Eugene Scribe - "The Glass of Water"

The two moments that have been superimposed onto this play by the translator of Eugene Scribe's The Glass of Water are the bit of slapping and kissing between Bolingbroke and the Duchess, and the final bit of the play when the Queen looks out her window wistfully only to suddenly discover another potential beau.

I found it interesting that both of these moments have been added by the translator have a relatively short duration on the stage. Both serve almost as slapstick or bawdy humor moments, at otherwise pivotal and captivating parts of the plot. These additions add little to the story, other than help the Duchess and the Queen to seem a bit more silly than they already did. Both ladies were clearly at the whims of their sexual fancy, but it is in these moments that we see a fickleness and blatant disregard for custom and propriety. The ending moment, though, is a much more intriguing end than a restatement of the title of the play, and I find it quite perfect that the Queen should remain hopeful and happy even at the end of the play. She is much worked upon and manipulated by the other characters throughout the play so that this moment of an active desire in her is something new for the audience to digest. She does not attain her desires with Masham, but it almost a relief to know that the kindly Queen is not too damaged by the unrest of those immediately around her.