Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki

Author:Roopa Farooki
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780312360528
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Later in the class, Shona had Becky, the pretty, dark-haired girl, reading Oreste and Charlie, the lacrosse player, reading the part of his friend, Pylade.

‘Vous me trompiez, Seigneur,’ Charlie said, attempting to sound righteous and to roll her r’s at the same time.

’Je me trompais moi-meme,’ Becky said mournfully.

‘Thank you,’ Shona said. ‘So what exactly does this exchange mean, in the dynamic of the play? Harriet?’

‘It’s where Oreste is forced to come clean about his feelings for Hermione,’ said Harriet casually, as though she were talking about a daytime soap. ‘Oreste admits why he’s really come to see Pyrrhus; it’s not because of ambassadorial duty, but because he’s still in love with Hermione and wants her back. He wasn’t just fooling his best friend, he was fooling himself. And now they both know the truth, their mission has to change.’

‘Very good,’ Shona said, pleased that Harriet could give such a simple explanation of a complex moment. ‘But let’s dig a little deeper. Is this really just about fooling oneself? What does Pylade mean when he says “Vous me trompiez”? Is he just saying, “You tricked me, sir,” as though it was a gag between friends? Pylade is indignant, he’s upset, this is something more than a joke gone wrong. What do you think “Vous me trompiez” could mean in this context?’

’You misled me?’ asked Charlie.

’You disappointed me?’ suggested Becky.

’You deceived me,’ stated Dermot.

‘Exactly!’ said Shona triumphantly, before she registered who had said it. ‘Umm, thank you, Mr O’Connor.’ A touch flustered, she continued, ‘It’s about deception, and self-deception, a very powerful crime against a friend, and against oneself. Their honour and integrity is bound in the truth. For Oreste to self-deceive, he has been lying to himself, and so he’s been divided.’

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