Page:The thirty-six dramatic situations (1921).djvu/96

94 THIRTY-SIX DRAMATIC SITUATIONS Poor Young Men, Dames Blanches, etc., which make our ears ring with confusing additions and subtractions, until the unexpected final multiplication - "deus ex machina" - which suddenly equalizes the two terms of the problem, the two fortunes of the lovers, with the most admirably symmetrical alignment of parallel zeros -- preceded, oh joy! oh bliss! on one side as on the other, by two identical figures ! It must of course be recognized that these social and conventional inequalities are mere puerile details, and that the lovers, if they have but a little courage and sincerity, will overcome them without difficulty; they can do so by simply leaving behind them titles and money, and in a new country, under other names, bravely beginning life again together. If, instead of such bagatelles, we might only be sometimes shown the more serious obstacles of inequality of ages, of characters, of tastes — which are at the same time so much more common ! They are, indeed, so frequent that a general theory might be established with regard to them. The first love (twenty years) seeks in its object equality of rank and superiority of age (this is a fact well known to those who have studied the cases of girl-mothers); the second love, and in general the second period of emotional life (thirty years), addresses itself, audacity having been acquired, to superiors in rank but equals in age; finally, the third love, or in a more general way the third epoch of sentimental life, inclines by preference to those who are younger and socially inferior. Naturally, subdivision is here possible. B - - Marriage Prevented by Enemies and Contin- gent Obstacles: --"Sieba" (Manzotti, 1883); "Et Ma- Soeur?" (Rabier, 1911); "Le Peche* de Marthe" (Roch- ard, 1910); all fairy-plays, since the "Zeam" of Gozzi. In fine, a sort of steeple-chase process adapts itself to this situation, but the chase is not one in which several rival steeds and riders engage; throughout its course but a single couple enters upon it, to end at the shining goal with the usual somersault. C (1) - - Marriage Forbidden on Account of the Young Woman's Previous Betrothal to Another: —