The Cittern in Isola: Art, Civilization, and the Fragile Line of Survival

What Is a Cittern?

A cittern is a Renaissance stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body, a long neck, and metal wire strings. Popular in the 16th century, it was played by plucking or strumming—similar to a small lute or modern mandolin. In Isola, the cittern belongs to Auguste Dupré, the gentle secretary who carries it from France to the New World. Its design makes it portable and bright‑toned, ideal for courtly music on a ship or in a drawing room. But on the marooned island, the salt air and damp warp its pegs and mute its strings, turning a symbol of refined life into a relic of a lost world.

The Cittern’s Journey: Where It Recurrs and How Its Meaning Changes

1. Aboard Ship: A Token of Rivalry and Power

The cittern first appears during a tense meal in Chapters 14–15. Auguste unwraps his instrument and plays a galliard—a light dance tune—hoping to lift spirits. Roberval, his master, immediately mocks the performance and summons his own cittern. “Cleaner … Brighter,” he declares before playing “with passion” that turns the music into a competition. Here the cittern is not just art; it is a weapon of dominance. Roberval uses it to remind everyone, especially Auguste, of his superior skill and authority. The instrument becomes an emblem of the power struggle between the two men.

2. The Marooning Gift: A Curse Disguised as Mercy

When Roberval sentences Auguste, Marguerite, and Damienne to an island, he picks up Auguste’s cittern and offers it back. “Take this with you,” he says, “and play it if you can” (Chapter 21). The gesture is cruel irony: the cittern is useless for survival, yet Roberval pretends it is a parting gift. The instrument now symbolizes the impossible hope of preserving civilization in a wild place—and the mocking condescension of the powerful.

3. A Silenced Beauty on the Island

The trio’s inventory (Chapter 22) lists “Auguste’s cittern wrapped in cloth” alongside cooking pots and seeds. Uncrated, it remains pristine in appearance. Yet when they finally attempt to play (Chapter 24), “Auguste could not turn his cittern’s pegs to tune because they were so warped and swollen.” The instrument looks perfect but makes no sound. Damienne mourns: “Alas, I thought I’d kept our instruments safe.” Marguerite snaps, “We should break these up for fuel.” Here the cittern’s beauty becomes a taunt. It represents the irreparable loss of art, music, and normalcy. Auguste’s futile hope that the wire strings might still be useful is interrupted by the sight of strange boats, and the cittern is carried to a cave.

4. From Useless Relic to Cradle

In the cave (Chapter 25), the cittern is set aside as “useless.” Auguste, when asked if he misses playing, says there is “no point in missing what I cannot have.” The instrument’s meaning has narrowed to a mute reminder of a vanished life. Later, after Auguste’s death (a sequence not covered in the excerpted chapters but central to the symbol’s arc), Marguerite breaks the cittern apart. She uses its wood and wire to fashion a cradle for her stillborn child. The act is desperate and practical: out of art comes a tool for life, but the child is dead. The instrument’s final transformation—from art to cradle for a corpse—marks the absolute loss of culture, hope, and future. What was once a vessel for music now holds only absence.

Character Connections

Character	Relation to the Cittern	What It Reveals
Auguste Dupré	Owner and player; carries it from France to the island. His gentle galliard contrasts with Roberval’s fiery playing. On the island he cannot tune it.	His identity is tied to courtly refinement; when the instrument falls silent, he loses part of himself. He never uses it again, reflecting his quiet resignation.
Roberval	Competitor on the ship; forces his own cittern into a lesson of dominance. Later mocks Auguste by returning the instrument.	Uses music as a tool of control. His cittern is “fire”; his skill is a mark of superiority and cruelty. The instrument becomes a symbol of his tyranny.
Marguerite	Observes, then later breaks the cittern to make a cradle. At first she suggests destroying it for fuel; later she repurposes it.	Her evolution from passive onlooker to active survivor. Breaking the cittern is an act of agency, but the cradle for a stillborn child shows the tragic limits of survival.
Damienne	Guardian of the instruments; wishes for music on the island.	Represents the longing for normalcy and decency. Her care for the cittern (keeping it wrapped) mirrors her effort to preserve order in chaos.

Theme Connections

Survival and Resilience

The cittern is initially useless for basic needs, yet its parts are eventually repurposed. This transformation—art into cradle—illustrates the desperate creativity of survival. But the stillborn child reminds us that resilience does not guarantee rebirth.

Female Agency and Solidarity

Marguerite’s decision to break the cittern (if she acts alone or with Damienne’s help) is a moment of pragmatic power. She takes an object that embodies male power (Roberval’s gift/curse) and fashions something maternal, asserting her own purpose.

Power and Cruelty

Roberval’s cittern performance and his return of the instrument are acts of psychological violence. The instrument becomes a trophy of his control, even in absence.

Faith and Doubt

While the cittern falls silent, Marguerite reads her book of psalms. Music fails, but prayer continues. The contrast highlights the novel’s tension between art (human creation) and faith (divine hope).

Storytelling and Truth

The cittern’s journey—from functional object to relic to raw material—is a story in itself. Its broken pieces tell a truth about survival that polished court music could never convey: civilization is fragile, and art must sometimes be sacrificed for life.

Study Questions and Answers

Question 1: How does the cittern’s condition on the island reflect the characters’ situation?
Answer: The cittern’s warped pegs and silent strings mirror the trio’s own erosion. Just as the sea air ruins the instrument, the island strips away their former lives—social rank, comfort, music, hope. The physical damage is an external sign of their internal loss.

Question 2: Compare Roberval’s and Auguste’s use of the cittern. What does this reveal about their characters?
Answer: Roberval plays with “fire” and “bravado,” using the cittern to dominate and humiliate. His music is a performance of power. Auguste plays “lightly,” his galliard an offering of joy. When Auguste cannot tune his instrument on the island, he accepts it quietly. Roberval’s competitive display reveals his cruelty; Auguste’s silent acceptance reveals his gentle, resigned nature.

Question 3: What does Marguerite’s suggestion to break the cittern for fuel (Chapter 24) reveal about her character?
Answer: It shows her early willingness to abandon beauty for necessity. Unlike Damienne, who mourns the lost music, Marguerite sees the cittern as matter to be burned. This pragmatic instinct foreshadows her later, more profound act of breaking it for a cradle. She prioritizes survival over sentiment.

Question 4: In what way does the cittern connect to the theme of female agency and solidarity?
Answer: Marguerite takes the cittern—an object tied to male power (Roberval gave it) and male artistry (Auguste played it)—and transforms it into a cradle for her child. Although the child is stillborn, the act itself is a claim of agency. She decides the instrument’s final purpose, using its wood and wire to attempt creation in the face of extinction.