Du vagabondage à la sainteté – la quête de soi dans Becket ou l’honneur de Dieu de Jean Anouilh

Abstract

At first glance, the protagonist of the play has none of the characteristics of a vagabond. However, subjected to a more thorough analysis, he proves to be endowed with many features typical of a wanderer, such as alienation, unrest, loneliness, social isolation and individualism. In the text he is described as a man who is « in the search for himself, » his exile is, first and foremost, a metaphysical search for his own « self » and for the meaning of life. He is also a character undergoing a metamorphosis – from a lecher he becomes a saint. The shift seems to come as a consequence of being an exile from his own country. This exile, however, in its literal dimension, becomes too heavy a burden for him, and, be rid of the burden, he chooses to die a martyr. This article presents the evolution of the personality and the shift in the social standing of the character, as well as the reasons for, and consequence of, his exile.