Pelléas and Mélisande: Analysis of Major Characters
"Pelléas and Mélisande: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex relationships and motivations of key figures in this poignant play, which is a hallmark of Symbolist theater. The title characters, Pelléas and Mélisande, are portrayed as deeply intertwined yet tragically doomed lovers. Pelléas, the grandson of King Arkël, is torn between familial duty and his love for Mélisande, whom he meets during her troubled marriage to his half-brother, Golaud. Mélisande is depicted as a mysterious and innocent maiden whose past and emotional state drive much of the narrative's tension.
Golaud, a powerful yet increasingly jealous figure, initially welcomes Pelléas and Mélisande but becomes consumed by suspicion and rage, ultimately leading to tragic consequences. King Arkël serves as a paternal figure who attempts to mediate the turmoil surrounding his grandsons and Mélisande, embodying wisdom but also helplessness in the face of human emotion. The young Yniold, Golaud's son, symbolizes innocence and the tragic impact of adult conflicts on children, further deepening the play’s themes of love, betrayal, and the human condition. The interplay of these characters creates a rich tapestry that invites reflection on their motivations, desires, and the inevitability of fate.
Pelléas and Mélisande: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Maurice Maeterlinck
First published: Pelléas et Mélisande, 1892 (English translation, 1894)
Genre: Play
Locale: Allemonde, a mythical kingdom
Plot: Symbolism
Time: The Middle Ages
Pelléas (pay-lay-AHS), the grandson of King Arkël and much younger half brother of Golaud. Although his father lies gravely ill in the castle, Pelléas wishes to journey far away to a dying friend. He stays to welcome Golaud and his childlike bride, Mélisande. He shows Mélisande around the castle's environs. One night, as she is leaning out of a tower, he tangles her long hair in a tree so she cannot escape him; Golaud finds them this way. Golaud tells him that Mélisande is pregnant, so Pelléas resolves again to go away, but only after he tells her of his love. They meet at the Fountain of the Blind and declare their love. They suddenly notice Golaud watching from the shadows. In despair, they kiss passionately as Golaud rushes forward with his sword and strikes down Pelléas.
Mélisande (may-lee-ZAHND), a mysterious, childlike maiden whom Golaud discovers lost and weeping in a dark forest; she has dropped a golden crown in the water. Though frightened, she follows Golaud. Some time later, she and Golaud have married and arrive at his grandfather Arkël's castle. While accompanied by Pelléas, Mélisande loses her wedding ring in the bottomless Fountain of the Blind. She pretends to look for it in a dangerous cave by the sea. Golaud becomes increasingly jealous and suspicious after he finds Pelléas entwined in her hair by the tower. In front of Arkël, Golaud berates her and drags her around the floor by her long hair. She concludes that he no longer loves her. She and Pelléas declare their love shortly before Golaud kills Pelléas. She flees. Slightly wounded by Golaud, she forgives him, denies that she had a guilty love for Pelléas, and dies, after giving birth to a baby girl.
Golaud (goh-LOH), the elder grandson of Arkël, half brother of Pelléas, and widowed father of Yniold. He is a powerfully built man, with gray hair and beard, who loves hunting. While lost in a forest, he discovers Mélisande and later marries her. He initially encourages Pelléas and Mélisande to spend time together but grows jealous after Mélisande loses her wedding ring and he finds Pelléas wrapped in Mélisande's hair. He threatens Pelléas in the dank vaults beneath the castle, warning him to avoid Mélisande. He enlists his young son to spy on them, but the child becomes terrified, deepening Golaud's suspicions. Finally, he brutally drags Mélisande around the floor by her hair, calling her Absalom. That night, from the shadows, he observes Pelléas and Mélisande embracing. He rushes at them with his sword, killing Pelléas and wounding his wife. As Mélisande is dying following childbirth, Golaud repeatedly asks her if she loved Pelléas with a guilty love; she denies it, but he can never know the truth of her feelings.
Arkël (ahr-KEHL), the king of Allemonde (perhaps, in its hints at German and French, suggesting “all the world”) and grandfather of Pelléas and Golaud. He is very old and nearly blind. Sickness, poverty, and hunger pervade his realm. He persuades Pelléas to stay at the castle and verbally defends Mélisande against Golaud's accusations, saying that he sees in her eyes nothing but a great innocence. He repeatedly voices pity for humankind, for every human being is a mystery.
Yniold (een-YOHL), Golaud's young son (sometimes played by a woman). He takes to Mélisande quickly but weeps because he says she will soon go away. He seems to sense things about the relationship between Pelléas and Mélisande, but, when questioned by Golaud, he gives ambiguous answers. Outside Mélisande's window, Golaud makes the child spy on them, but Yniold becomes terrified; it is unclear whether it is because of what he sees or how his father is acting. Shortly before Pelléas and Mélisande meet for the last time, Yniold is seen trying to move a huge stone. He sees a flock of sheep being led away from the fold (perhaps to slaughter, an image that recurs throughout the play).
Geneviève (zhehn-VYEHV), Arkël's daughter, the mother of Golaud and Pelléas.