The Poet of the People

Grengoire, a ragged poet, feels keenly the wrongs of his people, who are terribly misused and ground down by the nobles of his day. He feels most keenly the fact that the king heeds not their cries for justice. He is a dreamer, not a practical man, and feels he can do nothing to help the people, except present their wrongs to them in such language that they themselves will be brought to a realization of their oppression, and will rise in their might and fight for justice. One day, after having seen a poor old woman struck a cruel blow, by a servant of the rich. Grengoire gathers the people of the streets about him, and reads them his poem entitled, "The King Laughs While the People Starve." This takes place directly before th house of Annette, a beautiful girl, ward of the king. The king himself, incognito, happens to visit Annette and her father on this same day and notices the crowd before their house as he enters. When he sees Annette he questions her concerning the disturbance, she tells him the crowd are listening to a fellow called Grengoire, "the poet of the people," whom she has noticed thy greatly admire. The king's curiosity is aroused, and he orders Grengoire brought before him. The king then demands that Grengoire read his poetry. Grengoire, knowing the king must be some great nobleman, although he does not suspect him of being the king himself, hesitates about reading verses against the king. He is, however, tempted by the offer of a good meal, and as the poet is almost starving, he is induced to comply with the request. The king is furious when he hears himself criticized thus in verse, and orders Grengoire's arrest, and immediate execution. But he has become interested in the ragged poet, and as a last favor, promises to grant him any request he may make. Grengoire asks for an interview with Annette, whom he has long worshiped from afar, but to whom he has never spoken. This favor the king grants, and Grengoire is brought to Annette's house. Here she allows him in his interview with her to tell her of his hopes for bettering the condition of the people, and he speaks so eloquently, that not only does she espouse his cause, but actually falls in love with the ragged poet himself. Grengoire is led away to execution at the termination of his interview, and when Annette learns that he is to die, she pleads with all her soul to the king for his pardon, confessing her own great love, and bringing the king to a realization of the fact that the poor poet meant good only, and that even his harsh judgment of the king and the nobles was, to a great extent, deserved by them. Just as the noose is being tightened around the unfortunate's neck, the king and Annette appear at the foot of the scaffold, and stopping the execution, the king grants Grengoire a full pardon, places his hand in that of Annette, and tells the crowd assembled to witness the hanging that he can promise something much better, a wedding. - IMDb