Who Shall Die or Les Bouches inutiles (The Useless Mouths) is the only Drama written by Simone de Beauvoir.
The play takes place in 14th Century Vaucelles, a city in Flanders. The Useless Mouths centers around the d’Avesnes' family and their adopted children, Jean-Pierre and Jeanne during the siege against the Burgundians. The play deals with themes of feminism, power, and suffering. Simone de Beauvoir's other popular work includes, The Second Sex, The Mandarins, The Prime of Life, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, and The Force of Circumstance.
Background
Who Shall Die was written during World War II in 1943. During this time, Beauvoir created a social ethic for existentialism and titled this stage of her writing her, “moral period”. This was also during a time when French existentialist philosophers such as Beauvoir, Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre were seeking fame in not just France, but America as well. Therefore, the authors started addressing both French and American audiences, trying to make their existentialist philosophy more accessible. Who Shall Die was originally published in French and consists of two acts and eight scenes.
Characters
Jean-Pierre Gauthier is the adopted son the d’Avesnes', and the biological brother of Jeanne. Jean-Pierre had been sent by Louis d’Avesnes to talk to the King of France about relieving their city, Vaucelles. He has been gone for three months and the play commences the day he returns to Vaucelles. He is in a secret relationship with Clarice, the d’Avsesnes' biological daughter.
Louis d’Avesnes is one of the three aldermen of Vaucelles. Husband to Catherine, and father to Clarice and Georges. Louis struggles with keeping his city, Vaucelles prosperous while also trying to keep his family safe. Louis wishes to marry his daughter, Clarice to another alderman, Jacques Van Der Welde.
Catherine d’Avesnes is married to Louis, and is very protective of her family. She is also very supportive of her adopted son, Jean-Pierre. Catherine spends most of the play feeling powerless, especially to her husband, Louis who holds a lot of authority and power in the city of Vaucelles. She relies on Jean-Pierre to fix her problems instead of taking them into her own hands.
Clarice d’Avesnes is the daughter of the d’Avesnes', and is in love with her adopted brother, Jean-Pierre. Clarice despises her brother, Georges and only sees his power, and his lust for her.
Jeanne Gauthier is the sister of Jean-Pierre, to whom she confides in. She is in a relationship with Georges, but she knows in her heart that he is evil.
Georges d’Avesnes is very jealous of his adopted brother, Jean-Pierre, and wishes that his father, Louis would entrust him with more power. He is in a relationship with Jeanne, however, he lusts over his biological sister, Clarice. Georges and Rosbourg plan to kill Louis, and Jacques in order to assume power in Vaucelles.
François Rosbourg is one of the three aldermen. He wants more power than he already has, and Georges and he conspire against the other two aldermen, Jacques and Louis.
Jacques Van Der Welde is one of the three aldermen. He acts as Louis confidant. He is interested in Clarice, especially since he has her father, Louis approval.
Other characters
The captain, Master builder, four soldiers, four old women, four young women, two masons, three old men, two bagbearers, two merchants, five representatives, a young couple, children, and townspeople.
Summary
Who Shall Die takes place in 14th Century Vaucelles, a city in Flanders.
Act 1
Scene 1
The setting is the fortification of Vaucelles during the siege of the Burgundians. Three soldiers keep warm around a small fire and discuss the cities lack of food. A sentinel comes in from the ramparts with Jean-Pierre Gauthier, who he assumes to be a Burgundian spy. The three soldiers recognize him and claim that it's Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre announces that he must deliver news of the King to Louis d’Avesnes at once. Louis enters and Jean-Pierre delivers the new from the King of France who has declared: “I will come to relieve Vaucelles. It is in my best interest as well as in yours.” But the King plans to do so next spring because he must take out the Burgundians before coming to Flanders. Two women beg the soldiers for some food, but the soldiers argue that they barely have enough ration for themselves. Jean-Pierre asks them if their intentions are to let the women die, but Louis tells him to leave the soldiers alone and let them eat.
Scene 2
The setting takes place in the town square. There are noises of hammers and saws from the masons and carpenters working on the Belfry in the back, and to the side is a line of townspeople standing in line waiting for food at the City Hall. Jean-Pierre enters with his sister, Jeanne. They discuss how Vaucelle has changed since Jean-Pierre left three months ago, particularly with the rise of townspeople without food. The siblings discuss the d’Avesnes children, Clarice, who Jean-Pierre is seeing, and Georges, who Jeanne is seeing. Clarice enters and Jean-Pierre says that he has yearned for her since the day he left, but Clarice says he is nothing but a ghost to her, and there was no suffering during their time apart so they should no longer see each other. Two masons and the Master builder discuss how tired they are and that they don't understand how they are supposed to finish construction on the Belfry with only being fed grass porridge. However, they feel that they must finish the construction on the Belfry for the Kings arrival next spring. Jacques Van der Welde enters, sees Clarice and asks her if she will ever love him. She states that she doesn't believe in love and that she refuses to become a wife of an alderman like her mother. Suddenly a scream is heard from the construction site. A mason fell from the scaffold due to malnutrition. Louis and Rosbourg enter and Jacques explains to his fellow aldermen what has just happened, to which Louis exclaims that these accidents are happening too often due to malnutrition. Rosbourg butts in and wonders if Vaucelle even needs a Belfry. Jacques responds that the workmen accept their suffering because they have the Belfry to look forward to in the future, and if they were to stop construction then they’d be force to live in the present. Louis doesn't want to make a decision spur of the moment, so he decides to hold a city council meeting in the near future. However, the three aldermen admit that they don't know how to fix the problem surrounding the lack of food. Jean-Pierre enters and Louis nominates him to be Food Controller of Vaucelles. Jean-Pierre refuses the position because he does not want to be responsible if townspeople die. Bagbearers come in to distribute food to the townspeople. One of the masons asks for bread, but the bagbearer says it's only meant for the needy. A fight breaks out because the masons feel that only people who work should be fed.
Scene 3
The setting takes place in the home of Louis d’Avesnes. Catherine, his wife is seen pushing an older woman out of the house as townspeople try to push their way in. Georges and Jeanne discuss Jean-Pierre being offered Food Controller, and Georges exclaims that it should have gone to him since he is Louis' son. Georges then asks Jeanne if Jean-Pierre is in love with Clarice, but Jeanne refuses to answer any of his questions even after Georges wrings her wrists. Jean-Pierre enters the house to speak with Catherine, who doesn't understand why Jean-Pierre denied the position Food Controller and says that she will let him marry Clarice if he assumes the position. Jean-Pierre refuses, and says he doesn't want Clarice because everyone lives and dies alone. Georges, having heard enough screaming from the townspeople outside picks up a bow and aims to shoot at the townspeople. Georges eventually lowers his weapon, but Jeanne starts crying, knowing that he would have killed the townspeople. Catherine tells Jeanne that he needs a woman like her by his side, but Jeanne says that she is not strong enough and will never be happy with him. Clarice, alone on stage, looks at her face in a mirror as Jean-Pierre comes behind her and kisses her. Clarice asks him if he loves her, but Jean-Pierre reminds her that the word love means nothing to him. Clarice threatens Jean-Pierre and says that she intends to marry Jacques Van Der Welde because at least he can admit that he loves her. Jean-Pierre exclaims that her life will be empty if she marries Jacques, and then races out of the d'Avesnes' house. Clarice admits to Catherine and Jeanne that she is pregnant with Jean-Pierre's child. Georges, who has been hiding during the remainder of this scene calls his sister a whore for sleeping with Jean-Pierre and threatens to tell their father. Louis walks in from his council meeting and Georges immediately tells his father that Clarice is pregnant with Jean-Pierre's baby. Louis is okay with this, which makes Georges even more enraged. Catherine knows something bad must have happened at the council meeting due to his composed reaction. Louis admits that the council has decided to get rid of any useless townspeople by putting them in the ditch at the foot of the fortifications. End of Act 1.
Act 2
Scene 4
The setting takes place the following morning in the home of Louis d’Avesnes. Louis is having a conversation with the three aldermen, the Master builder and the three masons. The workmen explain that they still wish to finish the Belfry because then their suffering will have been worth it. Catherine expresses to Louis that she feels as though she is being condemned to die just in order to save a city. Jacques speaks with Clarice privately and tells her that she can come hide in his house to stay safe until the end of the siege. Clarice says that she doesn't need his help, and she will choose her own death. After Jacques exits, Clarice picks up a dagger, looks at it and then puts it back once she hears Georges enter. Georges reveals to Clarice that even though he is her brother, he lusts for her. Louis walks in on Georges attacking Clarice and asks Georges to leave at once and says that he is no longer his son. Georges retorts and says that his father is a hypocrite because he is sentencing Clarice to death with the council's plan.
Scene 5