The Decadent Side of Æstheticism: Heredia's Antony and Cleopatra Triptych

Heredia's sonnets are generally presented as medallions, prime illustrations of static Parnassian art; the article considers three of them as illustrations of dynamic structure, formal and verbal. Each sonnet in the Antony and Cleopatra triptych contains an ironic counter-thrust to a progression carefully established on the text level and to the "scene" ostensibly presented, i.e., Cleopatra's arrival at Tarsus ("Le Cydnus"), Antony's rise above the Parthian rout ("Soir de Bataille"), and the lovers' conjunction above the Nile ("Antoine et Cléopâtre"). Though each sonnet is independent, the triptych sequence constitutes an historically suggestive evolution, from grandeur to decadence. Sonnet structuring conventions reflect it, and the verbal treatment on the metaphoric and even grammatic level confirms it. Heredia appears to have built considerable flexibility into his art, and in his use of suggestive historic material he tends to come down from Parnassus. (AF)