Synopsis of Pelleas by C Hudson

Long ago when the land and the king were one, a terrible darkness spread across the kingdom of Allemonde in the form of a dynasty of Tyrant Kings. So complete was this darkness that King Arkel became blind, and his sons were afflicted with a mysterious disease that cut their lives short in their prime. The only sources of the light were the Princesses of Hors-lemonde, whose sole task became to breed daughters who would bring the light back to the land. Arkel arranged the marriage of his first son to one of these women, Geneviève who failed to bring the light by giving birth to a male child, Golaud, before her husband died. Arkel married her to his second son, and she failed again giving birth to Golaud’s half-brother Pelléas, whose father suffers from his disease and is close to death.

Golaud’s first wife died giving birth to a male child, Yniold, and rather than risk another failure submitting to another marriage arranged by Arkel, Golaud left his family home to live in the forests beyond the sea. Golaud became lost hunting in these woods, and came across a young, ethereal woman by a fountain named Mélisande who recently escaped a terrible fate she cannot remember. Defying his family’s laws, Golaud marries Mélisande and brings her home to live in Arkel’s castle with his mother Geneviève, his son Yniold, and his half-brother Pelléas.

Enclosed by the darkness, Golaud neglects Mélisande who discovers she has more in common with young Pelléas. Golaud becomes blind with jealousy, believing Pelléas and Mélisande to be in an illicit affair, while Arkel sees Mélisande as the innocent woman who can bring the light back to the kingdom. Can Mélisande help Golaud master his beastly self, or does Golaud become the monster that Pelléas must slay? Can Mélisande bring balance to the kingdom by giving birth to the light, or will she fail as Geneviève has? Is this a story of Voyage and Return, or the Tragedy of Rebirth?