54

The conclusion of Lucrèce Borgia is often established based on the play’s final lines. Reducing it in this way does not fully reflect the perspective in which Hugo created this scene. We aim to clarify this point by exploring the play’s ending in light of not only contemporary dramas but also other versions of the work itself, as originally envisaged by the author. We will perhaps discover, within and around these final lines, Hugolian characters who are less self-important than suggested in the preface. In fact, the successive reworkings of this scene show that Hugo wanted to bring his characters to their downfall. If they still speak, it is to say nothing. And while the scene remains tense throughout due to what is unsaid, which is hardly enigmatic, it leads to a mysterious and unutterable dizzying despair.