Pierrot of Pierrot and Columbine". In the last year of the century, Pierrot appeared in a Russian ballet, "Harlequin's Millions" a.k.a. "Harlequinade" (1900), its libretto and choreography by Marius Petipa, its music by Riccardo Drigo, its dancers the members of St. Petersburg's Imperial Ballet. It would set the stage for the later and greater triumphs of Pierrot in the productions of the Ballets Russes. The Pierrot bequeathed to the twentieth century had acquired a rich and wide range of personae. He was the naïve butt of practical jokes and amorous scheming (Gautier); the prankish but innocent waif (Banville, Verlaine, Willette); the
The Two-Character Play to delude themselves, escape from the reality of their deteriorating mental states. Consequently, the viewers themselves are confronted with the darker truths of what it is to be human. It was very experimental for its time. The language is heightened. There are slabs of verbosity juxtaposed with pauses and stunted sentences. "The Two-Character Play" is partially autobiographical. The actor Clare and especially the character Clare are loosely based on Williams’ sister, Rose, and the actor Felice and the character Felice on Williams himself. The "confining nature of human existence" was a major theme throughout his work and this play is