Reading Response to Scribe's "The Glass of Water"

Despite the various characters and plot points competing for attention in Eugene Scribe’s The Glass of Water, one character in particular stands out as the protagonist to me. Without the careful plotting and planning of Bolingbroke, the events of the play would not occur since it is he who drives the action forward time and time again despite the attempts made by the Duchess to thwart his political plans. It is Bolingbroke, driven by his desire to gain political power in the Queen’s court, who brings the French ambassador to St. James Place and who helps Abigail to obtain a position in the court so that she can make a living. While it is clear that Scribe wants the audience to “root for” Masham and Abigail (the audience is sympathetic to their romance), these two lovebirds would never have been able to be united in matrimony had it not been for Bolingbroke’s intervention. Whether or not he does this out of the kindness of his heart is another matter entirely. He knows that the union of the lovers will infuriate the Duchess, his sworn rival and equal in political intrigue, so he could very well be acting in a beneficent manner simply for his own pleasure at seeing the Duchess scorned. Without Bolingbroke, there would be no play at all. Or, at least, it would be an entirely different story. Even the secret of the glass of water would not have been revealed had Bolingbroke not so carefully intervened so as to spite the Duchess once more. He also brings about the play’s happy ending by freeing Masham from incarceration, uniting the two lovers, and giving the French envoy an audience with the Queen, thus fulfilling all of his political desires.