The duel scene is vigorous and effective, and the song allotted to Romeo’s page—­an impertinent insertion of the librettists—­is intrinsically delightful.  It is typical of the musician that he should put forth his full powers in the chamber duet, while he actually omits the potion scene altogether, which is the legitimate climax of the act.  In the original version of the opera there was a commonplace cavatina allotted to Juliet at this point, set to words which had but a remote connection with Shakespeare’s immortal lines, but it was so completely unworthy of the situation that it was usually omitted, and when the opera was revised for production at the Grand Opera in 1888, Gounod thought it wiser to end the act with the Friar’s discourse to Juliet, rather than attempt once more to do justice to a scene which he knew to be beyond his powers.  The last act is perhaps the weakest part of the opera.  MM.  Barbier and Carre’s version of Shakespeare’s magnificent poetry is certainly not inspiring; but in any case it is difficult to believe that Gounod’s suave talent could have done justice to the piteous tragedy of that terrible scene.  Gounod’s last three operas did not add to his reputation.  ‘Cinq Mars’ (1877) made little impression when it was first produced, but it has recently been performed by the Carl Rosa Company in English with some success.  The libretto is a poor one.  It deals in conventional fashion with the conspiracy of Cinq Mars against Richelieu, but the incidents are not well arranged and the characters are the merest shadows.  Much of the music is tuneful and attractive, though cast in a stiff and old-fashioned form, and the masquemusic in the second act is as fresh and melodious as anything Gounod ever wrote.  In ‘Polyeucte’ (1878) he attempted a style of severe simplicity in fancied keeping with Corneille’s tragedy.  There are some noble pages in the work, but as a whole it is distressingly dull, and ‘Le Tribut de Zamora’ (1881) was also an emphatic failure.

Gounod’s later works, as has already been pointed out, show a distinct falling off from the standard attained in ‘Faust,’ as regards form as well as in ideas.  As he grew older he showed a stronger inclination to return to obsolete models.  ‘Le Tribut de Zamora’ reproduces the type of opera which was popular in the days of Meyerbeer.  It is cut up into airs and recitatives, and the accompaniment is sedulously subordinated to the voices.  Without desiring to discredit the beauties of ‘Mireille’ or ‘Romeo et Juliette,’ one cannot help thinking that it would have been better for Gounod’s reputation if he had written nothing for the stage after ‘Faust.’