Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2 Summary

This classical French play tells the story of Chimene and Roderick, young lovers driven apart by acts of perceived dishonor done to their respective fathers. This tension between honor and love is developed both dramatically and thematically throughout the play as the lovers confront their simultaneous desires for vengeance and for each other.

Scene 1 - Chimene and Elvire enter, with Chimene repeatedly demanding that Elvire confirm what she's already said - that Chimene's father Don Gomez is indeed in favor of the marriage between Chimene and Don Roderick, a young soldier. Conversation reveals that Roderick had a rival for Chimene's affections in Don Sancho, and that Gomez is likely to be offered the position of tutor to the king's son. Elvire assures Chimene that everything will work out according to her hopes, but Chimene expresses her fears that soon...