Sept. 2016: Pelleas and Melisande
Maeterlinck was an important part of the Symbolist movement in literature and it is important to realize that when reading this play. Here is a brief synopsis of Symbolism from Wikipedia:

"Symbolists believed that art should represent absolute truths that could only be described indirectly. Thus, they wrote in a very metaphorical and suggestive manner, endowing particular images or objects with symbolic meaning."

Thus, do not expect that the characters and action of the play will behave in a realistic or natural manner -- everything is symbolic.

Perhaps when I have time to think over what all these symbols are trying to say, my rating of the play will change. Based on my first gut reaction, this is a tragedy a la Romeo and Juliet about a doomed love between the King's grandson Pelléas and his brother's wife Mélisande. That is the surface story; what it represents I have some suspicions but am not sure.

later, updated rating to 4*
Thoughts:
Mélisande seems to be an undine, a female mythological water sprite, as she is discovered near a pool of water and water references abound. Pelléas and his brother Golaud are definitely land creatures, perhaps they are what they appear to be. So one interpretation is that they represent the relationship between nature and society/civilization.

The famine of the people of Allemonde that manifests after Golaud and Mélisande marry could be a symbol foreshadowing the tragedy to come. Or maybe it's a sign of the fact that this marriage is wrong. There is no indication that Mélisande ever cared for Golaud; in fact, at first she shrinks from him. Another symbol indicating problems with the marriage is Mélisande losing her wedding ring into another pool of water, as if the water spirits were trying to reclaim her. ( )