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The miracle of Saint Anthony

Written by Maurice Maeterlinck

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Anthony, of Padua, Saint, 1195-1231

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About this book

"The Miracle of Saint Anthony" by Maurice Maeterlinck is a one-act play written in the early 20th century that delves into themes of life, death, and societal hypocrisy. The story revolves around the unexpected arrival of Saint Anthony, who claims he has come to resurrect Mademoiselle Hortense, a wealthy but recently deceased woman. The play is set in a mundane Flemish household during a funeral, highlighting the stark contrast between the miraculous and the ordinary. In the narrative, Saint Anthony enters a home where the relatives and friends of the deceased are preparing for her funeral. Initially met with skepticism and annoyance from the living, especially from her greedy nephews Gustave and Achille, Saint Anthony insists on reviving Mademoiselle Hortense. The absurdity unfolds as Hortense is resurrected, only to express her disdain for the situation in a comical twist. The guests quickly shift from gratitude to indignation when they realize Hortense’s return to life comes with restrictions, including her inability to speak, which leaves them disillusioned about the true nature of miracles. The play ends in a wave of irony, as Hortense dies once more, reinforcing the idea that true miracles might lie beyond human understanding and expectations.

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Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in The miracle of Saint Anthony, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 2 hours
  • intermediate
  • satirical
  • absurdist
  • ironic

Maurice Maeterlinck's one-act play, "The Miracle of Saint Anthony," satirizes the materialistic and conventional reactions of a bourgeois family to a genuine miracle. When Saint Anthony resurrects the recently deceased Virginie, the family's initial awe quickly gives way to profound discomfort and self-interest, as the miracle disrupts their inheritance plans and social order. The play explores the hypocrisy of societal piety and the human tendency to reject or rationalize anything that challenges established norms and personal convenience. It ultimately serves as a critique of modern society's inability to truly embrace the divine when it proves inconvenient.

“"The dead should remain dead, especially when it complicates an inheritance."”

Key themes

The Conflict Between the Spiritual and the Material
The central theme exploring how genuine spiritual events (the miracle) are met with resistance, discomfort, and rejection by a society driven by material concerns (inheritance, social standing, convenience). The play highlights the inability of the bourgeois characters to truly embrace the divine when it threatens their worldly possessions and established order.
Hypocrisy and Social Convention
Maeterlinck satirizes the superficiality of social piety and the lengths to which individuals will go to maintain appearances and adhere to conventional norms, even at the expense of genuine belief or moral integrity. The characters' initial expressions of grief and reverence are quickly revealed as performative once the miracle disrupts their carefully constructed world.
The Absurdity of Human Reaction to the Extraordinary
The play highlights the tragicomic absurdity of human beings confronted with something truly beyond their comprehension or control. Instead of embracing the wonder, the characters react with fear, confusion, and a desperate need to rationalize, dismiss, or punish the source of the disruption, revealing the limitations of human reason and adaptability.

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