French literature summaries - 2021

Short summary - Princess Maleine
Maurice Maeterlinck

An engagement is taking place in the castle. Outside, two guards are discussing an impending storm. A comet flies by. this is a very bad omen, which suggests that the princess will die. The guards complain that they are going to marry the princess to Prince Gialmar. Suddenly there is a clink of glass. The princess runs out of the castle and escapes into the garden. King Gialmar sprinkles curses on Marcellus.

Marcellus dissuades Malen from thinking about Gialmar. A war is being prepared for Malen's right to hand. Malen does not abandon Gialmar, and then Marcellus decides to lock Princess Malen to the castle!

Angus and Gialmar talk in the forest that the city was destroyed, Marcellus and Malen were killed. Queen Anne wants to marry Gialmar to Uglian.

Meanwhile, Princess Malen and the Nurse, whom Marcellus hid in the tower, are picking the wall in the hope of getting out. They succeed. They see the light and nothing but the forest. The city has been destroyed. They get out into the forest. In the forest, they are met by three beggars, in conversation Malen learns about the upcoming wedding of Gialmar. beggars escort the maid and the princess to an overnight stay at the Blue Lion. Malen becomes a servant at the castle. Ugliana prepares for a date with Gialmar. Malen reports that the prince has gone into the forest and will not come on a date. Princess Malen comes instead of Ugliana on a date to Prince Gialmar and confesses to him who she is. The prince tells his father and Anna about Malen. The king falls ill. He's getting worse. Once Princess Malen comes to the ball and since then Gialmar forgot about Uglian and switched to his old lover - Princess Malen.

Anna remains unhappy with the fact that Galmar threw Ugliana and exchanged her for the one "about which he never even remembered in all the time." She intends to kill Malen. Malen falls ill. Anna tells the nurse that the doctor asked not to go to the princess unnecessarily.

Malen sits in the room and talks to the dog Jupiter. Squeaks, noises and thunderstorm frighten her. Anna and King Gialmar enter the room, the dog runs out. Anna strangles Malen, the King stabs the madman who saw everything through the window. The dog scratches at the door. The nurse approaches the room, followed by Gialmar and little Allan. after long reflections on whether to go to the little one or not, why the dog is outside and not inside, they still hesitate to disturb the princess and leave. The King and Anna put Malen on the bed and run away.

Storm. The servants are waiting for the king in the castle in front of the chapel. The howling of a dog is heard. Agnus and Prince Gialmar arrive. Behind them are Anna and King Gialmar. For a very long time, the king did not dare, but still entered the Chapel. The Nurse and Prince Gialmar enter Malen's room. They find her dead. See the marks of suffocation on her neck. They all come running. The king betrays himself and Anna. Prince Gialmar kills Anna and stabs himself. The king is delusional. Dawn breaks.