_dbs44.pdfusesText_44

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