Candide · Chapter
XI: History of the Old Woman explained
The Old Woman recounts her tragic life story, revealing she is the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina.
What happens
The Old Woman recounts her tragic life story, revealing she is the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina. She describes her privileged youth, her fiancé's sudden death, her capture by Sallee corsairs, the brutal civil war in Morocco where her mother and companions are killed, and her eventual rescue by a eunuch.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Human Cruelty
The Old Woman's tale of capture, massacre, and brutal violence exemplifies extreme human cruelty and suffering.
Social Class and Inequality
Her fall from a princess to a servant highlights the precariousness of social status and the harsh realities of inequality.
Critique of Religious Hypocrisy
The knights of Malta and the pirates' religious rituals are depicted as hypocritical and brutal, mocking organized religion.
Characters to notice
- The Old Woman
Narrates her own history, revealing her noble birth as the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina.
- Pope Urban X
Revealed as the father of the Old Woman.
- Cunégonde
The listener to the Old Woman's story within the chapter.
- Candide
Present as a listener to the Old Woman's narrative.
Key passages
“I had not always bleared eyes and red eyelids; neither did my nose always touch my chin; nor was I always a servant. I am the daughter of Pope Urban X, and of the Princess of Palestrina.”
The Old Woman reveals her noble origins, contrasting her current appearance with her former beauty and high birth.
Establishes the Old Woman's credibility and dramatic fall from grace.
“I was affianced to the most excellent Prince of Massa Carara. ... He died in less than two hours of most terrible convulsions.”
Her fiancé, a handsome prince, was poisoned by an old marchioness, ending her bliss.
First major tragedy in her life, setting a pattern of misfortune.
“Instantly they were stripped as bare as monkeys; my mother, our maids of honour, and myself were all served in the same manner. It is amazing with what expedition those gentry undress people.”
The corsairs quickly stripped them naked, a common practice to search for hidden diamonds.
Highlights the dehumanizing treatment and the absurdity of the search ritual.
“I was witness to such a battle as you have never seen in your European climates. ... They fought with the fury of the lions, tigers, and serpents of the country, to see who should have us.”
A brutal battle erupted over possession of the women, with combatants tearing them apart.
Depicts the extreme violence and sexual brutality in Morocco.
“I saw all our Italian women, and my mother herself, torn, mangled, massacred, by the monsters who disputed over them.”
The Old Woman witnessed the horrific deaths of her mother and companions.
Climax of her suffering, emphasizing the senseless cruelty.