Cunégonde is a fictional character in

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

's 1759 novel ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

''. She is the title character's aristocratic cousin and love interest. At the beginning of the story, the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Candide is chased away from his uncle's home after he is caught kissing and fondling Cunégonde. Shortly afterwards, Cunégonde's family is attacked by a band of marauding soldiers, and she is taken prisoner. However, Cunégonde soon becomes the mistress of two wealthy Portuguese men who decide to share her between them. Candide kills the two men and he, Cunégonde and the Old Woman (Cunégonde's servant) flee to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. There, Cunégonde becomes the mistress of the provincial governor. Since Candide is wanted for the murders of the two Portuguese men, he is forced to leave her in Buenos Aires. However, he vows to find her and marry her. Finally, near the end of the novel, Candide finds Cunégonde in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, but she has lost her beauty, and is now very irritable and unfortunately very shallow-minded. Candide reluctantly agrees to marry her.

Name

"Cunégonde" may be derived from Cunigunde of Luxembourg. However, the first part of the name may be intended as a pun, referring to the female genitalia (Latin: cunnus, French: con).Maurice Peress, ''Dvořák to Duke Ellington: A Conductor Explores America's Music and its African American Roots'', Oxford / New York: Oxford University, 2004,
p. 141
Kunigunde, Kunigunda, or Cunigunde is a European female name of German origin derived from "kuni" (clan, family) and "gund" (war). In Polish this is sometimes Kunegunda or Kinga.

''Candide'' (operetta)

In the 1956 operetta ''Candide'' written by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, Cunegonde is a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, who sings one of the most difficult arias written for the theatre: " Glitter and Be Gay". The role has been portrayed by skilled actresses such as Barbara Cook, who originated the role in 1956,

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She was known for her comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc ...

, Kristin Chenoweth, June Anderson, Harolyn Blackwell, and Maureen Brennan, who received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination and won the Theatre World Award for her performance in the 1974 Broadway revival.

References

External links

Brief analyses of the novel's main characters
Candide Comedy literature characters Female characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1759 Characters in French novels {{novel-char-stub