Theatre of France - Historic Overview - Baroque Theatre

Baroque Theatre

French theatre from the seventeenth century is often reduced to three great names -- Pierre Corneille, Molière and Jean Racine -- and to the triumph of "classicism"; the truth is however far more complicated.

Theatre at the beginning of the century was dominated by the genres and dramatists of the previous generation. Most influential in this respect was Robert Garnier. Although the royal court had grown tired of the tragedy (preferring the more escapist tragicomedy), the theatre going public preferred the former. This would change in the 1630s and 1640s when, influenced by the long baroque novels of the period, the tragicomedy—a heroic and magical adventure of knights and maidens—became the dominant genre. The amazing success of Corneille's "Le Cid" in 1637 and "Horace" in 1640 would bring the tragedy back into fashion, where it would remain for the rest of the century.

The most important source for tragic theatre was Seneca and the precepts of Horace and Aristotle (and modern commentaries by Julius Caesar Scaliger and Lodovico Castelvetro), although plots were taken from classical authors such as Plutarch, Suetonius, etc. and from short story collections (Italian, French and Spanish). The Greek tragic authors (Sophocles, Euripides) would become increasingly important by the middle of the century. Important models for both comedy, tragedy and tragicomedy of the century were also supplied by the Spanish playwrights Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Tirso de Molina and Lope de Vega, many of whose works were translated and adapted for the French stage. Important theatrical models were also supplied by the Italian stage (including the pastoral), and Italy was also an important source for theoretical discussions on theatre, especially with regards to decorum (see for example the debates on Sperone Speroni's play Canace and Giovanni Battista Giraldi's play Orbecche).

Regular comedies (i.e. comedies in five acts modeled on Plautus or Terence and the precepts of Aelius Donatus) were less frequent on the stage than tragedies and tragicomedies at the turn of the century, as the comedic element of the early stage was dominated by the farce, the satirical monologue and by the Italian commedia dell'arte. Jean Rotrou and Pierre Corneille would return to the regular comedy shortly before 1630.

Corneille's tragedies were strangely un-tragic (his first version of "Le Cid" was even listed as a tragicomedy), for they had happy endings. In his theoretical works on theatre, Corneille redefined both comedy and tragedy around the following suppositions:

• The stage—in both comedy and tragedy—should feature noble characters (this would eliminate many low-characters, typical of the farce, from Corneille's comedies). Noble characters should not be depicted as vile (reprehensible actions are generally due to non-noble characters in Corneille's plays).
• Tragedy deals with affairs of the state (wars, dynastic marriages); comedy deals with love. For a work to be tragic, it need not have a tragic ending.
• Although Aristotle says that catharsis (purgation of emotion) should be the goal of tragedy, this is only an ideal. In conformity with the moral codes of the period, plays should not show evil being rewarded or nobility being degraded.

The history of the public and critical reaction to Corneille's "Le Cid" can be found in other articles (he was criticized for his use of sources, for his violation of good taste, and for other irregularities that did not conform to Aristotian or Horacian rules), but its impact was stunning. Cardinal Richelieu asked the newly formed Académie française to investigate and pronounce on the criticisms (it was the Academy's first official judgement), and the controversy reveals a growing attempt to control and regulate theatre and theatrical forms. This would be the beginning of seventeenth century "classicism".

Corneille continued to write plays through 1674 (mainly tragedies, but also something he called "heroic comedies") and many continued to be successes, although the "irregularities" of his theatrical methods were increasingly criticized (notably by François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac) and the success of Jean Racine from the late 1660s signaled the end of his preeminence.

Select list of dramatists and plays, with indication of genre (dates are often approximate, as date of publication was usually long after the date of first performance):

• Antoine de Montchrestien (c.1575-1621)
  • Sophonisbe a/k/a La Cathaginoise a/k/a La Liberté (tragedy) - 1596
  • La Reine d'Ecosse a/k/a L'Ecossaise (tragedy) - 1601
  • Aman (tragedy) - 1601
  • La Bergerie (pastoral) - 1601
  • Hector (tragedy) - 1604
• Jean de Schelandre (c. 1585-1635)
  • Tyr et Sidon, ou les funestes amours de Belcar et Méliane (1608)
• Alexandre Hardy (1572-c.1632) - Hardy reputedly wrote 600 plays; only 34 have come down to us.
  • Scédase, ou l'hospitalité violée (tragedy) - 1624
  • La Force du sang (tragicomedy) - 1625 (the plot is taken from a Cervantes short story)
  • Lucrèce, ou l'Adultère puni (tragedy) - 1628
• Honorat de Bueil, seigneur de Racan (1589–1670)
  • Les Bergeries (pastoral) - 1625
• Théophile de Viau (1590–1626)
  • Les Amours tragiques de Pyrame et Thisbé (tragedy) - 1621
• François le Métel de Boisrobert (1592–1662)
  • Didon la chaste ou Les Amours de Hiarbas (tragedy) - 1642
• Jean Mairet (1604–1686)
  • La Sylve (pastoral tragicomedy) - c.1626
  • La Silvanire, ou La Morte vive (pastoral tragicomedy) - 1630
  • Les Galanteries du Duc d'Ossonne Vice-Roi de Naples (comedy) - 1632
  • La Sophonisbe (tragedy) - 1634
  • La Virginie (tragicomedy) - 1636
• Tristan L'Hermite (1601–1655)
  • Mariamne (tragedy) - 1636
  • Penthée (tragedy) - 1637
  • La Mort de Seneque (tragedy) - 1644
  • La Mort de Crispe (tragedy) - 1645
  • The Parasite - 1653
• Jean Rotrou (1609–1650)
  • La Bague de l'oubli (comedy) - 1629
  • La Belle Alphrède (comedy) - 1639
  • Laure persécutée (tragicomedy) - 1637
  • Le Véritable saint Genest (tragedy) - 1645
  • Venceslas (tragicomedy) - 1647
  • Cosroès (tragedy) - 1648
• Pierre Corneille (1606–1684)
  • Mélite (comedy) - 1629
  • Clitandre (tragicomedy, later changed to tragedy) - 1631
  • La Veuve (comedy) - 1631
  • La Place Royale (comedy) - 1633
  • Médée (tragedy) - 1635
  • L'Illusion comique (comedy) - 1636
  • Le Cid (tragicomedy, later changed to tragedy) - 1637
  • Horace (tragedy) - 1640
  • Cinna (tragedy) - 1640
  • Polyeucte ("Christian" tragedy) - c.1641
  • La Mort de Pompée (tragedy) - 1642
  • Le Menteur (comedy) - 1643
  • Rodogune, princesse des Parthes (tragedy) - 1644
  • Héraclius, empereur d'Orient (tragedy) - 1647
  • Don Sanche d'Aragon ("heroic" comedy) - 1649
  • Nicomède (tragedy) - 1650
  • Sertorius (tragedy) - 1662
  • Sophonisbe (tragedy) - 1663
  • Othon (tragedy) - 1664
  • Tite et Bérénice ("heroic" comedy) - 1670
  • Suréna, général des Parthes (tragedy) - 1674
• Pierre du Ryer (1606–1658)
  • Lucrèce (tragedy) - 1636
  • Alcione - 1638
  • Scévola (tragedy) - 1644
• Jean Desmarets (1595–1676)
  • Les Visionnaires (comedy) - 1637
  • Erigone (prose tragedy) - 1638
  • Scipion (verse tragedy) - 1639
• François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac (1604–1676)
  • La Cyminde - 1642
  • La Pucelle d'Orléans - 1642
  • Zénobie (tragedy) - 1647, written with the intention of affording a model in which the strict rules of the drama were served.
  • Le Martyre de Sainte Catherine (tragedy) - 1650
• Paul Scarron (1610–1660)
  • Jodelet - 1645
  • Don Japhel d'Arménie - 1653
• Isaac de Benserade (c.1613-1691)
  • Cléopâtre (tragedy) - 1635
• Samuel Chappuzeau - 1625 - 1701
  • Le Cercle des femmes ou le Secret du Lit Nuptial 1656 (Comedy, prose)
  • Damon et Pythias, ou le Triomphe de l'Amour et de l'Amitié (tragi-comedy) 1657
  • Armetzar ou les Amis ennemis (tragi-comedy) 1658
  • Le Riche mécontent ou le noble imaginaire (Comedy)1660
  • L'Académie des Femmes, (Farce, in verse) Paris, 1661
  • Le Colin-Maillard (Farce, Comedie Facetieuse), Paris, 1662
  • L'Avare duppé, ou l'Homme de paille, (comedy) Paris, 1663
  • Les Eaux de Pirmont - 1669