MARIUS

The story of MARIUS takes place in the Old Port of Marseille, in the Bar de la Marine run by César and his son Marius. Fanny, a pretty young woman who sells shellfish outside the bar, has been secretly in love with Marius since childhood. But Marius has always dreamed of embarking on one of the ships that sail past the bar, heading off to distant horizons. When Marius is due to leave on a exploration vessel, Fanny tries to hold him back by revealing her love for him, at which point he realizes he loves her back. She succeeds in fanning his jealousy by provoking a fight between Marius and the sea captain Panisse, an old friend of César’s, who, despite being much older than Fanny, is enamored with her. Torn between the call of the ocean and his love for Fanny, Marius renounces his plan to leave and throws his lot in with her. But while César and Fanny’s mother Honorine are happy at the prospect of them marrying, Marius is once more seized by his passion for the sea. Eventually, Fanny sacrifices herself out of love for him, and encourages Marius to set sail. Left abandoned, the distraught Fanny holds back her tears and conceals his departure from César.