Victor Hugo’s

(1838) combines the high emotions and suspense of melodrama, the carefully plotted intrigue of the

(well-made play), and the philosophical inquiry of Romanticism. The play mixes comedy, romance, and political critique, all through the humble, low-class hero and would-be nobleman Ruy Blas. Punning with the sounds of the titular character’s name, Hugo combines the word

for “king”, and

for “low”, as well as

for “weary”, to indicate the conundrum facing Ruy Blas as an “earthworm in love with a star” (

, l. 798, Hugo, p. 1549). Receiving a lukewarm reception upon its première, the play is now one of the most oft-produced plays, alongside

(1830), in Hugo’s dramatic

.

Written at a furious pace

3411 words

Citation: McMahan, Matthew. "Ruy Blas". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 July 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11221, accessed 21 November 2024.]