(1732-1799) French writer
Beaumarchais's life was as hectic and eventful as his comedies. True, the problems that occupied him were by no means comic: Beaumarchais went down in the history of French diplomacy as one of the most intelligent and far-sighted politicians of the 18th century.
The writer's biography will seem even more significant if we consider that he was born into an ordinary, by no means aristocratic family. His father was a famous watchmaker in Paris and owned a workshop where they not only repaired watches, but also made various precision instruments. Therefore it is not surprising that Pierre Augustin, the only son of ten children of a watchmaker, was to inherit the family business.
As was expected in the families of artisans, the future playwright received only elementary education. At the age of thirteen he began working in his father's workshop. Within a few years, Pierre not only became an excellent watchmaker, but also came up with a number of improvements to watch mechanisms. At twenty-one, Beaumarchais was granted a privilege for his inventions by French Academy Sci.
In addition to mechanics, Pierre was seriously interested in music, especially playing the harp. Thanks to his abilities, he managed to become the court watchmaker of King Louis XV. After successful implementation several royal orders Beaumarchais was presented to the king's daughters. He so charmed them with his playing of the harp and viol that the princesses and the queen began to take lessons from Beaumarchais.
Taking advantage of his position at court, Beaumarchais met the influential French financier Paris-Duvernay. He was the tax farmer general of France and, as a thank you for his services, he helped Beaumarchais buy two prestigious positions that were usually reserved only for aristocrats - royal secretary and keeper of the royal hunting grounds.
In 1756, at the age of twenty-four, Pierre married favorably to a wealthy widow and received rank of nobility. But the marriage turned out to be unhappy, and the couple soon separated. And ten months later, Beaumarchais’s wife suddenly died.
To enter into inheritance rights, he had to endure a lengthy trial with his mother-in-law. It is curious that one of the intercessors in his case was Voltaire. However, having won the case, Beaumarchais and remained in the eyes of the courtiers as a craftsman and an upstart. The only thing that saved him from numerous ridicule was his enormous wealth, which allowed him to lend money.
Beaumarchais continued to enjoy the favor royal family, as well as the all-powerful Madame Pompadour. On behalf of his patron Paris-Duvernay, he made a business trip to Spain, from which he brought his first literary work- melodrama “Eugenie, or Unhappy Virtue.” It was staged at the court theater, but was not successful.
True, Beaumarchais was not disappointed and a few months later he wrote a second play - the romantic comedy “Two Friends”, which, however, was also not successful.
An unsuccessful debut in the literary field coincided with Beaumarchais's second marriage. This time he married a rich and beautiful widow. But after the wedding, he began a streak of misfortunes: his wife died during childbirth, and soon close friend Paris-Duvernay.
Having lost his influential patron, Beaumarchais immediately became the object of persecution by his debtors, Count Lablache was especially active. He refused to pay the debt and went to court, accusing Beaumarchais of fraud.
At that time, the playwright was preparing a production of his new comedy “The Barber of Seville.” She was supposed to perform on the stage of the country's leading theater, the Comédie Française.
The trial ended in favor of Count Lablache because the judge received large bribes. The playwright was sentenced to pay a fine. Because he refused to pay, he was sent to prison.
After being imprisoned for a month, Beaumarchais was released from prison and a few weeks later took revenge on his offender by releasing a book called “Memoirs.” In it, he not only made his story public, but also provided irrefutable evidence of the corruption of the judge who passed the sentence.
At first they tried to ban Beaumarchais's book, but it sold out so quickly that the king himself had to intervene. He ordered that all debts be returned to Beaumarchais, and also that he be sent to London as an adviser to the French ambassador.
He stayed in London for several months and was summoned to France by the new king, Louis XVI, who also needed his diplomatic dexterity and ingenuity. He simply knew how to conduct a conversation masterfully. Is this not the art of intrigue of his future works and their brilliant dialogues?
As a thank you, the king allowed the comedy “The Barber of Seville” to be staged. Despite the fact that the comedy failed at the first performance, Beaumarchais found a way out. He rewrote the text with lightning speed, removed lengthiness and removed some particularly transparent hints. The Barber of Seville, remade in this way, was an amazing success.
Beaumarchais becomes one of the most popular people in France. His Memoirs and the texts of his comedies were published and sold out in 1778 within a few days. It is noteworthy that Beaumarchais donated all his fees to charity.
At the end of the seventies, he also showed himself as a talented financier. It was thanks to him that a campaign was launched to pass a law on the protection of copyrights and rights to royalties for writers. Beaumarchais organized a joint-stock bank, its profits, in particular, were used to publish full meeting works of Voltaire.
In 1781, the writer presented another comedy - “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro.” It was also accepted for production at the comedy theater, but was soon banned due to allusions to some influential courtiers. However, this increased the popularity of the comedy even more, and soon all of Paris was telling the jokes contained in its text.
Having learned about the ban on comedy, Empress Catherine II offered to stage the play in Russia. Only after this was it allowed to present the comedy on the stage of the court theater at the Château de Gennevilliers. The success of the premiere exceeded all expectations, and soon a performance took place on the stage of the Comedy Theater. The popularity of the play led to the fact that the king not only granted the playwright an honorary pension, but also ordered the comedy to be staged at Versailles. The role of Rosina was to be played by Queen Marie Antoinette.
Soon a revolution broke out in France. Beaumarchais greeted her victory and the establishment of the republic with the melodrama “Mad Mother, or the Second Tartuffe.” It completed the Figaro trilogy, but was not a great success. As a close associate of the king and an aristocrat (Beaumarchais had the title of count), he was persecuted after the revolution. His house was looted, his family was taken into custody, and the writer himself was expelled from the country.
Until 1796 he lived in Hamburg almost without means. Beaumarchais returned to France already seriously ill and died of a stroke two years later.
During his lifetime, his comedies caused a scandal almost every time and often failed. But he did not remain among the playwrights who sunk into oblivion. His comedies were not forgotten, and after Mozart and Rossini wrote operas based on their plot, they gained European fame. Replies and couplets from them turned into proverbs and songs, and the name Figaro itself became a household name.
Pierre Beaumarchais- famous French playwright, publicist - was born in 1732, on January 24, in the family of a Parisian watchmaker with the surname Caron. His father taught him his craft, and at the same time young Pierre studied music, achieving certain success in this field. He knew how to play the harp well, had the gift of eloquence, and was a witty and sociable young man.
Thanks to these qualities, doors opened for him in high society, he received a minor position at court, where he did not fail to acquire useful contacts. He managed to win the trust of millionaire Duvernay and even turn into his junior business partner. There were two fleeting marriages in his life, and both times his soul mates were rich widows. All these circumstances helped Caron acquire a substantial fortune, from just Caron turn into Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais (that was the name of his first wife’s estate) and thereby open a new milestone in his biography.
Beaumarchais demonstrated amazing activity and sociability in Spain, where he went in 1764 to protect his sister, dishonored by a local writer. Even in a foreign country he managed to find mutual language with high society, the king himself treated him favorably.
In 1767, Beaumarchais (who had returned to Paris by this time) made his debut as a playwright. He wrote the play Eugénie, which enjoyed little success; his second drama, Two Friends (1770), was received coldly by the public. In the same year, the banker who patronized him died, and his heirs forced Beaumarchais to get involved in a lengthy legal battle, in a confrontation with representatives of the law. He participated in them with with varying success, but, using not only resourcefulness, but also a literary gift, he managed to cause a loud resonance, win the public to his side, restore himself to rights, exposing the shortcomings of the judicial system in the famous four pamphlets called “Memoirs” (1774). Voltaire himself spoke extremely flatteringly about them, claiming that he had never read anything more interesting. In 1778, “Continuation of the Memoirs” was written, with the help of which he managed to win the case against Duvernay’s heirs.
Writing two more comedies, The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784), helped him gain the status of the nation's favorite writer. The plays went through a huge number of productions, the success of which was also explained by the presence of well-readable revolutionary motives.
The American War of Independence made Beaumarchais even more wealthy man: he was engaged in the supply of weapons and ammunition to America. In 1781, he again found himself an active participant in the trial and this time represented the interests of a certain Madame Cornman, accused of adultery. The win was simply brilliant, but the public sympathized with him much less this time. They re-released Memoirs, but the previous stunning success turned out to be unattainable. In 1787, the opera based on his libretto somewhat damaged his reputation as a writer; the republic also greeted the next comedy staged in 1792 with great lukewarmness.
At the end of his life, Beaumarchais also suffered material losses. He published the collected works of Voltaire, spending a lot of money on the publication, but it left much to be desired. best quality led to commercial collapse. In 1792, he failed to fulfill his obligation to supply 60 thousand weapons to America, and therefore had to flee to London, and later to Hamburg. Only in 1796 did he return to France and made an attempt to restore his reputation by writing another essay, but it failed to cope with the mission entrusted to him. On May 18, 1799, the famous playwright died.
Biography from Wikipedia
Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais born January 24, 1732 in Paris. The son of watchmaker André Charles Caron (1698-1775), he initially followed in his father's footsteps, but at the same time zealously studied music. Musical talents and oratory gave the young Caron access to high society, where he acquired great connections, which were very useful to him later. He even managed to get to the court of Louis XV, whose daughters he taught to play the harp. Thanks to two profitable marriages (both times he married rich widows - Franko and Leveque - and both times he was soon widowed), as well as cooperation with the banker Duverney, he became the owner of a significant fortune. After his first marriage, Caron adopted the more aristocratic-sounding surname “de Beaumarchais,” after the name of his wife’s estate. The death of his first wife gave rise to ill-wishers accusing him of her murder. These rumors, many decades later, were reflected in Pushkin’s play “Mozart and Salieri” (“Is it true, Salieri // that Beaumarchais poisoned someone?”), and in Salieri’s answer to this question: “he was too funny // for such a craft “- Pushkin quotes Voltaire’s original words about Beaumarchais on this matter. In reality, such accusations are extremely unlikely, since the death of his wife was very disadvantageous for the future playwright, who was left with a huge number of unpaid debts; He was able to return them only much later with the help of his friend Duvernay.
1760-1780
In 1764, he went on family business to Madrid to defend the honor of his sister, deceived by her fiancé, the Spanish writer José Clavijo y Fajardo. In Spain, Beaumarchais showed amazing energy, intelligence and the ability to establish and use connections: alone in a foreign country, he managed to penetrate to the ministers, and then to the court, the king liked him and achieved the removal of his opponent from the court and deprivation of his position. Returning to Paris, Beaumarchais made his debut in 1767 with the play Eugénie, which had some success. In 1770 he released the drama Les deux amis (Two Friends), which was not successful. In the same year, his companion and patron Duvernay died; his heirs not only refused to pay Beaumarchais's debt, but accused the latter of deception.
Beaumarchais began a lawsuit with Duvernay's heir, the Count of Blaque, and then he had the opportunity to show off his amazing resourcefulness, as well as his literary and oratorical talent. In the first instance, Beaumarchais won the case, but in the second he lost. According to the custom of that time, before the examination of his case, he visited his judges and presented gifts to the wife of the speaker in his case, Mrs. Gezman. When the matter was decided not in Beaumarchais's favor, Madame Guezman returned the gifts to him, with the exception of 15 louis. Beaumarchais used this as a reason to bring a case against his judges. The judge, in turn, accused him of libel. Then Beaumarchais released his “Mémoires” (“Memoirs”), where he mercilessly denounced court orders then France. Written with great skill (by the way, Voltaire was delighted with them), the Memoirs were a resounding success and favored Beaumarchais public opinion. On February 26, 1774, the trial ended: Judge Gezman lost his position, and Mrs. Gezman and Beaumarchais received a “great reprimand.” But in 1776, Beaumarchais was restored to his rights, and in 1778 he won (with the help of “Suite de mémoires” - “Continuation of Memoirs”) the case with Duvernet’s heirs.
During the Revolutionary War American colonies Beaumarchais, through the specially created company Rodrigo Gortales and Co., supplies American rebels with weapons and ammunition. On Sept. 1777 Beaumarchais makes deliveries worth 5 million livres, which were never reimbursed American government. The latter discussed the problem of debt more than once, and only by the middle of the 19th century. Beaumarchais's heirs received a certain amount that was significantly less than what was due, even without taking into account interest.
"The Barber of Seville", "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Tarare"
Beaumarchais's popularity grew even more with the appearance of his comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784), which made him the most beloved writer in France at that time. In both plays, Beaumarchais is the herald of the revolution, and the ovation that he received after the performances proved that the people were very aware of this. “The Marriage of Figaro” went through 100 performances in a row, and it was not without reason that Napoleon spoke of it: “...It was already a revolution in action” //...La revolution en action.
Almost simultaneously with The Marriage of Figaro, in 1784, Beaumarchais wrote an opera libretto called Tarar, originally intended for K. V. Gluck. However, Gluck could no longer work, and Beaumarchais offered the libretto to his follower Antonio Salieri, whose opera “The Danaids” was performed with great success in Paris. The exceptional success of Salieri's "Tarara" also strengthened the fame of the playwright.
1780-1799
When the War of American Independence began, Beaumarchais began supplying military supplies to the States, making millions from it. In 1781, a certain Cornman started trial against his own wife, accusing her of infidelity (adultery at that time was a criminal offense). Beaumarchais represented the interests of Madame Cornman at the trial and brilliantly won the trial, despite the fact that the lawyer Bargass, who represented the interests of her husband, was a very strong opponent. However, this time the sympathy of the public was predominantly not on the side of Beaumarchais.
He again released Memoirs, but without the same success, and the comedy La mère coupable (1792), which completed the Figaro trilogy, met with a very cold reception.
The luxurious edition of Voltaire's works, very poorly executed, despite the enormous funds spent on it (Beaumarchais even set up a special printing house for this edition in Calais), brought Beaumarchais almost a million in losses. He also lost significant sums in 1792, taking upon himself an unfulfilled obligation to supply 60,000 guns French army. He escaped punishment only by fleeing to London, and then to Hamburg, from where he returned only in 1796. In connection with this case, Beaumarchais tried to justify himself in “Mes six époques,” a suicide essay, which, however, did not return him the sympathy of the public . He died on May 18, 1799.
Bibliography
Collected works of his were published by: Beauquier, “Thêatre de V.”, with notes (Par., 1872, 2 vols.), Molan (Par., 1874), Fournier (“Oeuvres compl è tes”, Par., 1875). His memoirs were published by S. Boeuf (Par., 1858, 5 vols.).
- 1765-1775 - Le Sacristain, interlude (predecessor to The Barber of Seville)
- 1767 - “Eugenia” ( Eugenie), drama
- 1767 - L'Essai sur le genre dramatique sérieux.
- 1770 - “Two Friends” ( Les Deux amis ou le Négociant de Lyon), drama
- 1773 - “The Barber of Seville” ( Le Barbier de Séville ou la Précaution inutile), comedy
- 1773-1774 - Memoirs ( Memoires contre Goezman)
- 1775 - “A modest letter about the failure and criticism of The Barber of Seville” ( La Lettre modérée sur la chute et la critique du “Barbier de Sérville”)
- 1778 - “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro” (La Folle journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro), comedy
- 1784 - Preface du mariage de Figaro
- 1787 - “Tarar” ( Tarare), drama, libretto for the opera by Antonio Salieri
- 1792 - “The Guilty Mother, or the Second Tartuffe” ( La Mère coupable ou L'Autre Tartuffe), drama, third part of the Figaro trilogy
- 1799 - Voltaire et Jesus-Christ.
Memory
One of the boulevards in Paris was named after Beaumarchais.
Famous French playwright and publicist.
Born on January 24, 1732 in the city of Paris. The son of watchmaker André Charles Caron (1698-1775), he initially followed in his father's footsteps, but at the same time zealously studied music. Musical talents and oratory gave the young Caron access to high society, where he acquired great connections, which were very useful to him later. He even managed to get to the court of Louis XV, whose daughters he taught to play the harp. Thanks to two profitable marriages (both times he married rich widows - Franko and Leveque - and both times he was soon widowed), as well as cooperation with the banker Duverney, he became the owner of a significant fortune. After his first marriage, Caron adopted the more aristocratic-sounding surname “de Beaumarchais,” after the name of his wife’s estate. The death of his first wife gave rise to ill-wishers accusing him of her murder. In reality, such accusations are extremely unlikely, since the death of his wife was very disadvantageous for the future playwright, who was left with a huge number of unpaid debts; He was able to return them only much later with the help of his friend Duvernay.
In 1764, he went to Madrid on family business to defend the honor of his sister, who had been deceived by her fiancé, the Spanish writer José Clavijo y Fajardo. In Spain, Beaumarchais showed amazing energy, intelligence and ability to establish and use connections: alone in a foreign country, he managed to penetrate the ministers, and then the court, liked the king and achieved the removal of his opponent from the court and deprivation of his position. Returning to Paris, Beaumarchais made his debut in 1767 with the play Eugénie, which had some success. In 1770 he released the drama Les deux amis (Two Friends), which was not successful. In the same year, his companion and patron Duvernay died; his heirs not only refused to pay Beaumarchais's debt, but accused the latter of deception.
Beaumarchais began a lawsuit with Duvernay's heir, the Count of Blaque, and then he had the opportunity to show off his amazing resourcefulness, as well as his literary and oratorical talent. In the first instance, Beaumarchais won the case, but in the second he lost. According to the custom of that time, before the examination of his case, he visited his judges and presented gifts to the wife of the speaker in his case, Mrs. Gezman. When the matter was decided not in Beaumarchais's favor, Madame Guezman returned the gifts to him, with the exception of 15 louis. Beaumarchais used this as a reason to bring a case against his judges. The judge, in turn, accused him of libel. Then Beaumarchais released his “Mémoires” (“Memoirs”), where he mercilessly denounced the judicial order of the then France. Written with great skill, the Memoirs were a resounding success and won public opinion in favor of Beaumarchais. On February 26, 1774, the trial ended: Judge Gezman lost his position, and Mrs. Gezman and Beaumarchais received a “great reprimand.” But in 1776, Beaumarchais was restored to his rights, and in 1778 he won (with the help of “Suite de mémoires” - “Continuation of Memoirs”) the case with Duvernet’s heirs.
Beaumarchais's popularity grew even more with the appearance of his comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784), which made him the most beloved writer in France at that time. In both plays, Beaumarchais is the herald of the revolution, and the ovation that he received after the performances proved that the people were very aware of this. The Marriage of Figaro ran for 100 performances in a row.
Almost simultaneously with The Marriage of Figaro, in 1784, Beaumarchais wrote an opera libretto called Tarar, originally intended for K. V. Gluck. However, Gluck could no longer work, and Beaumarchais offered the libretto to his follower Antonio Salieri, whose opera “The Danaids” was performed with great success in Paris. The exceptional success of Salieri's "Tarara" also strengthened the fame of the playwright.
When the War of American Independence began, Beaumarchais began supplying military supplies to the States, making millions from it. In 1781, a certain Kornman started a lawsuit against his own wife, accusing her of infidelity (adultery at that time was a criminal offense). Beaumarchais represented the interests of Madame Cornman at the trial and brilliantly won the trial, despite the fact that the lawyer Bargass, who represented the interests of her husband, was a very strong opponent. However, this time the sympathy of the public was predominantly not on the side of Beaumarchais.
He again released Memoirs, but without the same success, and the comedy La mère coupable (1792), which completed the Figaro trilogy, met with a very cold reception.
The luxurious edition of Voltaire's works, very poorly executed, despite the enormous funds spent on it (Beaumarchais even set up a special printing house for this edition in Calais), brought Beaumarchais almost a million in losses. He also lost significant sums in 1792, taking upon himself an unfulfilled obligation to supply 60,000 guns American army. He escaped punishment only by fleeing to London, and then to Hamburg, from where he returned only in 1796. In connection with this case, Beaumarchais tried to justify himself in “Mes six époques,” a suicide essay, which, however, did not return him the sympathy of the public . He died on May 18, 1799.
Beaumarchais
Beaumarchais
Beaumarchais Pierre Augustin Caron (Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, 1732–18/V 1799) - French writer. The son of a watchmaker, he learned watchmaking and made improvements to watches at the age of 20. The famous watchmaker, to whom he told about his invention, tried to appropriate it for himself, but B. initiated proceedings against him at the Academy of Sciences and won the case. Thanks to this, he gained fame. Having gained access to Versailles, he abandoned his profession. In 1757 he married and added the nickname Beaumarchais to his surname. Musically gifted, he took up playing the harp and made some improvements in this instrument. Thanks to this, B. became a music teacher for the daughters of Louis XV; lively and unusually witty, he had with them big success. Taking advantage of his position, he provided an important service to the major financier Paris-Duvernay. In gratitude for this, Paris-Duvernay made B. an accomplice in his financial enterprises. B. became very interested in financial speculation. At the same time, B. receives an important position related to the performance of judicial functions. In 1764 he travels to Madrid, where he forces the Spanish writer Clavigo, who refused to marry his sister, to write a statement in which he pleads guilty to breaking his word. In Madrid he experienced many adventures. Alone in a foreign country, surrounded by enemies, B. was not at a loss; he managed to penetrate the ministers, the king and achieve the removal of his opponent from the court and deprivation of his position (this story served as the plot for Goethe’s play “Clavigo”). At the same time, in Madrid he participates in various financial speculations, court entertainments and musical exercises. The Spaniards were delighted with his inexhaustible gaiety and wealth of imagination. Upon returning to Paris, B. made his debut in 1767 with the play “Eugene,” which had some success. In 1770 he released the drama "Two Friends", which had no success. In the same year, his patron Duvernay died; his heirs not only refused to pay B.'s debt, but accused the latter of deception. In the first instance, B. won the case, but in the second, he lost. According to the custom of that time, before discussing his case with Duvernay’s heirs, he visited his judges and presented gifts to the wife of the rapporteur in his case, Madame Guezman. But the matter was not decided in his favor; then Madame Guezman returned the gifts to him with the exception of 15 louis. He took this opportunity to bring a case against his judges. The judge in turn accused him of libel. Then B. published his memoirs, where he mercilessly denounced the judicial order of the then France. The memoirs were a resounding success and created great popularity for him. On February 26, 1774 the process ended; Judge Gezman lost his position, and his wife and B. received a “big reprimand.” But in 1776 B. was restored to his rights, and in 1778 he won a case with Duvernay’s heirs. The Barber of Seville was staged in 1775, The Marriage of Figaro in 1784, and The Guilty Mother in 1792. From 1792 to 1796 he had to wander around Europe; in 1796 he returned back to Paris, where he died.
From the works of B. literary significance have memoirs, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. The memoirs are written with remarkable skill. Voltaire was delighted with them. B. managed to give his business political significance. The mere thought of addressing the public was then extremely bold; in his memoirs, he reveals all the ulcers of the legal proceedings of that time, shows the public all stages of legal proceedings and introduces them as such. arr. the principle of publicity in a court case. From the literary side, B.’s memoirs are distinguished by their portrait characteristics, which are read with captivating interest.
In The Barber of Seville, Figaro is introduced for the first time, representing the original creation of B. He has many of the traits of B. Mocking, persistent, dexterous, inexhaustible in entangling and unraveling intrigues, never lost or discouraged - he knows how to find a way out of any provisions. He - central figure. So. arr. already in this comedy the main character is a simple servant, personifying the third estate. But B.'s comic talent reaches its full flowering in The Marriage of Figaro. Its very plot is a mockery of the aristocracy; a simple servant dares to challenge his bride from a powerful feudal lord; Thanks to his resourcefulness, dexterity and wit, Figaro emerges victorious. In the play, a number of abusive institutions are subjected to the most caustic ridicule; it condemns the privileges of birth, the dishonesty of favorites, the sale of judicial positions, the shamelessness of lawyers, the greed of courtiers, and the pretensions of diplomats. This comedy was written by Beaumarchais in an extremely bold pamphlet style, but at the same time, The Marriage of Figaro represents the completion of the development of French bourgeois drama. To create it, B. used not only his life and literary experience. Diderot's theories, Rabelais's laughter, Moliere's social satire, Lesage's broad picture of morals, Italian intrigue, Spanish whimsicality - we find all these moments in The Marriage of Figaro. It represents a synthesis of all these elements and is the culminating point in the development of French dramatic art in the 18th century. Its success was colossal; the day of the first performance of The Marriage of Figaro - April 27, 1784 - remains memorable date in the history of French comedy. She lasted 68 performances in a row. Comedy could not have come at a more timely time, in the years when the revolution was approaching. The audience was delighted; Never before have such daring speeches been heard from the stage, directed against existing institutions. Napoleon said that the play was “a revolution in action.” Figaro's famous monologue, where he contrasts himself with the count, who “gave himself the trouble” to be born, expressed the sentiments of the rising bourgeoisie. “The Marriage of Figaro” had a huge influence on subsequent development French theater and gained popularity throughout Europe. Mozart wrote an opera based on its plot, Rossini - on the plot of The Barber of Seville. As for The Guilty Mother, it represents the third part of the trilogy: it also features Figaro, aged and becoming virtuous. He exposes vice and helps the triumph of justice. But special artistic value this comedy does not. Bibliography:
Göttner G., History of the World literature XVIII V., ed. 2nd, vol. II, M., 1897; Ivanov I., Political role French theater in connection with the philosophy of the 18th century, M., 1895; Hallays Andre, B., M., 1898; Veselovsky A., Sketches and Characteristics, M., 1903; Shakhov A., Voltaire and his time, St. Petersburg, 1907; Kogan P.S., Essays on the history of Western Europe. literature, vol. I, M. - P., 1923; de Loménie L., B. et son temps, II v., P., 1855; Bettelheim A., B., Frankfurt a/M., 1886; Lintilhac, B. et ses oeuvres. P., 1887; Brunetière F., Les époques du théâtre français (1636–1850), P., 1914; Réné Dalsème, La Vie de B., P., 1928.
Literary encyclopedia. - At 11 t.; M.: Publishing House of the Communist Academy, Soviet encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V. M. Fritsche, A. V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .
Beaumarchais
(Beaumarchais) Pierre Augustin Caron de (1732, Paris - 1799, ibid.), French writer.
Born into a family of craftsmen, he himself showed an ability for crafts and invention. Became a court watchmaker, then a harp teacher for his daughters Louis XIV, bought nobility. He took part in court intrigues and scandals, tried to get rich by embarking on various financial and economic enterprises. Savor And litigation became the main themes of Beaumarchais the writer in his Memoirs (1773-74), which brought him popularity and sympathy from readers. The story of saving the honor of Sister Beaumarchais, deceived by the Spanish journalist Clavijo, described in the “Fourth Memoir”, attracted the attention of I. V. Goethe, who wrote the play “Clavigo” (1774) based on this plot. As a playwright, Beaumarchais began by composing “parades” - farcical and comic plays for private theaters. Having become interested in new trends in drama, he became a supporter of the ideas of D. Diderot. Beaumarchais prefaced his drama “Eugenie” (1767) with a large “Essay on the Serious Dramatic Genre,” but did not succeed as a writer of sentimental dramas. The plays about Figaro brought fame to the writer: “The Barber of Seville, or a Vain Precaution” (1775), “The Marriage of Figaro, or a Mad Day” (1783-84). Using traditional comedic situations and types in “The Barber of Seville” (a nobleman in love wins back his beloved from his old guardian with the help of a clever servant), Beaumarchais transforms them in an original way, filling them with fresh and lively content, turning the barber Figaro into an image of a poet-adventurer close to the author himself. Original idea creating a dramatic sequel to “The Barber of Seville” allowed the writer to develop the comedic characters of Almaviva, Rosina, Bartolo, Basil and, most importantly, Figaro himself. In The Marriage of Figaro he is no longer an assistant to the protagonist, but the main character. The gaiety and lightness of the dialogues, the inventiveness of comic intrigues are combined in the play with the depiction of serious ethical and psychological situations and democratic critical pathos, especially clearly expressed in Figaro's last monologue. In the final part of the trilogy about Figaro - “The Criminal Mother” (post. 1792) - the satirical comedy gives way to melodrama: the characters of the aged heroes change, and their relationships also become different: the devoted servant Figaro restores peace in the family of the repentant count.
The operas “The Barber of Seville” (G. Rossini, 1816) and “The Marriage of Figaro” (W. A. Mozart, 1786) were written based on Beaumarchais’s plays.
Literature and language. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Edited by prof. Gorkina A.P. 2006 .
See what "Beaumarchais" is in other dictionaries:
- (French Beaumarchais) French surname. Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de French playwright and publicist. Beaumarchais, Antoine Labarre de French canon and writer. List of articles about namesakes ... Wikipedia
Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais Pierre Augustin Caron de (1732 1799) French playwright. Aphorisms, quotes from Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais. Biography What is an aristocrat? A person who bothered to be born. Nature said to the woman: be... ...
- (Beaumarchais) Pierre Augustin Caron de (1732 99), French playwright. The son of a Parisian watchmaker, gained access to the court of Louis XV. World fame Beaumarchais brought the comedies The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784), in... ... Modern encyclopedia
Beaumarchais- Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais pie. Beaumarchais. Zelenko 1902 461 … Historical Dictionary Gallicisms of the Russian language
- (Beaumarchais) Pierre Augustin Caron de (24.1.1732, Paris, 18.5.1799, ibid.), French playwright. Born into a watchmaker's family. Already in the first, so-called. “philistine dramas” “Eugenia” (1767), “Two Friends” (1770), B. paints pictures truthfully... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Beaumarchais P. O.- Beaumarchais Pierre Augustin (173299), French. playwright. The first two comedies of the trilogy about the talented and witty plebeian Figaro, The Barber of Seville (1775) and The Marriage of Figaro (1784), depict the conflict between the third estate and... ... Biographical Dictionary
BEAUMARCHAIS- (Beaumarchais), Pierre Augustin Caron de, b. 24 Jan 1732, d. May 19, 1799 in Paris; famous French writer, whose comedies: The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro provided the plots for two operas in which the genius of Rossini and Mozart showed itself in... ... Riemann's Dictionary of Music
Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de (Caron de Beaumarchais) (1732 1799) Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais. Biography of French playwright. Beaumarchais was born on January 24, 1732 in Paris, in the family of a watchmaker. March 7, 1721 Beaumarchais's father, André Charles Caron, who was... ... Consolidated encyclopedia aphorisms