The Tale Of Cunegonde By Voltaire: Chapter Analysis
Felicia Russell
ENG 209
SW2
The Tale of Cunegonde Chapter eight of the story “Candide, or Optimism” written by Voltaire, is the tale of Cunegonde after Candide discovered her to be alive, despite what he was told. Cunegonde’s story is very intense and full of unfortunate events. One of the most dreadful things that happened, we learned in the chapter before, that Cunegonde retells is the murder of her family by the Bulgars. In this instance, Voltaire adds some satire because the Bulgars knew that he had escaped from them. Candide may have gotten away, but left Thunder-Ten-Tronckh, Cunegonde’s home, vulnerable. Cunegonde tells Candide that she was not killed, but beaten and raped by one of the soldiers. She explains that this event
mad her stronger, “…a person of honor may be raped once, her virtue is only strengthened by the experience” (531). This statement could show a change in her character, or it could have been said to only comfort Candide, and to falsely persuade him that she was okay. After the captain kills the soldier that she was raped by, Cunegonde explains, the captain of the Bulgars takes her in as her mistress, and keeps her for a few months then sells her to a Jewish man named Don Issachar. After been taken in, Cunegonde tells Candide that she has kept her innocence, but Voltaire still leaves the readers guessing. Once Don Issachar started taking Cunegonde to mass, the Grand Inquisitor became interested in her and takes her to his palace. She explains her rank, and he tells her that “it [is] beneath [her] dignity to belong to an Israelite” (531). This is another form of satire that Voltaire uses in his text and he continues with the threat that the Grande Inquisitor gives Don Issachar in response for not giving Cunegonde to him. He threatens him with an auto-da-fe, which is a torture ritual of burning the person alive. In fear, Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor agree to share Cunegonde. Ironically, the Grand Inquisitor gets her an extra day even though she belonged to Don Issachar. Cunegonde tells Candide that she had seen his beating, as well as Pangloss’ death. A form of cruel irony Voltaire adds is when Cunegonde says “Pangloss must have deceived me cruelly when he told me that all is for the best in this world” (532). Pangloss was hung for his teachings, in which was a heartless action in itself. At the end of this chapter, Cunegonde tells Candide that she had sent the old woman to look after him and to bring him to her, which was unexpected, and leaves off with a suspense as Don Issachar enters to “assert his rights and express his tender passion” (532). But he was not going to get the same reaction back.
Works cited
Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet. “Candide, or Optimism.” Trans. Roger Pearson. The Longman Anthology of World Literature.Vol. D, 2nd ed. Ed. David Damrosch and David L. Pike. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009.415-513.
ENG 209
SW2
The Tale of Cunegonde Chapter eight of the story “Candide, or Optimism” written by Voltaire, is the tale of Cunegonde after Candide discovered her to be alive, despite what he was told. Cunegonde’s story is very intense and full of unfortunate events. One of the most dreadful things that happened, we learned in the chapter before, that Cunegonde retells is the murder of her family by the Bulgars. In this instance, Voltaire adds some satire because the Bulgars knew that he had escaped from them. Candide may have gotten away, but left Thunder-Ten-Tronckh, Cunegonde’s home, vulnerable. Cunegonde tells Candide that she was not killed, but beaten and raped by one of the soldiers. She explains that this event
mad her stronger, “…a person of honor may be raped once, her virtue is only strengthened by the experience” (531). This statement could show a change in her character, or it could have been said to only comfort Candide, and to falsely persuade him that she was okay. After the captain kills the soldier that she was raped by, Cunegonde explains, the captain of the Bulgars takes her in as her mistress, and keeps her for a few months then sells her to a Jewish man named Don Issachar. After been taken in, Cunegonde tells Candide that she has kept her innocence, but Voltaire still leaves the readers guessing. Once Don Issachar started taking Cunegonde to mass, the Grand Inquisitor became interested in her and takes her to his palace. She explains her rank, and he tells her that “it [is] beneath [her] dignity to belong to an Israelite” (531). This is another form of satire that Voltaire uses in his text and he continues with the threat that the Grande Inquisitor gives Don Issachar in response for not giving Cunegonde to him. He threatens him with an auto-da-fe, which is a torture ritual of burning the person alive. In fear, Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor agree to share Cunegonde. Ironically, the Grand Inquisitor gets her an extra day even though she belonged to Don Issachar. Cunegonde tells Candide that she had seen his beating, as well as Pangloss’ death. A form of cruel irony Voltaire adds is when Cunegonde says “Pangloss must have deceived me cruelly when he told me that all is for the best in this world” (532). Pangloss was hung for his teachings, in which was a heartless action in itself. At the end of this chapter, Cunegonde tells Candide that she had sent the old woman to look after him and to bring him to her, which was unexpected, and leaves off with a suspense as Don Issachar enters to “assert his rights and express his tender passion” (532). But he was not going to get the same reaction back.
Works cited
Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet. “Candide, or Optimism.” Trans. Roger Pearson. The Longman Anthology of World Literature.Vol. D, 2nd ed. Ed. David Damrosch and David L. Pike. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009.415-513.