History of the Templars

True martyrs of the faith, resigned to their fate,
Defying pain and welcoming death?
Even I, overcome by your powerful eloquence The poet is addressing the playwright directly, praising the "manly" or robust style of his writing.,
With eyes bathed in tears, I admired in silence
The heroic virtue of young MARIGNY In the play, Marigny is a young Knight Templar who must choose between his secret love for the King's daughter and his loyalty to his Order.,
His cruel devotion struggling against love,
And honor winning the victory over love,
And his death which preserved his glory from a crime!
MOLAY Jacques de Molay (c. 1244–1314), the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar., generous leader of this Christian order,
Invincible support of the throne and the altar,
How beautiful it is to see you, in the midst of tortures,
Preaching the forgiveness of insults to the Templars,
Teaching them to suffer under the weight of your chains!
How beautiful it is to see you, certain to perish,
Refusing the disdainful pity of a great king,
And the belated benefit of a shameful pardon,
SIRE, OFFER US HONOR.... A direct quote from Act V of Raynouard’s "Les Templiers," where Molay asks King Philip the Fair for honor rather than a humiliated life. yes, honor
was your law:
The decree that struck you only withered your king Referring to the historical legend that Molay, from the flames, summoned King Philip IV and Pope Clement V to meet him before the judgment of God within the year..
Just as, surrounded by the nobles his gaze honors,
By the soldier who fears him, by the people who adore him,
A powerful monarch full of dignity
Sits with pride upon the throne that awaits him;
Thus, and even greater, animated by a holy zeal,
MOLAY guides his faithful cohort to the pyre;
Mingles with their pious hymns those terrible tones,

Jacques de Molay (The Grand Master executed in 1314), Marigny (A character representing tragic youthful sacrifice), Templars (Members of the military-monastic Order), martyrs (Those who die for their beliefs), honor (The central theme of the play), pyre (The fire for execution)