by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph. D
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By seeing the name of Figaro, you may think we intend to talk a lot about Beaumarchais (1732 - 1799) who wrote "The crazy day, or the marriage of Figaro" (1778). Yet, it's not at all the case in fact. Of course, we will present him quickly. But he is not the famous character we want you to rediscover today.
In reality, his famous play is just an unexpected angle to help you rediscovering two of his occasional actor and actress. Those two persons were quite improbable to play what was a very strong criticism of the old system of orders in the Old Regime (Nobility, Clergy, and Third Estate).
In this avant-garde play taking place in Sevilla (Andalucia, Spain), two main characters are appearing to us : firstly, Figaro who is just a servant, angry against his master Count Almaviva who wants to use his right of lord on his beloved Suzanne before their marriage ; secondly, the Countess de Bartholo (previously called simply Rosine in "the Barber of Sevilla") whose servants are encouraging her with difficulty to have affair to ignore her husband, the Count de Bartholo - her ex-tutor who had obliged her to marry him and was yet rejecting her. For the latter, she was rather encouraged to behave like a man would do in her situation. The bridge between Figaro and the Countess de Bartholo, is resulting from the hidden fact that the Count de Bartholo is in fact the real father of Figaro !
Both Figaro and the Countess de Bartholo, are rather acting as if they should be naturally equal in front of love, each one on his side into a very hierarchichal society (with a division in the three unequal orders quoted above). And this was really revolutionary. By comparison, nowadays writers are far more frilous about the unsaid and underlying subdivisions of our still unequal and newly feudalistic society : they just search to be the most politically correct they can be !
And when you will know who we are talking about, by giving the names of the actor and actress who interpreted with success this play in Versailles, you may fall from your seat ! So get ready to enter the incredibly bold XVIIIth century, and make an enormous and amazing discovery ! You are leaving this rather jellyfied beginning of XXIst century for a time travel into a daredevil epoch !
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Initially, Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a watchmaker like his father. But he made a very good marriage with a wealthy widow, which helped him to approach the daughters of Louis XV (1710 - 1774). He was amusing for them, and quite a good musician. Later he became a secret agent of the Black Cabinet of this King, and an arms dealer. During the reign of Louis XVI (1754- 1793 ?), he provided weapons to the Insurgents of America. And as secondary activity, he became famous as a play writer with two great comedies, "The Barber of Sevilla" (1775) and its following ,"The crazy day, or the marriage of Figaro" (1784).
When you see those two different dates for "The marriage of Figaro" (1778 and 1784), you can realize it took Beaumarchais around six years for his masterpiece to be really launched, but not yet accepted. Hence, we have to quote the final acceptation was only possible afterwards under conditions. To be played in Versailles after Odeon theater in Paris, and to circumvent the obstacles of censorship (coming from the vehement protests of Nobility), he had to accept two precise persons to be able to play ! Don't forget the play had been forbidden on March 7th, 1785 as scandalous and too daring, and yet especially re-authorized on August 16th, 1785 for his representation in the Theater of Menus Plaisirs of Versailles !
At this stage, do you guess who we are talking about ? Perhaps, you have a strange sensation, but not yet ! You probably still wonder who were those two improbable, but important actor and actress. In order to help you finding, try to imagine the most unlikely characters...really the most improbable for such a daring comedy ! Of course, you will have to admit those two occasional players were quite bold, provocative, or playful to play such a sulphurous comedy promoting Equality of rights and genders, if not natural children for the time !
Well, it's now time to lift the curtain and stop the suspense. In Versailles Court, in front of King Louis XVI, Figaro was interpreted by his younger brother, the Count of Artois, future Charles X (1757 - 1836), and the Countess de Bartholo by Queen Marie-Antoinette herself (1755 - 1793 or 1834 ?). The Count of Artois wasn't himself very admirative of the nobles from the Court of Versailles, and it's him who decided the Queen to participate the comedy together !
A lot of people nowadays are ignoring that the Count of Artois was at that time rather original and provocative. Above that, he was getting on very well with his sister-in-law he appreciated far more than his other brother, Louis Stanislas Xavier, Count of Provence, the future Louis XVIII (1755 - 1824). In a way, through this comedy he wanted to show Marie-Antoinette, that she had a proximate and real French friend in the Court of Versailles, him !
Marie-Antoinette about her was fed up with the unfair, boring, and unstraight attitude of many nobles in the Court, and she was still a mischievous pretty young woman coming from the Court of Vienna, in Austria ! Above that, on March 27th, 1785, she had happily given birth to a second potential Dolphin, Louis-Charles, Duke of Normandy (future Louis XVII : 1785 - Northern England in UK 1794 - 1860 most likely in reality) and reassured her position in France. So, it wasn't difficult for her to be convinced by her brother-in-law, Charles, to have fun for once. Don't forget the music of the play was from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756- 1791) from Vienna too !
After having attended this very politically incorrect play, clearly directed against the privileges of Aristocracy and claiming for Equality, Louis XVI seemed to just take it as a satire. But yet, he couldn't prevent saying rather propheticallly : "the representation could be nothing but an unwelcome inconsistency, unless the Bastille was destroyed" ! Everybody knows today he was absolutely right in his strange insight !
Let's add as an epilogue, that the Count of Artois played indirectly nolens volens a role in the coming Revolution ...and Counter-Revolution as well ! Jean-Paul Marat (1743 - 1793), his doctor, became afterwards an important revolutionary. And the Baron Jean de Batz (1754 - 1822), equally from his house was chosen to be his Deputy at the General Estates of May 1789. And he became a top leader of the Counter-Revolution, as the last Secretary of the Black Cabinet of King Louis XVI - id est his last Chief of French Secret Services !
Still about the incredibly bold Baron Jean de Batz, it's him who organized two operations of the last chance, two operations of rescues for their Majesties : the first one happened in the very morning of January 21st, 1793 along the 52 rue Beauregard in Paris with a Double of the King, a Belgian monk, and the second in the night of August 30th, 1793, at the way out of the Conciergerie Jail in Paris with a Double of the Queen, Cornélia de Galéan, during the uncommon "Carnation Conspiracy" ! Still nowadays, it is extremely difficult to know in reality if those black operations failed...or on the contrary succeeded by luck, as they are still considered as Ultra Top Secret - "for your eyes only" ! So, don't repeat !
