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Monna Vanna
Monna Vanna takes place at the end of the fifteenth century in Pisa and the camp outside the walls with the cast made up of nobles, soldiers, peasants, men and women of the city, etc.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1902
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About the author
Maurice Maeterlinck
1,254 books296 followersMaurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (also called Count Maeterlinck from 1932) was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was a Fleming, but wrote in French.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911 "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations".
The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. His plays form an important part of the Symbolist movement.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911 "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations".
The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. His plays form an important part of the Symbolist movement.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 26, 2019
Ayn Rand tenía razón
Excelente ! Un drama espectacular, corto pero increíblemente escrito. Sin duda una de las mejores obras de teatro jamás escritas
Excelente ! Un drama espectacular, corto pero increíblemente escrito. Sin duda una de las mejores obras de teatro jamás escritas
September 12, 2025
Monna Vanna by Maurice Maeterlinck
This play turned out to be an unexpected pleasure
Monna Vanna is a brave, incredible woman.
She is the wife of Guido Colonna, the Commander of Pisa. The city is attacked and vanquished by another town- Florence.
The situation requires a dramatic stand and Marco Colonna, the father of the Commander is on a mission to talk to Prinzivalle, the enemy:
- MARCO: Know, then, that I saw Prinzivalle and spoke with him.... I thought to find some barbarian, arrogant and heavy, always covered with blood or plunged in drunken stupor; at best, the madman they have told us of, whose spirit was lit up at times, upon the battlefield, by dazzling flashes of brilliance, coming no man knows whence. I thought to meet the demon of combat, blind, unreasoning, vain and cruel, faithless and dissolute.... I found a man who bowed before me as a loving disciple bows before the master. He is lettered, eager for knowledge, and obedient to the voice of wisdom.... He loves not war; his smile speaks of understanding and gentle humanity. He seeks the reason of passions and events. He looks into his own heart; he is endowed with conscience and sincerity, and it is against his will that he serves a faithless State
In other words, Prinzivalle is on course to become the good, white knight of the story, somewhat surprisingly. I was expecting Guido and Marco to be the positive heroes, but Guido will soon show all the traits of a Dr. Strangelove.
Not suddenly, for in the first place the reader admires his devotion and passion for Giovanna, whom they call Vanna. Prinzivalle wants Vanna in exchange for his vital help and Guido is horrified and wants to jail his father because Marco favors this solution.
Indeed, the whole population of Pisa will survive, if Vanna goes to Prinzivalle, in exchange for the food that will put an end to starvation.
- PRINZIVALLE: Had there come ten thousand of you into my tent, all clad alike, all equally fair, ten thousand sisters whom even their mother would not know apart, I should have risen, should have taken your hand, and said, "This is she!" Is it not strange that a beloved image can live thus in a man's heart?
There is a moment of awe, when Prinzivalle meets Vanna. I was expecting a man in control of the situation, ready to take advantage of a defenseless pray, but the truth is different, for there is a love story unfolding. These are beautiful chapters, but I must say that the behavior of the lover is inappropriate, in retrospect.
- Isn’t it blackmail, even if in the name of love?
To hold a city hostage, in order to satisfy your love does not make you the purest being and it is immoral, to say the least.
This goes to prove how good it can be to write about a story, play or novel you have read- thinking about it and trying to explain it makes you understand aspects you missed in the first place.
I was enchanted by the love story between Monna and Prinzivalle, so much so that I missed the lamentable action of asking for her as a kind of prize hostage. It is more complicated than that and we can think of a saying:
- “All is fair in love and war”
Guido Colonna is cruel and unfair, making Prinzivalle a role model by comparison. After he was saved together with his community, he wants to kill his benefactor. It is a question of vengeance, pride and jealousy, because he does not believe it when Monna says that nothing happened she was not only protected, but not even touched.
The Commander proves to be a vile man and you have to read to see what happens:
- Will Guido have his revenge?
- Will love triumph?
Monna Vanna turned out to be an unexpected pleasure
This play turned out to be an unexpected pleasure
Monna Vanna is a brave, incredible woman.
She is the wife of Guido Colonna, the Commander of Pisa. The city is attacked and vanquished by another town- Florence.
The situation requires a dramatic stand and Marco Colonna, the father of the Commander is on a mission to talk to Prinzivalle, the enemy:
- MARCO: Know, then, that I saw Prinzivalle and spoke with him.... I thought to find some barbarian, arrogant and heavy, always covered with blood or plunged in drunken stupor; at best, the madman they have told us of, whose spirit was lit up at times, upon the battlefield, by dazzling flashes of brilliance, coming no man knows whence. I thought to meet the demon of combat, blind, unreasoning, vain and cruel, faithless and dissolute.... I found a man who bowed before me as a loving disciple bows before the master. He is lettered, eager for knowledge, and obedient to the voice of wisdom.... He loves not war; his smile speaks of understanding and gentle humanity. He seeks the reason of passions and events. He looks into his own heart; he is endowed with conscience and sincerity, and it is against his will that he serves a faithless State
In other words, Prinzivalle is on course to become the good, white knight of the story, somewhat surprisingly. I was expecting Guido and Marco to be the positive heroes, but Guido will soon show all the traits of a Dr. Strangelove.
Not suddenly, for in the first place the reader admires his devotion and passion for Giovanna, whom they call Vanna. Prinzivalle wants Vanna in exchange for his vital help and Guido is horrified and wants to jail his father because Marco favors this solution.
Indeed, the whole population of Pisa will survive, if Vanna goes to Prinzivalle, in exchange for the food that will put an end to starvation.
- PRINZIVALLE: Had there come ten thousand of you into my tent, all clad alike, all equally fair, ten thousand sisters whom even their mother would not know apart, I should have risen, should have taken your hand, and said, "This is she!" Is it not strange that a beloved image can live thus in a man's heart?
There is a moment of awe, when Prinzivalle meets Vanna. I was expecting a man in control of the situation, ready to take advantage of a defenseless pray, but the truth is different, for there is a love story unfolding. These are beautiful chapters, but I must say that the behavior of the lover is inappropriate, in retrospect.
- Isn’t it blackmail, even if in the name of love?
To hold a city hostage, in order to satisfy your love does not make you the purest being and it is immoral, to say the least.
This goes to prove how good it can be to write about a story, play or novel you have read- thinking about it and trying to explain it makes you understand aspects you missed in the first place.
I was enchanted by the love story between Monna and Prinzivalle, so much so that I missed the lamentable action of asking for her as a kind of prize hostage. It is more complicated than that and we can think of a saying:
- “All is fair in love and war”
Guido Colonna is cruel and unfair, making Prinzivalle a role model by comparison. After he was saved together with his community, he wants to kill his benefactor. It is a question of vengeance, pride and jealousy, because he does not believe it when Monna says that nothing happened she was not only protected, but not even touched.
The Commander proves to be a vile man and you have to read to see what happens:
- Will Guido have his revenge?
- Will love triumph?
Monna Vanna turned out to be an unexpected pleasure
July 27, 2018
Пьеса - ах!
Вот, что нашла в записях Всеволода Мейерхольда, он приводит отзыв хроники одесского «Южного обозрения»:
«На сцене городского театра с большим успехом при полном сборе первый раз в Херсоне была поставлена г. Мейерхольдом пьеса Метерлинка «Монна Ванна». Декорации и костюмы были очень красивы, стильны и исторически верны...»
Метерлинка относят к символистам. Но эта пьеса, на первый взгляд, более классическая, в то же время, она вместила в себя столько всего, что кажется будто читаешь пьесы сразу нескольких эпох. Больше всего в ней романтизма. Метерлинк предельно точен и тонок в психологических портретах персонажей. Действие происходит в 15м веке в осаждённой Пизе. Сначала читается медлеееено, а потом вдруг проносится молнией. Какие выдержанные и возвышенные речи, коллизии любви, чести, долга🙈 И конечно - главная героиня Джованна. О эта прекрасная женщина😌 Высота идеала (извините, за тавтологию:)
Вот, что нашла в записях Всеволода Мейерхольда, он приводит отзыв хроники одесского «Южного обозрения»:
«На сцене городского театра с большим успехом при полном сборе первый раз в Херсоне была поставлена г. Мейерхольдом пьеса Метерлинка «Монна Ванна». Декорации и костюмы были очень красивы, стильны и исторически верны...»
Метерлинка относят к символистам. Но эта пьеса, на первый взгляд, более классическая, в то же время, она вместила в себя столько всего, что кажется будто читаешь пьесы сразу нескольких эпох. Больше всего в ней романтизма. Метерлинк предельно точен и тонок в психологических портретах персонажей. Действие происходит в 15м веке в осаждённой Пизе. Сначала читается медлеееено, а потом вдруг проносится молнией. Какие выдержанные и возвышенные речи, коллизии любви, чести, долга🙈 И конечно - главная героиня Джованна. О эта прекрасная женщина😌 Высота идеала (извините, за тавтологию:)
December 25, 2024
Romantic, but also mostly innocent. Beautiful prose and plenty of quotable moments. I don't see Vanna as a heroic figure in this play.
November 3, 2018
A beautiful play that celebrates pursuing one's values, featuring great twists and tension, along with a Strong Female Protagonist that actually lives up to the label. It's undermined a little by its verbosity and a few extraneous historical details.
Read
June 17, 2020Wow, this play is outrageously good. I can't believe I'd never known about it before this year. I don't even feel like I should "review" it. What do my words mean in comparison to a play like this? Just read it! It's wonderful!
March 2, 2018
This is a unique, "unsung" play with elements of multiple genres and schools of art.
November 6, 2022
WOW WOW WOW
Ich hasse guido so sehr
Ich hasse guido so sehr
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2011
It's a very well-made play by Maurice Maeterlink. A woman Vanna has sacrificed herself to save the entire village for her to spend one night with an enemy's arms her friend Prinzivalle. But of course, Guido Vanna's husband was against with it........and so the ending was very sad. When one's trust was gone I guess everything was end to distrust and not even realizing that person was doing it simply because of her love to her people. ( One of Ms. Ayn Rand's favorite play)
August 6, 2016
“Priveşte-mă bine, Vanna! Am eu aerul unui om care crede că stelele sunt lumânări aprinse pe cer şi că pot stinge strălucirea lunii scuipând într-o fântână unde ea se oglindeşte? Eu nu văd ce urmăreşti, e oare delirul ce urmează nopţii îngrozitoare pe care-ai petrecut-o?”
― Nu e delir, e adevărul!
“Adevărul? NU VREAU SĂ CAUT CARE ADEVĂR!”
― Nu e delir, e adevărul!
“Adevărul? NU VREAU SĂ CAUT CARE ADEVĂR!”
June 21, 2010
An impressive play with great themes on individualism and personal choice. A quick and rewarding read.
August 2, 2014
Published Harper and Brothers, September 1903
September 8, 2021
كيف للمرء أن يستبدل كذبة مؤلمة بالحقيقة الرحيمة؟
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews