Giselles' Love

It takes so many good people to put together a work of art such as found in this beautiful version of Giselle.
The props, the orchestra, the costumes are as important as the dancers and ballerinas performing on the stage.
This is a nice version of Giselle with Svetlana Bolle as Prima Ballerina.

Giselle is about a beautiful peasant girl who was targeted by a Count, disguised as a peasant, who wanted to sow his wild oats once more, before getting married to the daughter of the Prince of Courland, Bathilde.

Giselle falls madly in love with Albrecht in spite of her Mothers and Hilarions' warnings.
Giselle is a frail girl but Hilarion, the game keeper, also loved her and wanted to protect her.

A hunting party arrives with Bathilde and her Father and a party takes place with Giselle admiring Bathilde and serving her.
Bathilde gives her a necklace which makes Giselle very happy.
Hilarion wants Albrecht disclosed so he brings out Albrechts' sword and horn. Upon blowing the horn, the hunting party returns. Giselle then finds out her lover is also betrothed to Bathilde and her heart is broken as she goes mad with grief. She tries to kill herself with a sword, but instead dies from her weak heart.

Hilarion grieves and worries that the Wilis Spirits would avenge Giselles death upon him for doing what he did to disclose Albrecht.
The Wilis are female spirits, who were jilted before their marriages and rise from their graves every night to seek revenge against those responsible, by making them dance to death.
They welcomed Giselle to become a part of their group.

Albrecht is also grieved and at her grave, asks Giselle for her forgiveness .
She forgives him and they dance until she disappears into the forest.
The Wilis kill Hilarion and then go after Albrecht but Giselle defends him till  dawn when they have to return to their graves.
The Wilis then saw Giselle was not one of them and ejected her from their group because she had no hate or vengeance.
Giselle was thus able to rest in her grave in peace.

This was a beautiful story and well acted out. Giselle really was portrayed well as a lovely, pure , innocent girl in life, as well as in death. She believed in her love and in forgiveness.

So much more is gained by forgiving than in revenge and vengeance.
It was a nice ballet to watch on a Sunday.

It leaves one however with many questions.
1) Why did Giselle not defend Hilarion as she did Albrecht ?
Hilarion loved her and  tried to disclose  a falsehood in her life.
Was he not her friend?

2) Albrecht  was the bad guy. He did not expect to fall in love with Giselle and was also distressed by her death but not innocent and yet Giselle protected him from the Wilis.

3) Was the reason Albrecht was saved because the Wilis already took the life of Hilarion and satisfied their
desire for vengeance?

4) Did Giselle believe Albrecht would leave Bathilde for her because she believed in Albrecht and their love?

5) Would Albrecht have left Bathilde or was he just sorry Giselle died for nothing but a little frivolity on his part, and blamed Hilarion for this. After all, men often fight over a girl but it rarely ends in her death.
For Hilarion who truly loved Giselle, Albrechts' frivolity was not very amusing.

In the end, Giselle got her peace while Albrecht will have to live with what he did and maybe even in shame if
Bathilde still married him in spite of his shameful act and Hilarion would suffer till the end of time dancing at the hands of the Wilis.

So.........it leaves one to wonder again why the Wilis let Giselle out of their group? She seemed to fit right in.
Her innocence and forgiveness and lack of hate and vengeance resulted in the same end, as the Wilis willed for the guilty, with revenge and hate.

Makes one think doesn't it?
Giselle had a loop hole to have her cake and eat it too. lol


Have a good one.
xoxoxox