Broken Hearts
Encyclopedia
Broken Hearts is a blank verse
play by W. S. Gilbert
in three acts styled "An entirely original fairy play". It opened at the Royal Court Theatre
in London
on 9 December 1875, running for three months, and toured the provinces in 1876. It was revived at the Savoy Theatre
in 1882 (with Gilbert playing Florian, alongside Hermann Vezin
as Mousta, after an accident incapacitated the actor who was originally to have played Florian). Julia Gwynne
played Melthusine. It was revived again in 1883, and yet again in 1888 starring Marion Terry
in February and Julia Neilson
in May, and also at Crystal Palace
that year. There was also a New York City
production at the Madison Square Theatre].
and his wife Madge Robertson Kendal
(sister of the playwright Tom Robertson
). These plays, influenced by the fairy work of James Planché
, are founded upon the idea of self-revelation by characters under the influence of some magic or some supernatural interference. The first was the fantasy The Palace of Truth
in 1870. Pygmalion and Galatea, a satire of sentimental, romantic attitudes toward myth, was produced in 1871. Together, these plays, and successors such as The Wicked World
(1873), Sweethearts
(1874), Charity
and Broken Hearts, did for Gilbert on the dramatic stage what the German Reed Entertainment
s had done for him on the musical stage, establishing that his capabilities extended far beyond burlesque. They won him artistic credentials as a writer of wide range, who was as comfortable with human drama as with farcical humour.
Broken Hearts is one of several Gilbert plays, including The Wicked World, Princess Ida
, Fallen Fairies
and Iolanthe
, where the introduction of males into a tranquil world of women brings "mortal love" that wreaks havoc with the peaceful status quo. Stedman calls this a "Gilbertian invasion plot". The play examines both human frailties: vanity, misplaced trust, judging by appearance; and human virtues: pity, love, and sacrifice. Some of the play's themes and plot devices resurface in Gilbert and Sullivan
's The Yeomen of the Guard
and Princess Ida
. Here, as in many of Gilbert's plays, we feel Gilbert's distrust of "heroes" in Florian's casual arrogance and cruelty, but we also see the character's real chivalry.
Gilbert wrote Broken Hearts for his friend, John Hare
of the Court Theatre. He worked on the play for much of 1875 and said that he had "invested a great part of himself" in the work. Hare generally directed the plays that he starred in, and Gilbert preferred to direct the plays that he wrote. Therefore, the two men, both quick-tempered, clashed at rehearsals of Broken Hearts. Gilbert sent an advance copy of the script to his old friend, the critic Clement Scott
, who was then the editor of The Theatre. Scott indicated that he was pleased with the play. Gilbert wrote to Scott, "I am delighted to think that you like the piece so much. I have been so often told that I am devoid of a mysterious quality called 'sympathy' that I determined in this piece to do my best to show that I could pump it up if necessary." Later, however, Scott quoted a joke by F. C. Burnand about going to see "Broken Parts". Gilbert was hurt and called Scott's remark "Most offensive, and likely to cause a great deal of injury to my play."
The play opened on 9 December 1875, running for three months until 10 March 1875, receiving around 79 performances. It was generally well reviewed, although it did not catch on with audiences and was not a financial success, but it remained one of Gilbert's two favourites among all the plays he had written (the other was Gretchen
, an adaptation of the Faust
legend). Later, Gilbert had a line from the play engraved on the sun-dial at his home, Grim's Dyke
: "even Time is hastening to its end."
At the time Broken Hearts was written, Gilbert and Sullivan
had already produced their hit one-act comic opera
Trial by Jury
as well as their burlesque-style opera, Thespis
, and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
was seeking funding to bring them together again. But funding was slow in coming, and both Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
were still producing a considerable amount of work separately: Gilbert produced two other plays that year, for instance. However, four years after Broken Hearts, H.M.S. Pinafore
would become such a runaway hit that Gilbert would only produce five theatrical works away from Sullivan in the eleven years following.
On a tropical island in the 14th century, a group of noblewomen have fled the world, their hearts having been broken through the loss of their lovers. They vow to love no living thing, but they have transferred their loves to inanimate objects: Lady Vavir loves a sundial (a symbol of mortality), and her sister, Lady Hilda, loves a fountain (a symbol of vitality), and Melusine loves a hand mirror. Lady Vavir is a delicate girl and fears that she hasn't much longer to live. The only male allowed on the island is their servant Mousta, "a deformed ill-favoured dwarf, hump-backed and one-eyed" and therefore no threat to their maidenhood. Mousta is trying to practice magic from a book he has found, hoping to make himself handsome, for he desires to love and be loved.
Prince Florian arrives on the island. He has a magic veil of invisibility, and Mousta schemes to get it, as he hopes that it would help him woo a woman. Vavir comes to bid good-night to her sundial. Florian listens, concealed by the veil. Vavir concludes by wishing that the fountain had the power of speech to speak its love. Florian, amused by the situation, answers for it, much to Vavir's amazement and joy. He weaves a tale of being a man enchanted into the sundial, who will be released if a maiden would love it truly for a year and a day. He also gives voice to Melusine's hand mirror. As the ladies exit, he is greatly amused at the effect his joke has on them.
Hilda has come to bid her fountain good-night, and Florian is overwhelmed by her beauty in the moonlight. She tells it of the love she had lost: a certain Prince Florian, but how it (so far as it could) has taken his place in her heart. Florian then speaks through the fountain, telling her he loves her, but wondering what she would do if this Prince Florian should be alive after all. She tell him (as the fountain) that it would be an unbearable, but impossible joy: he (the fountain) should be content for she has pledged herself to him forever. But neither of them realize that Mousta has overheard this vow.
Act II
Mousta has been able to steal the veil of invisibility. Now, without the veil, Vavir finds Florian. She recognizes his voice as that of the sundial, and believing him to be its disenchanted spirit, pours out her love for him, much to Florian's dismay. Not knowing how to tell her he doesn't love her, and recognizing that the blow would kill her, he sends her away with a promise to return presently.
Lady Hilda has come to tell her fountain about Vavir's now-incarnate lover, and begs it, if it can, to take human form. Mousta, now with the veil, answers for the fountain, telling her that he can take such form, but fears if he does, she will despise him. He is roughly-hewn, ugly: much like their wretched serving-man. Hilda reassures the "spirit of the fountain" that she has loved him for his generous spirit, not his appearance. The "fountain" presses her for a token. She casts her ring in the pool, pledging to be his bride. Mousta takes the ring and reveals himself. Hilda is stunned with horror and amazement. Mousta confesses a genuine love for her goodness and generosity. She wheedles from him the veil of invisibility. Putting it on, she violently scorns him: she will keep her promise to be his bride, but he will never see her again. Wrapped in the veil, she exits, to Mousta's eloquent despair.
Florian returns, looking for Hilda. In response to his harsh questioning, Mousta tells him that she is missing; she must have his stolen veil. Hilda returns, unseen, and is amazed to see Florian arguing with Mousta. After his departure, she prepares to reveal herself to Florian, but is stopped by Vavir's arrival. Love has given her new strength and new hope; and only makes Florian's duty harder to perform. He tells her a story of a knight who met a gentle young girl. As a thoughtless joke, he spoke words of love to her, not realizing she would believe them. Vavir gradually realizes he is speaking of her; and Hilda learns that Florian loves her. As he finishes, Vavir recites the end of his story: the girl pardoned him and died. As Hilda prays for her sister's strength, Florian pleads with her that the girl must live, but Vavir collapses in his arms.
Act III
About a half-hour before sunset, Melusine and Amanthis watch as Vavir sleeps at the foot of the sundial. The others have left to look for the missing Hilda and Florian. Vavir confesses that she fears to die without seeing Hilda again. Hilda reveals herself, and Vavir tells her how much Florian loves her, apologizing for having loved him. Hilda tells Vavir that the prince had been sent to the island to save her life with his love. If Hilda disappears, she reasons, he would soon forget her.
Upon Florian's return, Vavir reveals that Hilda loves him and is nearby. Florian realizes that Hilda has the missing veil. Mousta tells Florian the truth and that Mousta received the token of her pledge to be his wife. He mocks Florian's misery at losing her – at their both losing her. Florian flies at Mousta in a fit of jealousy, prepared to wreak fatal vengeance on him. Mousta doesn't protest; he wants to die but asks Florian if the two of them were evenly matched rivals. Florian's wrath dies, and he releases Mousta, apologizing for his harshness. Mousta is stunned by his mercy, and gives him Hilda's ring before exiting.
In hopes that she will hear him, Florian announces he has her pledge and that she has nothing to fear. Hilda does reveal herself and begs him to save Vavir's life with his love. No man can so direct his heart, but Florian agrees to try. However, it is too late. Vavir returns, supported by the other two ladies. Hilda pleads with Vavir, and Death itself, for her life. But Vavir is prepared to die.
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
play by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
in three acts styled "An entirely original fairy play". It opened at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 9 December 1875, running for three months, and toured the provinces in 1876. It was revived at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
in 1882 (with Gilbert playing Florian, alongside Hermann Vezin
Hermann Vezin
Hermann Vezin was an American actor, teacher of elocution and writer. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and educated at the University of Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
as Mousta, after an accident incapacitated the actor who was originally to have played Florian). Julia Gwynne
Julia Gwynne
Julia Gwynne was an English opera singer and actress best remembered for her performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1879 to 1883...
played Melthusine. It was revived again in 1883, and yet again in 1888 starring Marion Terry
Marion Terry
Marion Bessie Terry was an English actress. In a career spanning half a century, she played leading roles in more than 125 plays. Always in the shadow of her more famous sister Ellen, Terry nevertheless achieved considerable success in the plays of W. S...
in February and Julia Neilson
Julia Neilson
Julia Neilson was an English actress best known for her numerous performances as Lady Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, for her roles in many tragedies and historical romances, and for her portrayal of Rosalind in a long-running production of As You Like It.After establishing her reputation in a...
in May, and also at Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
that year. There was also a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
production at the Madison Square Theatre].
Background and analysis
Broken Hearts was the last of several blank verse "fairy comedies" created by Gilbert in the early 1870s starring William Hunter KendalWilliam Hunter Kendal
William Hunter Kendal was an English actor and theatre manager. He and his wife Madge starred at the Haymarket in Shakespearian revivals and the old English comedies beginning in the 1860s. In the 1870s, they starred in a series of "fairy comedies" by W. S. Gilbert and in many plays on the West...
and his wife Madge Robertson Kendal
Madge Kendal
Dame Madge Kendal GBE , born as Margaret Shafto Robertson, was an English actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Together with her husband, W. H...
(sister of the playwright Tom Robertson
Thomas William Robertson
Thomas William Robertson , usually known professionally as T. W. Robertson, was an Anglo-Irish dramatist and innovative stage director best known for a series of realistic or naturalistic plays produced in London in the 1860s that broke new ground and inspired playwrights such as W.S...
). These plays, influenced by the fairy work of James Planché
James Planche
James Robinson Planché was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including extravaganza, farce, comedy, burletta, melodrama and opera...
, are founded upon the idea of self-revelation by characters under the influence of some magic or some supernatural interference. The first was the fantasy The Palace of Truth
The Palace of Truth
The Palace of Truth is a three-act blank verse "Fairy Comedy" by W. S. Gilbert first produced at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 19 November 1870, partly adapted from Madame de Genlis's fairy story, Le Palais de Vérite. The play ran for approximately 140 performances and then toured the British...
in 1870. Pygmalion and Galatea, a satire of sentimental, romantic attitudes toward myth, was produced in 1871. Together, these plays, and successors such as The Wicked World
The Wicked World
The Wicked World is a blank verse play by W. S. Gilbert in three acts. It opened at the Haymarket Theatre on 1873 and ran for a successful 145 performances, closing on 1873...
(1873), Sweethearts
Sweethearts (play)
Sweethearts is a comic play billed as a "dramatic contrast" in two acts by W. S. Gilbert. The play tells a sentimental and ironic story of the differing recollections of a man and a woman about their last meeting together before being separated and reunited after 30 years.It was first produced on...
(1874), Charity
Charity (play)
Charity is a drama in four acts by W. S. Gilbert that explores the issue of a woman who had lived with a man as his wife without ever having married. The play analyses and critiques the double standard in the Victorian era concerning the treatment of men and women who had sex outside of marriage,...
and Broken Hearts, did for Gilbert on the dramatic stage what the German Reed Entertainment
German Reed Entertainment
German Reed Entertainment was founded in 1855 and operated by Thomas German Reed together with his wife, Priscilla Reed née Horton...
s had done for him on the musical stage, establishing that his capabilities extended far beyond burlesque. They won him artistic credentials as a writer of wide range, who was as comfortable with human drama as with farcical humour.
Broken Hearts is one of several Gilbert plays, including The Wicked World, Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
, Fallen Fairies
Fallen Fairies
Fallen Fairies; or, The Wicked World, is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. Premiering at London's Savoy Theatre on December 15, 1909, it failed miserably, closing after just 50 performances...
and Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, where the introduction of males into a tranquil world of women brings "mortal love" that wreaks havoc with the peaceful status quo. Stedman calls this a "Gilbertian invasion plot". The play examines both human frailties: vanity, misplaced trust, judging by appearance; and human virtues: pity, love, and sacrifice. Some of the play's themes and plot devices resurface in Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
and Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
. Here, as in many of Gilbert's plays, we feel Gilbert's distrust of "heroes" in Florian's casual arrogance and cruelty, but we also see the character's real chivalry.
Gilbert wrote Broken Hearts for his friend, John Hare
John Hare (actor)
Sir John Hare , born John Fairs, was an English actor and manager of the Garrick Theatre in London from 1889 to 1895.-Biography:Hare was born in Giggleswick in Yorkshire and was educated at Giggleswick school...
of the Court Theatre. He worked on the play for much of 1875 and said that he had "invested a great part of himself" in the work. Hare generally directed the plays that he starred in, and Gilbert preferred to direct the plays that he wrote. Therefore, the two men, both quick-tempered, clashed at rehearsals of Broken Hearts. Gilbert sent an advance copy of the script to his old friend, the critic Clement Scott
Clement Scott
Clement Scott was an influential English theatre critic for the Daily Telegraph, and a playwright and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century...
, who was then the editor of The Theatre. Scott indicated that he was pleased with the play. Gilbert wrote to Scott, "I am delighted to think that you like the piece so much. I have been so often told that I am devoid of a mysterious quality called 'sympathy' that I determined in this piece to do my best to show that I could pump it up if necessary." Later, however, Scott quoted a joke by F. C. Burnand about going to see "Broken Parts". Gilbert was hurt and called Scott's remark "Most offensive, and likely to cause a great deal of injury to my play."
The play opened on 9 December 1875, running for three months until 10 March 1875, receiving around 79 performances. It was generally well reviewed, although it did not catch on with audiences and was not a financial success, but it remained one of Gilbert's two favourites among all the plays he had written (the other was Gretchen
Gretchen (play)
Gretchen is a tragic four-act play, in blank verse, written by W. S. Gilbert in 1878–79 based on Goethe's version of part of the Faust legend....
, an adaptation of the Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
legend). Later, Gilbert had a line from the play engraved on the sun-dial at his home, Grim's Dyke
Grim's Dyke
Grim's Dyke is the name of a house and estate located in Harrow Weald, in Northwest London, England, built in 1872 by Norman Shaw, and named after the nearby pre-historic earthwork known as Grim's Ditch. The house is best known as the home of dramatist W.S. Gilbert, who lived there for the last...
: "even Time is hastening to its end."
At the time Broken Hearts was written, Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
had already produced their hit one-act comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
as well as their burlesque-style opera, Thespis
Thespis (opera)
Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old, is an operatic extravaganza that was the first collaboration between dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. No musical score of Thespis was ever published, and most of the music has been lost...
, and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
was seeking funding to bring them together again. But funding was slow in coming, and both Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
were still producing a considerable amount of work separately: Gilbert produced two other plays that year, for instance. However, four years after Broken Hearts, H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
would become such a runaway hit that Gilbert would only produce five theatrical works away from Sullivan in the eleven years following.
Synopsis
Act IOn a tropical island in the 14th century, a group of noblewomen have fled the world, their hearts having been broken through the loss of their lovers. They vow to love no living thing, but they have transferred their loves to inanimate objects: Lady Vavir loves a sundial (a symbol of mortality), and her sister, Lady Hilda, loves a fountain (a symbol of vitality), and Melusine loves a hand mirror. Lady Vavir is a delicate girl and fears that she hasn't much longer to live. The only male allowed on the island is their servant Mousta, "a deformed ill-favoured dwarf, hump-backed and one-eyed" and therefore no threat to their maidenhood. Mousta is trying to practice magic from a book he has found, hoping to make himself handsome, for he desires to love and be loved.
Prince Florian arrives on the island. He has a magic veil of invisibility, and Mousta schemes to get it, as he hopes that it would help him woo a woman. Vavir comes to bid good-night to her sundial. Florian listens, concealed by the veil. Vavir concludes by wishing that the fountain had the power of speech to speak its love. Florian, amused by the situation, answers for it, much to Vavir's amazement and joy. He weaves a tale of being a man enchanted into the sundial, who will be released if a maiden would love it truly for a year and a day. He also gives voice to Melusine's hand mirror. As the ladies exit, he is greatly amused at the effect his joke has on them.
Hilda has come to bid her fountain good-night, and Florian is overwhelmed by her beauty in the moonlight. She tells it of the love she had lost: a certain Prince Florian, but how it (so far as it could) has taken his place in her heart. Florian then speaks through the fountain, telling her he loves her, but wondering what she would do if this Prince Florian should be alive after all. She tell him (as the fountain) that it would be an unbearable, but impossible joy: he (the fountain) should be content for she has pledged herself to him forever. But neither of them realize that Mousta has overheard this vow.
Act II
Mousta has been able to steal the veil of invisibility. Now, without the veil, Vavir finds Florian. She recognizes his voice as that of the sundial, and believing him to be its disenchanted spirit, pours out her love for him, much to Florian's dismay. Not knowing how to tell her he doesn't love her, and recognizing that the blow would kill her, he sends her away with a promise to return presently.
Lady Hilda has come to tell her fountain about Vavir's now-incarnate lover, and begs it, if it can, to take human form. Mousta, now with the veil, answers for the fountain, telling her that he can take such form, but fears if he does, she will despise him. He is roughly-hewn, ugly: much like their wretched serving-man. Hilda reassures the "spirit of the fountain" that she has loved him for his generous spirit, not his appearance. The "fountain" presses her for a token. She casts her ring in the pool, pledging to be his bride. Mousta takes the ring and reveals himself. Hilda is stunned with horror and amazement. Mousta confesses a genuine love for her goodness and generosity. She wheedles from him the veil of invisibility. Putting it on, she violently scorns him: she will keep her promise to be his bride, but he will never see her again. Wrapped in the veil, she exits, to Mousta's eloquent despair.
Florian returns, looking for Hilda. In response to his harsh questioning, Mousta tells him that she is missing; she must have his stolen veil. Hilda returns, unseen, and is amazed to see Florian arguing with Mousta. After his departure, she prepares to reveal herself to Florian, but is stopped by Vavir's arrival. Love has given her new strength and new hope; and only makes Florian's duty harder to perform. He tells her a story of a knight who met a gentle young girl. As a thoughtless joke, he spoke words of love to her, not realizing she would believe them. Vavir gradually realizes he is speaking of her; and Hilda learns that Florian loves her. As he finishes, Vavir recites the end of his story: the girl pardoned him and died. As Hilda prays for her sister's strength, Florian pleads with her that the girl must live, but Vavir collapses in his arms.
Act III
About a half-hour before sunset, Melusine and Amanthis watch as Vavir sleeps at the foot of the sundial. The others have left to look for the missing Hilda and Florian. Vavir confesses that she fears to die without seeing Hilda again. Hilda reveals herself, and Vavir tells her how much Florian loves her, apologizing for having loved him. Hilda tells Vavir that the prince had been sent to the island to save her life with his love. If Hilda disappears, she reasons, he would soon forget her.
Upon Florian's return, Vavir reveals that Hilda loves him and is nearby. Florian realizes that Hilda has the missing veil. Mousta tells Florian the truth and that Mousta received the token of her pledge to be his wife. He mocks Florian's misery at losing her – at their both losing her. Florian flies at Mousta in a fit of jealousy, prepared to wreak fatal vengeance on him. Mousta doesn't protest; he wants to die but asks Florian if the two of them were evenly matched rivals. Florian's wrath dies, and he releases Mousta, apologizing for his harshness. Mousta is stunned by his mercy, and gives him Hilda's ring before exiting.
In hopes that she will hear him, Florian announces he has her pledge and that she has nothing to fear. Hilda does reveal herself and begs him to save Vavir's life with his love. No man can so direct his heart, but Florian agrees to try. However, it is too late. Vavir returns, supported by the other two ladies. Hilda pleads with Vavir, and Death itself, for her life. But Vavir is prepared to die.
Roles and original cast
- Prince Florian – W. H. Kendal
- Mousta (A Deformed Dwarf) – G. W. Anson
- The Lady Hilda – Madge KendalMadge KendalDame Madge Kendal GBE , born as Margaret Shafto Robertson, was an English actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Together with her husband, W. H...
- The Lady Vavir (Her Sister) – Miss Hollingshead
- The Lady Melusine –
- The Lady Amanthis – Miss Rorke
External links
- Introduction to Broken Hearts and link to the Script
- Synopsis
- Crowther, Andrew. Analysis of Broken Hearts
- Programme from the original production
- Review of Broken Hearts in The Times, 13 December 1875
- http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/other_gilbert/broken_hearts/song.htmlLady Hilda's song, with music by Edward GermanEdward GermanSir Edward German was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of English comic opera.As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra, also...
]