THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – BEAUMARCHAIS

Space and Time

 The Barber of Seville was written in the 18th Century ,just before the French
Revolution,By Pierre Beaumarchais.
 It was intended to be performed by the Paris Operas Comique; however it had its first
performance five years later at the Comedie Francaise.
 It is considered a Bourgeios drama, since it has a political nature that represent the
social and political context of the time.This is sustained in the book theatre histories
Of Zarilli,, where he states, that ‘’ for many of the literature Bourgeoiseie, public
opinion was becoming synonymous with a national consensus. Consequently, the
theatre for them , had an important role to play in the future of their nations’.
 The most prominent social issues in the play are injustice and irrationality of social
class division.
 France , during the second half of the 18th Century, consisted of society in which the
majority of member, excluding clergy and nobility , held few legal political and
economical rights, and were loaded down with taxies. People such as Beamarchais ,
throught the character of Figaro gave a way to criticise and question the existed norms
of society, suggesting that even those of lowere classes could be equal if not superior
to upper classes, not through wealth and status given by birth, but through their own
ingenuity and achievements.
 The intrigue surrounding count Almaviva’s efforts to woo and win Rosine , and the
relationship between Figaro and his former master, are character that reflect the issue
of social classes during the time in which Beaumarchais wrote the play.
 This play is characterised by constant bickering and subtle comments between the
classes. It reflects the tension between the aristocracy and the Bourgeoisie due to the
approaching French Revolution.

 The story is about Count Almaviva who falls in love with Rosine and through the help
of Figaro manages at the end of the play to marry her after a lot of deceptions and
intrigues which are taking place throughout the play.

( The story is about a spanish count, Alamaviva, who falls in love with Rosine. To
make sure that she loves him and not his wealth, the count disguises himself as a
poor college student and tries to woo her. Meanwhile Rosine was kept locked up in
Doctor Bartholo’s house, who is her guardian and intends to marry her. The count
meets by chance his ex servant of his,Figaro who is now a barber and has acces to
the doctors house.The count Promises Figaro a sum of money and figaro being afraid
 that if he doesn’t do what the count is asking him to he might seek revenge,
accepted to help and devises ways for the cound to be able to meet up with
Roseine. At first the count disguises himself as Lindor, then as Alonzo ( a student of
Rosine’s music teacher Bazile ) The Story ends with the marraige between the
cound and Rosine.

The play is made up of songs , music and speech.

There is musicality in the text as when Bazile and Bartholo are discussing how
rumours spread out, the words piano, pianissimo and rinforzando are used. The
Voices are raised and lowered, when Bartholo tells the count that he has a hearing
problem.

 In the first act, the action takes place in front of Bartholo’s house, in the other 3 acts,
action takes place inside Doctor Bartholo’s house.

******

We also get Tableau actions where the actors sort of freeze in action for example when the
count indicates his disguise to Figaro, when the paper slip from Rosine’s hand when she is in
the Balcony.
 The Barber of Seville, written just before the French revolution, is characterized by
constant bickering and subtle comments passed between the characters coming
from different classes.
 the way Figaro and Bartholo speak of each other. Bartholo, the stereotypical
aristocrat, obviously speaks lowly of Figaro by saying that “the good-for-nothing,
wanted to wipe off my hundred crowns without so much as opening his purse”. On
the other hand, Figaro, who represents the middle class and who is clearly
manipulating the whole situation, adopts an attitude of ridicule towards the
opposing class, which is reflected in the character of Bartholo. A very clear example
can be seen in the way that Figaro describes Bartholo. He says that “he’s a stoutish,
shortish, oldish, greyish, cunning, smarmy, posing, nosing, peeping, prying,
creeping, whining, snivelling sort of man”. When speaking of the relationship
between Rosine and Bartholo, Figaro says that he is “coarse, mean, infatuated with
his ward, jealous beyond all measure where she’s concerned, and she hates him
like poison”. ( SOCIAL CLASSES...between the Aristocrats and the middle class)
 the text Beaumarchais uses for the character of Figaro portrays that the middle class
are more clever than one thinks since Figaro makes the link that the Count is only
 calling him his friend because he would help him: “How friendly people do become
when they find they’ve a use for you”.
 Most of the times, the two lovers address each other in song. I think this very much
contributes to the fact that in most cases the use of language through music
manages to convey more emotion than language which is just spoken.
 ( TIME)
 Despite being a comedy, The Barber of seville, had a significant importance to its
contemporaries, as it conveyed relevant social issues.
 The most important of them was injustice and irrationality of social class division.
 France in the second half of the 18th century consisted of society in which the
majority of members (97%), excluding clergy and nobility, held few legal political and
economical rights, + loaded down with taxies. To a Beamarchais, and other self-
made men like him, a system that preferred wealth and birth to ingenuity, was
absurd
 Beamarchais through a new character Figaro gave a way though not directly but
tacitly for criticizing and questioning the existed norms of society, suggesting that
even those of lower classes could be equal if not superior to upper classes, not
through wealth and status given by birth, but through their own ingenuity and
achievements.
 Though The Barber of Seville focuses on the intrigue surrounding Count Almaviva’s
efforts to woo and win Rosine, at the heart of the play is the relationship between
Figaro and his former master. These two characters bring to life the issue of social
classes brewing in France at the time in which Beaumarchais wrote his play.

(besides being comic, have a political nature since they represent the social and
political context the time. This is sustained in fact in the book Theatre Histories: An
Introduction where Zarilli states that “For many of the literatre bourgeoisie, public
opinion was bevoming synonymous with a national consensus. Consequently, the
theatre for them, had an important role to play in the future of their nations.”
 This play is characterized by the constant bickering and subtle comments
between the classes. The context in which the play is set, reflects the tension
between the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie due to the approaching French
revolution

Although his character is similar to that of the other servants present in the
commedia dell’arte plays in the way he manages to manipulate the situation, Figaro
does this in a way so as to ridicule the aristocracy, and this characteristic was in fact
what distinguishes him from the other servant characters.
WAITING FOR GODOT –DIRECTION

I will now focus on how the text of Waiting for Godot is going to be contextualised into a
performance.

 I would put up certain props on stage such as a : tree, a robe , hats….. etc

 Explain how you would want your actors to act….. and move..in the space….

You might want to go against ( theatre of absurd acting…)