Théâtre et esprit public : les représentations du Mariage de Figaro à Paris (1784-1797)

Résumé En

Although Beaumarchais played a considerable role in the war of American independence and in the diffusion of its principles in France, in particular through the Courrier de l'Europe which published the first French translation of the United States' Declaration of Independence on August 20th 1776, the 'Voltigeur des Lumières3 (Enlightenment Acrobat) hardly used the concept of public spirit. However, an analysis of performances of the Mariage de Figaro in Paris between 1784 and 1797 makes it possible to apprehend the evolution of the concept during the Revolution from two points of view. Firstly that of the theatre as a space in which an authority emanating from an assembled audience can be exercised. Secondly, that of the resistance of the assembled audience's spirit which is unlike public opinion and the written press that tend to imply an audience which is scattered or confined to private spaces, with regard to its formation, direction or manipulation. The specificity of this cultural practise, based on the three poles of the actor, the audience and the author, turns the audience and actors into co-authors and the playwright himself can help to modify the show's meaning through performance by adding or suppressing parts. A play's meaning is elaborated by the author but also by the actors and the audience who interact in a given socio-political context.