Page:The thirty-six dramatic situations (1921).djvu/110

108 jealousy on the part of a man, whereas experience teaches us that woman is quite as ready as man to let herself be the envious, by a rival, or by a suitor bent upon securing for himself, through the anger aroused, a pleasure otherwise out of his reach. Transference to the feminine of the cases already considered will thus furnish a series of new situations. Besides pride, self-interest, love, spite and rivalry, many other motives present themselves for the traitor or traitress; the motives mentioned may also be painted in colors yet unused. The dénouement (usually a murder, in some cases a suicide, in others a divorce) may be varied, subtilized or strengthened by secondary and instrumental characters. The same may be said for the various knots of the intrigue, for those false proofs, those diabolic suggestions from which the jealousy springs.

Under the form of "jealous spite" this situation has been used by Molière and other writers of comedy for the purpose of filling in — through the agitations it causes the principal lovers — the vacancies of the picture with minor characters.