Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, Le Mariage de Figaro [The Marriage of Figaro]

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Beaumarchais’s

La Folle Journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro

, most commonly known as

Le Mariage de Figaro

, is the author’s best-known and most successful play. It stands as a monument to the playwright’s talent and perseverance. Indeed, it has been described as “by far the most important dramatic work produced in France in the eighteenth century” (Howarth, 3).

Despite being written in 1778, it was first performed publicly at the Comédie-Française on 27 April 1784, and there were 68 performances during its initial run. Three years later, it had reached an unprecedented 100 performances, testimony to its immediate success. It is said that the first performance lasted five hours instead of the normal three and a half hours due to the persistent audience applause, an audience which had

2209 words

Citation: Treuherz, Nick. "Le Mariage de Figaro". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 November 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4077, accessed 28 March 2024.]

4077 Le Mariage de Figaro 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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