And now comes
the turn of Claudine to show her disregard of conventionalities. In
agonies for her wounded lover, she dons male attire, and in the middle
of the night sets out for the inn where he is lying. She encounters
Crugantino at the door, and their dialogue is overheard by the wounded
Pedro who rushes forth to rescue her. A duel ensues between Pedro and
Crugantino; the watch appears, and all parties are conveyed to the
village prison. Here they are found by the distracted father and his
friend Sebastian, and a general explanation follows--Pedro being made
secure of Claudine, and Crugantino showing himself a repentant sinner.
With this fantastic production, which, beginning in an atmosphere of
pure sentiment, ends in broad farce, Goethe was even in middle life so
satisfied that he recast it in verse, and made other alterations which
in the opinion of most critics did not improve the original.[210]
[Footnote 210: During his residence in Rome in 1787. He recast _Erwin
und Elmire_ at the same time.]
The triviality of these successive performances, so void of the mind
and heart displayed in the fragmentary _Prometheus_ and _Der Ewige
Jude_, have their commentary in his continued relations to Lili
Schoenemann.
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