Download There Are Crimes and Crimes by August Strindberg. Available in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats. Enjoy a summary, excerpt, and related recommendations.
There Are Crimes and Crimes Summary
There Are Crimes and Crimes is a play by August Strindberg, first produced in 1899. Set in Paris, it follows Maurice, a playwright on the brink of success, who becomes entangled in a web of passion, betrayal, and moral dilemmas, leading to unforeseen consequences. The play delves into themes of love, guilt, and the duality of human nature.
There Are Crimes and Crimes Excerpt
Short Summary: Maurice, a Parisian playwright, experiences a meteoric rise to fame. However, his newfound success leads him into a tumultuous affair with Henriette, causing him to abandon his devoted mistress, Jeanne, and their daughter, Marion. Tragedy strikes when Marion dies suddenly, and Maurice is wrongfully accused of her murder. The play explores the moral complexities of his actions and the consequences that follow.
"MAURICE: (sitting down) I have never felt so happy, and so much at ease. It seems as if I had come home at last, after many wanderings. (He looks about.) What a charming place you have! It breathes of peace and comfort. HENRIETTE: I am glad you like it. (She seats herself beside him.) MAURICE: (taking her hand) Henriette, do you believe in fate? HENRIETTE: I don't know. But I believe in a destiny that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will. MAURICE: So do I. And I believe that our meeting was destined. HENRIETTE: Do you? MAURICE: Yes. From the very first moment I saw you, I felt that you were the woman I had been seeking all my life. HENRIETTE: (smiling) And yet you have known me only a few hours. MAURICE: Time is nothing; the soul feels at once what the heart takes long to realize. HENRIETTE: You speak like a poet. MAURICE: I am a poet. Life is the greatest of all poems, and to live it fully is to be a poet. HENRIETTE: And love? MAURICE: Love is the essence of life, the flame that illumines and consumes. HENRIETTE: (softly) Maurice! MAURICE: Henriette! (They embrace.)" This excerpt from Act II captures the intense and immediate connection between Maurice and Henriette, setting the stage for the ensuing drama that challenges their morals and alters their lives irrevocably.
