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French Theater in the Seventeenth Century
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15192 |
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MODERN THOUGHT
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4 / 1989 |
6,390 Words |
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Jean-Marie Apostolides
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In the year 1636, the curtain rose on what was to be without any doubt the most glorious era in the history of the French theater. It was the year of the stage premiere of Le Cid, Corneille's earliest and most famous masterpiece. Over the next forty-four years, in the brief period running from the end of the reign of Louis XIII through the first part of the reign of Louis XIV, other authors would emerge to stand with Corneille as the most celebrated dramatists France has produced. Their names were Rotrou, Racine, and Moliere. Together, they invented a new aesthetic that posterity would call "classical." In 1680, the classical era came to a close and was entrusted to posterity with the creation of the Comedie-Francaise, whose primary mission was to perpetuate the memory of Moliere through the continued performance of his work.
The theater of the classical period remains to this day the mainstay of the French repertoire. The Comedie-Francaise still produces Moliere's comedies, in contemporary productions that illuminate their lesser known aspects and underline their perenniality. As for the works of Corneille and Racine, in addition to being continually performed in theaters both public and private, they are studied in school starting at the secondary level and constitute part of the common literary background whose acquisition by French young people is considered an essential part of the formation of a national identity. Indeed, the latter rests more on literary culture than on political or religious identity. It is with this in mind that we turn to the classical theater of the seventeenth century.
The Troupe And Its Patron
Classical French theater depended on support from the aristocracy. Authors could not stage what they wanted, where they wanted, nor when they wanted. This was understandable from an economic point of view. Then as now, putting on a play, with sets, costumes, lighting, and the hiring of a theater and a troupe of actors, was an extremely costly proposition. Subsidies were needed, which in the seventeenth century meant finding rich patrons. At the start of his career, when he performed in the provinces, Moliere had as his patron first the Duke of Epernon, governor of Guyenne (1646), and then the Prince of Conti, governor of the Languedoc. Back in Paris, in the wake of the success of his first farce (Le Docteur amoureux; 1658), his official patron became Monsieur, the brother of Louis XIV. Finally, in 1665, when its glory was at its zenith, Moliere's company assumed the title of the King's Troupe. Each stage of Moliere's career was marked by the choice of a patron more powerful than the one before.
That is not to say that the promised subsidies were always paid regularly. In 1658, for example, Monsieur promised Moliere the sum of three hundred pounds to help establish him in Paris. Moliere never saw the money. There obviously could be no question of pressing a claim against a personality as highly placed as the king's brother. Nevertheless, the patronage of an important figure was precious. It signaled the success of an author or an acting company and opened the gates of aristocratic estates. In effect, the three leading Parisian troupes, even if they enjoyed the use of a permanent performance hall, could reach only a minority of spectators. Ten performances of a new play was the sign of a major success; twenty was a triumph. A troupe could only survive by putting on shows in private chateaus. The actors traveled on the occasion of festivities, bringing their sets and costumes with
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