The Marriage of Figaro

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 show more 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. show less

'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 show more 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. show less

The Count was a horrible person in this story, cheating on his wife, betraying his faithful servant, trying to seduce an unwilling girl and I hated reading about it, because he was a positive hero in the previous play. Figaro and his girl were fine, but still I couldn't enjoy the book. Three and a half stars.

This is a study text published by Hachette with exhaustive footnotes and study questions.

« Il faudrait détruire la Bastille pour que la représentation de cette pièce ne fût pas une inconséquence dangereuse. » Ces propos, prêtés à Louis XVI, soulignent combien les contemporains furent sensibles à la charge subversive d'une pièce de théâtre où ils virent d'abord un événement politique. Mais le message n'eût pas été si généralement reçu si l'efficacité dramatique et une virtuosité d'écriture ne l'avaient supporté. Le gouvernement de Vichy interdit Le Mariage de 1940 à 1944 ; alors Beaumarchais n'était pas encore devenu ennuyeux, selon la prophétie toujours incertaine de Stendhal.
L'introduction abondante et nouvelle de Giovanna Trisolini démonte les ressorts d'une satire qui gagne à être show more replacée dans son contexte, sans négliger cependant l'étude des caractères humains dans leurs inconséquences. show less

Dolle, sprankelende komedie.
Minutieuze regie-aanwijzingen, complexe scènebewegingen; technieken van quiproquo (persoonsverwisseling via verkleding en misleiding), veelvuldige aparte’s (terzijdes en uitroepen). Vorm van absurd theater (voorloper Beckett en Pirandello)
Figaro is hier de meester-intrigant, maar helemaal niet meester van de intriges; al zijn plannen en listen mislukken. Hier meer figuur van Sancho Pancha.
Opmerkelijke schets van vrouwenfiguren; nemen de intrige in handen.
Thema is niet de liefde, wel libertinage, maar niet zoals Valmont. Figaro en Suzanne zijn een echt koppel.
Maatschappelijke achtergrond: geld gaat geboorte vervangen als bron van macht

> Par Adrian (Laculturegenerale.com) : Les 150 classiques de la littérature française qu’il faut avoir lus !
07/05/2017 - « Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n’est point d’éloge flatteur. », « Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’être obligé d’en pleurer. », « Vous vous êtes donné la peine de naître, et rien de plus. » Un brûlot contre la noblesse, à lire, relire et à appliquer.