Class 12-Optional English/ Summary of the One-Act Play Romancers

Romancers

                        - Edmond Rostand

The one-act play ‘Romancers’ by Edmond Rostand presents the romantic love affair of young lovers Percinet and Sylvette. Percinet, the son of Bergamin is madly in love with Pasquinot’s daughter Sylvette. When the play opens, Percinet is reading Romeo and Juliet to Sylvette, who is standing on the other side leaning against the wall. The two lovers can’t meet and talk with each other easily because their parks are divided by a large wall. The lovers’ fathers hate each other and warn their children to regard each other enemy. Not only this, the fathers prohibit their children not to meet each other. Due to their fathers’ enmity, they suspect that their love will end in tragedy like that of Romeo and Juliet. So, they compare themselves with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In fact, the entire nasty and contemptible situations are destined to bring happiness and union to the dedicated young lovers. The fathers are not real enemies. They only pretend to be enemies and hate each other. They play the role of callous fathers to make their children love each other more deeply, truly and intensely. At last, when the fathers come to know that their children love each other facing all obstacles and challenges, they decide to come to reconciliation. For making their children united, they plot a false abduction by hiring Staforel and his men. At midnight time, when Percinet and Sylvette are about to meet, Staforel and his men abduct Sylvette. Finally, Percient fights bravely with the kidnappers and rescues his beloved. After this, as planned Pasquinot enters, calls him a hero and shakes hand with him. He suggests Bergamin to put an end their enmity and arrange marriage of their children. In the end, with the happy ending the romancers are found to be puppets in the hand of their tricky fathers.