Duel of Angels
by Jean Giraudoux, Christopher Fry

Name: Duel of Angels
Brand: Jean Giraudoux
SKU: 9780822203391
Rating: 3.03 (6 reviews)

Duel of Angels Book Cover — Duel of Angels Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

One Act90 minsUnit Set/Multiple SettingsComedy

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the play, noting that while it has an interesting premise and some engaging elements, it suffers from excessive length and tedious dialogue. Some appreciate the twist ending and the role of women in the narrative, but many find the overarching themes to be outdated and the execution lacking.

Interesting twist endingStrong female charactersLong and tedious dialoguesOutdated themes

Synopsis

THE STORY: As told by Watts, “To express its somewhat moderate viewpoint, it takes us to Aix in the middle of the last century and introduces two ladies of contrasting temperaments.

One is so concerned with sexual virtue that she snubs women of less exacting standards, causing their suspicion.

To avenge herself for having her affairs made public, the bad angel drugs her enemy and makes her believe she has slept with a local rake while unconscious, thus tumbling her moral world about her.”

Although the “good angel” retains her purity she loses her “joy of the world.”

Press Reviews

"This last play by Jean Giraudoux is a Gallic commentary on the story of the rape of Lucrece. “…a dainty conversation piece in terms of playful cynicism."
— The New York Times

"A striking and provocative theatrical work…"
— New York Post. ”…it is witty and cynical. Christopher Fry's poetic adaptation is literate and demanding.“ —New York Mirror. ”DUEL OF ANGELS makes an elegant show of believing in none of the virtues, and possesses a great many of them. New York Herald-Tribune