Honor and Rebellion in the Theater: Mozart, Beaumarchais, and Figaro

Indianapolis, IN

This paper compares political engagement of different incarnations of The Marriage of Fiagro: both the original 1778 Pierre Beaumarchais play La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1786 opera Le Nozze di Figaro. Both Beaumarchais and Mozart were honored in significant manners by the courts of their respective states and times, yet both decided to challenge that honor system within their works. Their acts of rebellion in satirical and veiled ways influenced the political climate of their home states as both a response to and a push towards reforms and a monumental change in philosophy away from a hierarchical honor system and towards human dignity. Using Robert Oprisko's systematized honor structure, I show how both pieces pushed political boundaries, catalyzing reform of the very system that brought the authors to societal heights. I also show that these men saw differing levels of success with their literary and musical rebellions, affecting their states and the continental political climate in various ways.