Dragon's Teeth

Dragon's Teeth by Eça de Queirós

Dragon’s Teeth opens with the apparently contented marriage of Jorge and Luiza. Jorge, a conscientious mining engineer, is preparing to leave Lisbon for work in Alemtejo. He cherishes the orderly home inherited from his mother, his affectionate wife, and their peaceful routine, though he privately grieves that they have no child. Luiza, beautiful, impressionable, and absorbed in romantic novels and music, dreads his departure. Their servant Juliana, an embittered, watchful woman whom Jorge keeps from gratitude for her care of his Aunt Virginia, already disturbs Luiza. At a Sunday gathering, Jorge’s friends reveal the social world surrounding the couple: the frustrated doctor Julião, the pompous Counsellor Accacio, theatrical Ernesto, affectionate Sebastião, and Donna Felicidade, whose hopeless passion for Accacio is plain to everyone but him. A discussion of Ernesto’s melodrama leads Jorge to declare fiercely that an unfaithful wife ought to be killed. He also asks Sebastião to watch over Luiza during his absence, especially to prevent visits from Luiza’s compromised friend Leopoldina. Jorge’s possessiveness is softened by his tender manner, but it frightens Luiza. After Jorge leaves, Luiza becomes restless and lonely. The return of her cousin Bazilio, her first love, gives her solitude a new excitement. Years earlier, they had been close at Cintra and in Lisbon, but when Bazilio’s family fortunes failed, he went to Brazil and ended their attachment by letter. Luiza later married Jorge and persuaded herself that Bazilio had been a foolish youthful mistake. Bazilio visits Luiza while Jorge is away, claiming business connected with the mines. He returns from Brazil and travel abroad polished, self-assured, and full of stories about Paris, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and fashionable society. Luiza is flattered by his admiration and fascinated by the wider, more elegant life he represents. Bazilio quickly recognizes her vulnerability: she is alone, bored, romantic, and eager to be thought attractive. Though he speaks nostalgically of their past, his private thoughts show that he sees her as a desirable opportunity. Their meetings become frequent. Bazilio mocks Jorge’s friends, especially Julião, and makes Luiza ashamed of the ordinary social world of her marriage. He sings to her, speaks of love, and finally embraces and kisses her. Luiza recoils in terror and shame, yet cannot decisively break with him. Bazilio promises an “ideal” and pure friendship, then continues to press his claims. Jorge’s letters briefly revive Luiza’s remorse and affection for her husband, but Bazilio’s image repeatedly overcomes her resolve. She feels both guilty and exhilarated by her freedom while Jorge is absent. Juliana observes Bazilio’s repeated calls and becomes consumed by suspicion. Her own history explains her malice: after twenty years in service, poverty, illness, thwarted ambitions, and resentment of mistresses have made her hostile, inquisitive, and eager to discover a secret she can use. She had hoped Aunt Virginia would leave her money, only to be disappointed, and she particularly hates Luiza’s comfort and beauty. Although she says little to the neighbors, she watches Luiza’s behavior, listens at doors, and stores what she learns. Sebastião also grows alarmed. He knows Bazilio’s reputation as a rake and learns that neighbors have noticed the daily visits. His loyalty to Jorge and his idealized view of Luiza make him reluctant to believe wrongdoing, but gossip from Paula the furniture-dealer, Cunha Rosado, and others convinces him that the situation is dangerous. Julião, bitter and cynical, tells him Bazilio is plainly seeking pleasure without the responsibilities Jorge bears, and insists that Luiza should understand the impropriety of receiving him so often. Bazilio gradually persuades Luiza to consider meeting him beyond the house. He first proposes a drive into the country, presenting it as an innocent outing between relatives. Luiza resists, then allows the possibility. He alternates calculated restraint with emotional appeals and threats to leave Lisbon, until she agrees. At last she meets him in the Praca da Alegria and enters his coupé, frightened and flushed. As the carriage moves toward Lumiar, she relaxes enough to remove her veil and gloves. Bazilio takes her hand and covers it with kisses, while she reminds him that he promised to behave sensibly. The text ends as the curtains of the coupé are being drawn.

By Eça de Queirós · First published 1892 · Genre: Realist novel, Social satire, Psychological fiction · 25 chapters · 155,141 words

First lines

THE cuckoo-clock in the dining-room had just struck eleven. Jorge, reclining in an antique easy-chair covered with dark leather, closed the volume of Louis Figuier that he had been listlessly turning over, stretched himself, yawned, and said, --

"Are you not going to dress, Luiza?"

"Directly."

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Portuguese literature · nineteenth-century fiction · short story collection · literary realism · social satire · social criticism · bourgeois society · moral hypocrisy · religious critique · political commentary · class divisions · urban life

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