FEATURED ESSAYS 1. The Tragic Love Triangle Of Yonvi... 2. Pascals Triangle 3. Madame Bovary 4. Song Review: “Iris” 5. Hamlet: Shakespeare Tragic Hero 6. Oedipus Rex 7. Trigonometry 8. Essay On Tragic Characters Fro 9. Is President Bill Clinton A Tr 10. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Of 1... 11. Madame Bovary: The Tragic Love 12. Hamlets Tragic Flaw 13. Antigone: Who Is The Tragic Hero? 14. Mysteries Of The World

The Tragic Love Triangle of Yonville

Gustave Flubert's masterpiece, Madame Bovary, was first published in 1857. 
The novel shocked many of its readers and caused a chain reaction that
spread through all of France and ultimately called for the prosecution of
the author.  Since that time however, Madame Bovary, has been recognized by
literature critics as being the model for the present literary period,
being the realistic novel period.  It is now considered a novel of great
worth and one which contains an important and moving plot.  In addition, it
provides a standard against which to compare the works of writers to follow.
 It is nearly impossible to truly understand modern European and American
fiction without reading, Madame Bovary.

Charles Bovary, the only son of a middle-class family, became a doctor and
set up his practice in a rural village.  He then married a women who was
quite older then himself.  He was unhappily married to her saying that "Her
dresses barely hung on her bony frame", This coming right before her death.
Upon his wife's death, Charles married an attractive young women named Emma
Roualt, the daughter of one of his patients.  Emma married Charles with
overwhelming expectations.  She thought marriage would be filled with three
things, "bliss, passion, and ecstasy".  Emma had a character that was 1)
dissatisfied 2) adulterous and 3) free spending.  For a while she was
excited and pleased by her marriage, but overwhelmed by her new life, she
quickly became dissatisfied.  As a result of her dissatisfaction she became
mentally ill.

For the sake of her health the Bovary's moved to a new town, Yonville,
where their daughter was born.  Emma's unhappiness continued, and she began
to have romantic feelings toward Leon, a young law clerk.  After Leon left
the town in order to attend law school.  Emma's boredom and frustration
became more intense after Leon left.  She began to forget her role as a
wife and mother. Charles tried many times to please but none of his efforts
were successful, and she did not value or understand Charles' love for her.
Finally Emma had an adulterous affair with Rodolphe, a local land owner. 
Upon realizing Emma's intentions of an affair with him he states that he is
"Gasping for love", and this wins her heart over.  Rodolphe then leaves for
a period of six weeks and Emma then becomes seriously ill again.  After her
recovery, Rodolphe returns and the only explanation for his actions is
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder".  She then runs across Leon in Rowen
and began to resume were they left off.  In order to afford the trips to
Rowen to see Leon and satisfy her own needs, Emma spent her husbands money
freely and incurred many debts.  She kept this secret from Charles and
managed to obtain a Power of Attorney, so that she would have full control
over their financial affairs.  Eventually her unpaid bills went long
overdue and judgment was obtained against the creditors.  She owed a vast
sum of money, and the sheriff's officers arrived to confiscate the family
property.  Emma tried frantically to raise the money and finally turning to
Leon, but he was unable to help, nor was he willing.  She even tried to get
back Rodolphe, by saying "I stayed with you, because I couldn't tear myself
away...", he would have no part of her anymore and unwilling to help.  Out
of shame and despair of herself, she poisons herself to die.  Shortly
afterwards, now a ruined and broken man, also died, leaving their daughter
to a life of poverty.