Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy, Chapeau Rouge

Witold Gombrowicz
Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy
Iwona, Ksiezniczka Burgunda
translated by Olaf Kühl

The sunset is beautiful, life at court is rich and carefree, the prospect of becoming king one day is appealing, and the women seek her company. Everything is looking good for Prince Philip. And yet he is bored—or is it precisely because of this? The satiated monotony of the court seems to be tiring him.

On a whim, he throws the royal court into turmoil: He introduces the commoner Yvonne as his fiancée. Yvonne is completely different from everyone else. Like a termite in a wooden palace, she appears in royal society and gnaws away at its smooth, functioning surface.

The most bizarre thing, however, is that Yvonne doesn't speak. She remains silent, even when nasty jokes are played on her. She is mocked, teased, and abused—and she always remains silent. This is almost unbearable for the court society. Why? Do the nobles perhaps feel caught out?
The aristocratic society feels increasingly provoked by this, caught in its own sins and finally plots bloody revenge.

In his bitterly evil play, Witold Gombrowicz plays with the nebulous fear of the stranger.

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