PODCAST · arts

Frailty and Hypocrisy (Figaro Trilogy #3)

by Pierre Beaumarchais

This is James Wild's English translation of the French play, "The Guilty Mother," the third installment of Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais' Figaro trilogy, first staged in summer 1792. His plays are a satire about lovers' misdoings and French society, and the rebellious themes, presented during the troubling times leading up to the French Revolution, created great difficulty getting them past the censors (and, indeed, contributed to the playwright having to flee from France). Once staged, the plays were enormously popular with audiences, including the aristocracy, despite their understanding of the underlying themes. All three plays were made into operas, although this final play is lesser known. - - Twenty years after the Figaro marriage, Figaro and Suzanne must come to the rescue of the Count and Countess, whose marriage endures despite each having an illegitimate child. Enter the fiend who wishes to marry the lovely daughter . . . and classic Beaumarchais entertainment ensues.