Since its 1841 premiere, Giselle has been an exemplar of romanticism, with its depictions of frolicking country folk, feminine virtue, and ghosts. The innocent peasant girl Giselle dies of heartbreak when her lover, Albrecht, turns out to be an aristocrat in disguise with a well-to-do fiancee. Like other maidens who perish before their wedding day, Giselle joins the wilis, spirits dressed like brides who lurk in the woods, luring men into furious, fatal dances. Yet when Albrecht wanders into their ethereal sorority, doomed to die, Giselle forgives him and protects him from harm.
Yet he insists that Giselle’s mercy towards the deceitful Albrecht is also the key to her power—and to the necessity of such narratives in our time. “To forgive is the hardest thing. It’s not a sign of weakness. As human beings, we need empathy again. We are so used to the Western system of right and wrong, good and evil, black and white. It’s so much more complex in the [Sanskrit epics] Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyana. Within the good there are elements of the bad; within the bad there are elements of the good. In order to create, you have to destroy first. In order to destroy something you have to create something. The human condition is complex. We haven’t grieved for climate change or xenophobia yet as a species, because we’re in such denial. We haven’t learned from our past by forgiving—and the only way to forgive is to see.” v
Through 3/2: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM, Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph, 312-334-7777, harristheaterchicago.org, $35-$155.
