Lillies Play Analysis

Words: 553
Pages: 3

“Lilies: or The Revival of a Romantic Drama” (originally, “Les feluettes”) was penned by Quebec playwright, Michel Marc Bouchard. The play premiered in 1987 at Théâtre Petit à Petit in Montreal, while its translation premiered four years later in Toronto at Theatre Passe Muraille. Described by Bouchard as, “the love story that no one ever told me”, the play recounts a forbidden love between two young Quebecois men in 1912, as retold by one of the men several years later in 1952. Considered to be his most famous play, “Lilies” earned Bouchard his spot in Quebec’s theatrical hall of fame, as well as worldwide praise, much in part due to its elegant language, unique and imaginative imagery, and complex characters. As of 2014, Bouchard has written …show more content…
In his works, Bouchard typically examines various aspects of life and how they affect each other, such as love and violence, and sex and history. Most importantly however, he explores the concept of free will, and the influence that society has in a person’s life. “Lilies” explores all of these concepts with a spotlight on homosexuality in the face of intolerant religious and moral values of Quebec in 1912 and 1952. Although the play is not based on real characters, it does stay true to the historical accuracy of its setting. The close-mindedness towards gay people was very much present in early Quebec, so much so that homosexuality was even punishable by law, resulting in imprisonment. It was not until the 1960s, when the Quiet Revolution began, that views began to shift. The Quiet Revolution was an impactful era of socio-political and socio-cultural change in Quebec, brought about due to efforts made by the Liberal government at the time. Although several changes were made, such as the creation of a welfare state, an extremely important development was the secularization of society, in which religion began to have less of an authoritative grip over society, thus paving the path towards a more