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Voltaire Tragedies on Greek Subjects: Oedipe, Merope, Oreste Tragedies on Roman Subjects: Brute, Mort de Cesar, Catiline, Le Triumvirat Earlier Pieces: Zaire, Alzire, Mahomet, Semiramis, and Tancred.
ZAMORE: Ta promesse est un crime; elle est ma perte; adieu. Périssent tes serments et ton Dieu que j'abhorre! ALZIRE: Arrête; quels adieux! arrête, cher Zamore! But the prince tore himself away, with no further farewell upon his lips than an oath to be revenged upon the Governor.
The glance which the reader has taken into the little case labelled Alzire has perhaps given him a sufficient notion of these queer discarded marionettes. Voltaire's dramatic efforts were hampered by one further unfortunate incapacity; he was almost completely devoid of the dramatic sense.
Who else can go along with the poet, when Zaire's love for the Sultan, so ill-justified by his acts, balances in her soul the voice of blood, and the most sacred claims of filial duty, honour, and religion? In Alzire Voltaire went still farther, and treated a subject in modern history never yet touched by his countrymen.
Act IV. Even Don Gusman's heart was, in fact, unable to steel itself entirely against the prayers and tears of his father and his wife; and he consented to allow a brief respite to Zamore's execution. Alzire was not slow to seize this opportunity of doing her lover a good turn; for she immediately obtained his release by the ingenious stratagem of bribing the warder of the dungeon. Zamore was free. But alas! Alzire was not; was she not wedded to the wicked Gusman? Her lover's expostulations fell on unheeding ears. What mattered it that her marriage vow had been sworn before an alien God? 'J'ai promis; il suffit; il n'importe
Your HENRIADE delights me. Your ALZIRE, to the graces of novelty adds... "Monsieur, there is nothing I wish so much as to possess all your Writings," even those not printed hitherto. "Pray, Monsieur, do communicate them to me without reserve. If there be amongst your Manuscripts any that you wish to conceal from the eyes of the public, I engage to keep them in the profoundest secrecy.
It was Mme. du Châtelet who encouraged him, sympathized with him, and appreciated his mobile humor as well as his talent. During these years, while he was under the influence of madame, appeared Mérope, Alzire, the Siècle de Louis XIV, etc. Mme. du Châtelet was the one great femme savante of that century.
Alzire remains between these conflicting elements in an affecting struggle betwixt attachment to her country, its manners, and the first choice of her heart, on the one part, and new ties of honour and duty on the other. All the human motives speak in favour of Alzire's love, which were against the passion of Zaire.
From such a state of affairs, what interesting and romantic developments may not follow? Alzire, we are not surprised to learn, still fondly cherished the memory of a Peruvian prince, who had been slain in an attempt to rescue his country from the tyranny of Don Gusman. Yet, for the sake of Montèze, her ambitious and scheming father, she consented to give her hand to the Governor.
His reputation had increased; for it was in these years that he produced his most popular tragedies Zaïre, Mérope, Alzire, and Mahomet while a correspondence carried on in the most affectionate terms with Frederick the Great yet further added to his prestige; but his essential genius still remained quiescent. Then at last Madame du Châtelet died and Voltaire took the great step of his life.
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