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Loading... Le Mariage de Figaro (original 1778; edition 2002)by Beaumarchais, D'Humieres
Work InformationThe Marriage of Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais (1778)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is a study text published by Hachette with exhaustive footnotes and study questions. ( ) https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3048286.html It shows I guess how times change. This was a huge hit in 1778, and it depends on the humour of improbable deceptions and misunderstandings. Two different characters hide behind the same chair in Act I. In Act II, the Count breaks into his wife's dressing room while his page jumps out the window and Figaro pretends it was him. In Act III, Figaro is about to be forcibly married to an older woman when it dramatically turns out that she is his long-lost mother. I really got lost in Act IV. In Act V the Countess and Figaro's girlfriend Suzanne pretend to be each other, with hilarious consequences (at one point the Count aims to hit the Countess, who he thinks is Suzanne, but accidentally hits Figaro instead without noticing). It would require some very ingenious staging to make the various antics of the cast appear in any way realistic, and even then the humour depends a lot on swallowing and digesting eighteenth-century norms of the regulation of sex. Still, I've always liked Mozart and maybe I'll give the opera a go some time. 'Le Mariage De Figaro' is the second part of a theatrical trilogy by 18th century playwright Beaumarchais, but can also be read as a stand-alone work as one can just jump in and start reading without encountering any problems. The central plot revolves around Figaro, a servant of Comte Almaviva, who wants to marry his beloved Suzanne. This, however, is not as simple as it sounds as Comte Almaviva has some interest in Suzanne himself. This marriage isn't the only romantic motive in the book though, seeing as each of the characters has their own love interest at heart, creating a complex but witty series of confrontations. To make things even more complicated, the characters also dress up as eachother, resulting in total confusion and some very funny scenes. Overall, I'm not much of a play reader. I'd much prefer to see a reenactement, but there is no denying that 'Le Mariage De Figaro' is an excellent script and has certainly stood the test of time as a riveting and exhilarating comedy. no reviews | add a review
Is contained inThe Figaro Trilogy: The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, The Guilty Mother by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais Theatre Choisi by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (indirect) Classical French theatre by Pierre Corneille (indirect) ContainsHas the adaptationHas as a student's study guide
Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A classic five-act French comedy by Beaumarchais, the source for Mozart's famous opera of the same name. Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva, is engaged to marry Suzanne, the Countess's maid. However, as their wedding approaches, Figaro discovers that his master intends to take advantage of Suzanne on their wedding night. Figaro conspires with Suzanne and the Countess to thwart the Count's schemes. Pierre Beaumarchais's play La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro (The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro) was written as a sequel to his earlier hit play, The Barber of Seville, and was first performed to the public at the Théâtre Français in Paris in April 1784. This English version by Stephen Mulrine is published in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)842.5Literature French French drama 18th century 1715–89LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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