Private Lives: Analysis of Major Characters
"Private Lives" is a celebrated play by Noël Coward that explores the tumultuous relationships between its major characters, set against the backdrop of a honeymoon in Deauville, France. The narrative centers on Elyot Chase, a charming and witty man who is honeymooning with his second wife, Sibyl. Elyot's first wife, Amanda Prynne, also appears at the same resort with her new husband, Victor. Their unexpected reunion reignites feelings of love and passion, despite their history of conflict and drama during their previous marriage.
Amanda is portrayed as vivacious and independent, contrasting sharply with the conventional and innocent Sibyl, who is eager to please Elyot. Victor, while deeply in love with Amanda, embodies a more rigid and humorless disposition, ultimately leading to a clash of personalities that reflects the complexities of love and marriage. The character of Louise, Amanda’s maid, adds an element of humor through her bewilderment at the unfolding drama. This interplay between the characters reveals themes of love, conflict, and the challenges of intimacy, inviting audiences to reflect on the nature of relationships and societal expectations.
Private Lives: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Noël Coward
First published: 1930
Genre: Play
Locale: France
Plot: Comedy of manners
Time: 1929
Elyot Chase, a handsome, thirtyish man. When the play begins, he is honeymooning at Deauville, France, with his second wife. Five years earlier, he had divorced Amanda, to whom he had been married for three tumultuous years, and then traveled around the world. When he sees Amanda again, he realizes that she is his true love. Together, they flee to Paris. Despite their bickering and fisticuffs, they remain reunited. Elyot, first performed by the playwright himself, represents the witty, irreverent, sophisticated Englishman that the playwright admired and saw himself as exemplifying.
Amanda Prynne, Elyot's first wife, newly married to Victor Prynne. She, too, is honeymooning at Deauville as the play opens. She is the most vivacious character in the work. She is not only beautiful but also spirited, independent, and unconventional—a fit partner for Elyot.
Sibyl Chase, Elyot's blond, attractive, twenty-three-year-old bride. Conventional, unimaginative, and innocent, she is Amanda's antithesis and suggests the playwright's dim view of the “nice” English girl. She implies to Elyot that she will tailor life to suit his whims.
Victor Prynne, a handsome man a few years older than Elyot. Stuffy and stodgy, he lacks a sense of humor. Like Sibyl, he is shocked by the elopement of Elyot and Amanda; when he and Sibyl catch up with the other couple, he chivalrously offers to divorce Amanda even though he deeply loves her. He wants to make over someone's life and takes it upon himself to do so for his new wife. This drives her back into the arms of Elyot. Sibyl is his true soul mate, and their fierce quarreling at the end of the play, mirroring the battles between Amanda and Elyot, indicates that the conventional Victor will end up paired with her.
Louise, Amanda's French-speaking maid. She makes a brief appearance in the third act. Her inability to speak English and her incomprehension of the bizarre occurrences in the apartment provide a number of laughs.