Musset's serpent - Morality, politics and culture in 'Lorenzaccio'

The play's plot opposes good- honour, morals, freedom- personified by an id ealized character, Philippe Stozzi, and evil- corruption, instincts, despot ism- embodied by Cardinal Cibo. The ending concludes that men are irremedia bly corrupted cowards. Lorenzo, who dreamed of becoming a mythical hero, ha s an adventure that underlines the futility of the search for values in a d egraded world where culture- history, poetry- is nothing more than a disgui se of prosaic realities imposed by lying intellectuals.