The eighteenth century “classical era” was that of a somewhat different appeal to me. I found it very interesting that one of the biggest changes in this era was the “nature of its audience.” Theater in this time period was not for the “silly” peasant but for the new, middle class aristocrats. There seemed to be a huge concern with the lifestyles of the “rich and famous.” The majority of this “new” influence had taken many countries in Europe by storm.
During this period a man by the name of “Voltaire”, aka “Francois-Marie Arouet”, had a huge impact on the “French literary landscape” from 1674 until 1778. Voltaire was a very outspoken man who spoke out about social reform and critcized the king and the church. He was also one of the biggest writers of his time, with poems, books, and plays that were philosophical and witty, he truly captured the audience’s attention. Voltaire’s first most recognized and influencial pieces of theatrical work entitled, “Oedipe” , which was his first dramatic tradgedy. This is a musical play based on the myth “Oedipus”, that strangely covers the entire story of Oedipus from birth to death. “Oedipe” was first showed at the “Theatre Francais”, in Paris France in 1718. This work shows that even though his work was very controversial he still captured the lower and middle class’s attention in an “this is how is is” attitude. I personally admire voltaire for his outspoken ways. I think it is neat that even though he was jailed a few times and his books were banned, he seemed to understand “the people.” Below is a clip from one of the most recent renditions of “Oedipe.” The other is a portrait of Voltaire at the age of 70.
Voltaire at the age of 70
A skit from the play "Oedipe" by Voltaire
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