Release date is 2026-01-04

Ramón Pajares Box. (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)

"La arlesiana" by Alphonse Daudet is a play written in the late 19th century. Set in the Camargue, it follows the young farmer Federico, consumed by love for an unseen woman from Arles, while his mother Rosa, grandfather Francisco, the shepherd Baltasar, and his shy admirer Viveta struggle to save him from obsession and dishonor. Themes of rural honor, passion, and family duty drive the drama.

The opening of the play presents the Castelet farm awaiting news about Federico’s proposed marriage to the Arlesian girl. A horse-keeper, Mitifio, arrives with letters proving the woman has been his mistress, shattering the household; Federico reads them and collapses in despair. By the Vaccarès lagoon, Rosa fears her son’s suicidal thoughts, Baltasar counsels hard duty, and Viveta—urged by Rosa—confesses her love, only to be rebuffed by the anguished Federico. Later, Rosa proposes accepting the Arlesian to save him, but Federico rejects that path and turns to Viveta for healing love; amid San Eloy festivities and a tender reunion of the elders Baltasar and Reinalda, Federico pledges himself to Viveta and returns the letters—just as Mitifio bursts in demanding them back, leaving the moment on edge. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Madrid: Imprenta Bernardo Rodríguez, 1907