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La Sainte Courtisane
Oscar Wilde
A short unfinished play fragment that follows Myrrhina a beautiful woman of the world who travels to the desert to tempt a holy hermit named Honorius. In a typical Wildean reversal she ends up being converted to a life of piety by his words while he becomes corrupted by her beauty and his own repressed desires. The piece is written in a lush highly rhythmic prose style similar to Wilde's other religious and tragic works.
Myrrhina: A courtesan seeking to test her powers of seduction. Honorius: A hermit who discovers the dangers of his own spiritual pride.
First Performance: 1908, at N/A (Unfinished)
Performed rarely as it remains a fragment; often included in staged readings of Wilde's minor works.
Original Actors: N/A
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