MEANING OF THE ROMANTIC TRIUMPH

carrying over of the phrase or sentence from one line to another when the situation seemed to warrant such an arrangement. A good example of this can» be seen in the lines :

Serait-ce déjà lui f (Test bien à YescaHer

Dérobé. . . .

and in the following:

. . . DorUi Sol ! Ah ! c'est voVrS que Je vois Enfin! . . .

The occasional use of these variations of the old form gave a flexibility to the Alexandrine which it had sadly lacked, and took away much of its artificial sound.

With this metrical reform came a freer use of words than had ever before been seen. The old poetic vocabulary was enlarged, and, generally speaking, all words and phrases were used whenever they were necessary to the clear expression of an idea.

Summing it all up, then, the Romantic movement in dramatic art means simply the introduction of that spirit of freedom which had gradually pervaded all other forms of literary expression. It broke definitely with a tradition whose continuance was most detrimental to an unfettered and normal development, and infused new life into the drama both as to form and content. Like all revolutionary movements, it had exponents who carried its principles to excess and brought them into disrepute, but there was a definite gain.