Les Miserables
The musical plays today in the Imperial Theater on Broadway. The play is based on the book by Victor Hugo, in which the story of the French Revolution from the perspective of the lower class that would do anything to get their freedom. Cameron Mackintosh, produced the play, while Alain Boublil and Claude -Michel Schonberg directed it. The music was done by Schonberg and the lyrics were done by Herbert Kretzmer.
The prologue of the play opens up in 1815, in Digne, France. In this scene we meet the antagonist and the main character, Jean Valjean. He has been kept in jail for nineteen years for stealing bread for his starving family. He finally gets out on parole but realizes that his ...
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the theft, the priest amazes everyone by saying that he gave Valjean the silver and then he added a pair of silver candle sticks to what already was taken. When the police left, the priest told Valjean that he "must use this precious silver to become an honest man". With this kindness that was given to Valjean, he decided that he will be able to start his life again. In the opening scene Valjean has a soliloquy where he discusses how cruel the world is once branded a criminal.
Javert can be considered the protagonist and the big bad giant of the play. Although he is a law abiding officer he has no tolerance for the poor criminal whose only way of surviving was to steal. He could not see that Valjean was a person who only stole to save his family, rather Valjean was only the jail number that was engraved into his chest, 24601. In a way, the priest who can be considered the benevolent father, caused Valjean to have his moment of recognition, where he realizes that he must go ...
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to arrest Fantine for starting trouble with the man, Jean Valjean rescues her and takes her to a hospital to tend to her sickening body.
Soon after, Valjean puts Fantine in the hospital he sees a man that had fallen under a runaway horse cart. On the scene is Javert, and he witnesses Valjean save the man, although he does not recognize him. However, Javert does remember the incredible strength of the convict, 24601, the parole breaker that he has been chasing for years. Javert tells Valjean that he had only seen one man of such strength, a man named Valjean whom has just been recaptured.
Valjean is now faced with a great dilemma; if he does confess that he is 24601, then all the ...
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Les Miserables. (2007, July 30). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Les-Miserables/68838
"Les Miserables." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 30 Jul. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Les-Miserables/68838>
"Les Miserables." Essayworld.com. July 30, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Les-Miserables/68838.
"Les Miserables." Essayworld.com. July 30, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Les-Miserables/68838.
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