Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais

One of the greatest comedies in French theatre history, Beaumarchais' Le Mariage de Figaro is a dynamic text of humour and social satire which still works well on stage today, and was the inspiration for Mozart's opera. Although ostensibly set in Spain, the play satirises certain abuses and attitudes prevalent in France during the turbulent years just before the French Revolution. The play's treatment of moral themes and its strong, resourceful female characters make it as vital work of literature and theatre, as relevant today as when it was written two centuries ago. This edition features the full French text, and includes a comprehensive introduction, bibliography and commentary notes with contextual information on eighteenth century French theatre and cultural history. The editor Malcolm Cook discusses the play's controversial original reception, and detailed notes explain the social and political allusions as well as the wordplays and jokes indulged in by one of history's most provocative and thought-provoking dramatists.

A French courtier, secret agent, libertine and adventurer, Beaumarchais (1732-99) was also author of two sparkling plays about the scoundrelly valet Figaro - triumphant successes that were used as the basis of operas by Mozart and Rossini. A highly engaging comedy of intrigue, The Barber of Seville portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man's attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. And The Marriage of Figaro - condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege - depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure.