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Original Plays, Second Series

by W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911)

  • Free to read
  • 7 hours to read
  • 19 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Original Plays, Second Series" by W. S. Gilbert is a collection of theatrical works written during the late 19th century. This volume showcases a range of original plays, including well-known titles like "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance." The works explore themes of love, societal norms, and human folly through witty dialogue and engaging characters, aimed at entertaining viewers and provoking thought about the conventions of the time. The beginning of the collection introduces "Broken Hearts," an original fairy play set on a tropical island. It features a deformed dwarf named Moussa, who is deeply discontent with his appearance and seeks transformation through a mysterious book filled with sorcery. The narrative highlights the poignant interactions between Moussa and the lovely Lady Hilda, as well as other characters involved in love and loss. The world they inhabit brims with fantastical elements, such as the exploration of love’s complexities and the longing for acceptance, setting a whimsical yet reflective tone that invites readers and audiences to contemplate the nature of beauty and desire.

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  • Operas · Librettos
  • English drama

Read the opening

Act I

SCENE: _A tropical landscape. In the distance, a calm sea. A
natural fountain—a mere thread of water—falls over a rock
into a natural basin. An old sun-dial formed of the upper part
of a broken pillar, round the shaft of which some creeping
flowers are trained, stands on a small mound. The time is
within half an hour of sunset._

_MOUSTA, a deformed, ill-favoured dwarf hump-backed and one-eyed,
is discovered seated, reading a small black-letter volume._

Mous. (reads). “To move a mountain.” That will serve me not,
Unless, indeed, ’twill teach me how to lift
This cursed mountain from my crippled back!
“To make old young.” Humph! I’m but forty-two—
But still, I’ll mark that page—the day will come
When I shall find it useful. Ha! what’s this?
“_To make the crooked straight; to heal the halt;
And clothe unsightly forms with comeliness._”
At last! At last!

Enter VAVIR, who listens in amazement.

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Act I
  3. Act II: Scene, same as Act I. Time, Sunrise
  4. Act III: Scene, same as Act I. About half an hour before Sunset
  5. Act I
  6. Act I
  7. Act II
  8. Act III: Scene, same as Act II
  9. Act IV
  10. Act I
  11. Act II
  12. Act III
  13. Act I
  14. Act II
  15. Act I
  16. Act II: Same Scene. Night. Moonlight
  17. Act I
  18. Act II
  19. Finale

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About this edition

This free edition of Original Plays, Second Series by W. S. Gilbert comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #59685, released 2019-06-06. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, British Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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