Le Barbier de Séville

1. Le Barbier de Séville Pierre Beaumarchais

2. Role of wit in the dialogue and character of Figaro one in the same- he drives the plot forward, instrumental in Le Compte’s plan. • Mocking of the normal conventions of romance in le Drame- serious character of Le Compte vs. comedy of Figaro. Seeing the comparison of opposites tragedy and comedy. • Idea of comédielarmeuse-Acte 1 Scène 2- Figaro: L’habitude du malheur. Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’être obligéd’enpleurer.

3. Wit used to satire contemporary values and foreign culture- Acte 1 Scène 2, Figaro: …la république des Lettresétoitcelle des loups…tout ce qui s’attache à la peau des malheureuses Gens de Lettresachevoit de déchiqueter et fucer le peu de substance qui leurrestoit…’ • Robert Niklaus writes: ‘By seeming to satirize foreign ways Beaumarchais is able to call French prejudices to account, a duality that would delight his audiences as it revealed the relativity of moral values.’

4. Acte 1 Scène 1 • Count Almaviva’s speech: first profession of his love for Rosine‘Il estdoux d’être aimé pour soi- même…. Mais quoi! Suivreune femme à Seville quand Madrid et la Coursoffrent de toutes parts des plaisirssifaciles?’ • Here also mocking the popular values of the court- sarcastic tone.

5. Acte 1 Scène 2 • Figaro and Le Compteare reunited. Figaro’s back story. • The way his song’s so disjointed important stylistically- critical of contemporary comic opera- confirmed when he says- • ‘Aujourd’huice qui ne vaut pas la peined’etredit’ • But satire of Madrid from Figaro shows importance as moral figure also.

6. Acte 1 Scène 3 • Important as Bartholo critiques contemporary drama and Enlightenment ideas- also the interlexical reference to La Précaution inutile as similar plot to Le Barbier de Séville- play within a play- • Bartholo: ‘Quelquedrame encore! Quelquesotisse d’un nouveau genre! ….Sotisses de touteespèce: la liberté de penser, l’attraction, l’electricité, le tolerantisme, l’innoculation…’

7. Acte 1 Scène 4 • Importance of wit from Figaro in comparison to seriousness of Le Compte, for example in his imitation of Rosine. • Figaro: C’estbienlà un propos d’amant! Est-ceque je l’adore, moi? Puissez- vousprendre ma place? Acte 1 Scène 5 • Bartholo revealing his plan to marry Rosine obvious and possibly clichéd dramatic feature

8. Acte 1 Scène 6 • Figaro’s wit as a reaction to Bartholos plan, undermines any serious tone and instead adds to comedy • Figaro: Monseigneur la difficulté de réussir ne fait qu’ajouter à la necessitéd’entreprendre.

9. Acte 2 Scène 1 • Rosine’s speech of being imprisoned by Bartholo and scene description emphasise the difference in the two settings. Acte 2 Scene 2 • Figaro as moral figure in helping Rosine and Le Compte- possible contrast to him stating his self-interest earlier?

10. Acte 2 Scènes 4/5 • Stage directions and the servant named L’Eveilleadd to comic element of the scene. Comparative/binary aspect of plays structure with L’Eveille and La Jeunesse as servants. • Reversing roles of morality as Bartholo says to his servants- ‘De la justice! C’est bon entre vousautresmisérables la justice! Je suisvotremaitremoi, pour avoirtoujours raison.’

11. Acte 2 Scène 13 • Le Compte’ssong towards Bartholois mocking and influenced by Figaro. Acte 2 Scène 14 • Bartholo: Alleztoujourssij’avoiscecrédit-là fur la mort- • Le Compte: Sur la mort? Ah Docteurvousfaitestant de choses pour elle, qu’ellen’arien à vousrefuser. • Sarcasm towards Bartholo as a real doctor.

12. Acte 2 Scène 15 • Bartholo: Nous ne sommes pas ici en France oul’ondonnetoujours raison en femmes… • Beaumarchais making the audience reflect on criticisms of contemporary French culture through this comic statement. Acte 2 Scène 16 • Rosine ends her speech with ‘Mais un hommeinjusteparviendront à faire un rusée de l’innocencemême’- making even Rosine act against her moral judgement.

13. ACT 3 • Scene 2- Opens with the count in disguise again, ‘Que la paix et la joie habitenttoujourscéans!’. Ironic, tongue-in-cheek as he is trying to steal Bartholo’s wife. Emphatic, first line of Scene. • - Dynamic between Bartholo and Count. Stages directions suggest suspicious of each other, Count takes advantage and uses quick-wit to trick Bartholo‘La SignoraRosinelui a écrit....Mais la manièredontvousprenez les choses...’ and gain an apology. • Comte : ‘Oui! Vouscroyezdoncquemon air peut aider à la tromperie?’ Ironic as he is already in disguise to Bartholo.

14. Scene 5 - The ‘lazzo’ of BartholoFallin asleep, Count and Rosine trying to talk/kiss. Lazzi (from the Italian lazzo, a joke or witticism) is an improvised comic dialogue or action commonly used in the Commedia dell'arte • - Figaro - ‘je dirai à celu qui éternue, Dieuvousbénisse; & vatecoucher à ce-luiquiebaille. C’estn’est pas cela, Monsieur, qui groffira la memoire’. Quick witted response to Bartholo’s hostile questions, shows his intelligence and confidence. • - Bartholo : ‘Quand je dispute avec un fat, je ne luicédejamais‘ • Figaro: ‘Nous différons en cela, Monsieur; moi je luicédetoujours’. • Entire scene similar tone, Figaro ‘one-ups‘ Bartholo. Shows his intelligence afterwards • ‘j’aitravaillé de la plume à Madrid’.

15. Scene 7 - Figaro - ‘La peste! il y feroit bon, méfiantcommevousêtes!‘ Voyezcomme le cielprotégel’innocence’. Almost farcical as he is trying to trick Bartholo, emphatic positioning of l’innocence adds to humour/irony. • Scene 11 - Arrival of Bazile, Count manages to convince Bartholo it is all their plan, Bartholo implicates himself ‘N’allez pas nous démentir, Bazile, vousgâteriez tout’.

16. Scene 13 - Figaro interrupts twice consecutively. The Count first ‘Oui, unejeune femme, & un grand âge; voilà ce qui trouble la tête d’un vieillard’. • Then, immediately after interrupting to insult Bartholo, he interrupts Bartholo - ‘Je me retire, ilestfou‘. Doesn’t miss an opportunity to offend Bartholo with his sharp wit, and also has the last word.

17. ACT 4 • Act 4 Scene 8 - Bazile ‘Quevoulez-vous? Ce diabled’homme a toujours des pochespleinesd’argumentsirrésistible‘ - Humorous use of ‘diable‘ as Bazile was not forced to accept the bribe. His attitude is confirmed after, ‘l’argentvousreste‘.

18. 71 - John Dunkley ‘Just as rapid movement marks the characters’ actions, it also marks the dialogue. A result of the author’s conscious and sustained effort to achieve concision. • - Due to concision and characters speaking broadly in the same way, songs used to give personal images, eg Contrast between Rosine‘s song longing for freedom (Act 4, Scene 3) and her actual situation (169-70, 205, 545-46) • - Punctuation to add to wit. Reduplicated ellipsis for economy and to amuse. (Act 4 Scene 1 : Bartholo and Bazile.) • 73 - Beaumarchais allows himself increased spread where a further comic effect/characterisation is possible, eg ‘sentence hi-jacking’. (Act 4 Scene 1 Bartholo and Bazile.) • The interruption is reinterrupted immediately, further illustrates Bazile’s chracter (gleeful cynicism) and makes for amusing wordplay. • 75 - Short symmetrical exchanges when one interlocutor is being rude to another eg Act 2 Scene 13 - The count and Bartholo (Bartholo : Un art dont le soleils’honored’éclairer les succès - Et dont la terres’empresse de couvrir les bévues’. Generates sharpness and concision. • 77 - First song of Figaro, associates his character with traditional comic-servant traits (intemperance, idleness), which he is not at all. Clever from Beaumarchais, a false trail? • 84 - Gabriel Conesa ‘Beaumarchais faisflèche de tout bois‘ - To really make the most of it. (not sure about this, just thought it might slot in somewhere!)

19. 85 - Mimicry - Figaro parodies Rosine’s feigned dismay at dropping her song (186-88), repeats some of her words exactly (217-218), followed by laugh and reflection about women in general. Intended to show an amused sympathy with Rosine. • - Similar sentiment of sympathetic playfulness, Figaro parodies Almaviva’s ‘Que de Grâces, qued’esprit‘ with ‘Que de Ruse! que d’amour! (syntactically + rhythmically identical. Benign Laughter. • - Lines (742-43) Bartholo mimics Rosine’s thoughts of Act 2 scene 1. Based on his shrewd guesswork, it underlines power disparity between the two characters. (Not sure if applicable but thought it was a good point!) • - Act 3 Scene 5 - Figaro parodies Bartholo’s song (accompanied with burlesque dance) behind his back. This underlines the distance in age, social competence, attractiveness which separates the two sides of this contest.