The Barber of Seville (French: Le Barbier de Séville) is a French play by Pierre Beaumarchais. It was written in 1773, but, due to legal and political problems of the author, it was not performed until February 23, 1775. It is the first play in a trilogy of which the other constituents are The Marriage of Figaro, and The Guilty Mother. For the Beaumarchais play, see The Barber of Seville (play). ... For other uses, see Play (disambiguation). ... Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (January 24, 1732 – May 17-18, 1799) was a watch-maker, inventor, musician, politician, invalid, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms-dealer, and revolutionary (both French and American). ... Year 1773 (MDCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Marriage of Figaro (French: Le Mariage de Figaro or La Folle Journée) is a comedy in five acts, written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais. ... −The Guilty Mother (La Mère coupable) subtitled The Other Tartuffe is the third play of the Figaro Trilogy by Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais. ...

Though poorly received at first, Beaumarchais worked some fast editing of the script, turning the play into a roaring success after three days. The play's title might be a pun on Tirso de Molina's earlier play El Burlador de Sevilla (The Trickster of Seville). Tirso de Molina (October, 1571 - March 12, 1648) was a Spanish dramatist and poet. ... The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest (Spanish: El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra) is a play by Tirso de Molina, published in Spain around 1630 and set in the 14th century. ...

Summary

The story follows a traditional Commedia dell'Arte structure, with many characters seemingly based on famous stock characters. The plot involves a Spanish count, called simply The Count although "Almaviva" appears as an additional name (whether it's a given-name or a surname is not clear), who has fallen in love at first sight with a girl called Rosine. To ensure that she really loves him and not just his money, the Count disguises himself as a poor college student named Lindor, and attempts to woo her. His plans are foiled by Rosine's guardian Doctor Bartholo, who keeps her locked up in his house and intends to marry her himself. The Count's luck changes, however, after a chance reunion with an ex-servant of his, Figaro, who is currently working as a barber and therefore has access to the Doctor's home. After being promised money, and afraid the Count will seek revenge on him if he refuses, Figaro devises a variety of ways for the Count and Rosine to meet and talk. The story culminates in the marriage of the Count and Rosine. Commedia redirects here. ... This article is about the style or title of nobility. ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lindor is a chocolate snack made by Lindt & Sprüngli and first introduced in 1955 in Switzerland. ... Figaro may refer to any of the following: Figaro, the central character in the comedies, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Guilty Mother by Pierre de Beaumarchais. ... A boy visiting a barber A barber (from the Latin barba, beard) is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. ...

First act

The scene is on the street in front of Dr. Bartholo's home in Seville. The Count, disguised as a poor college student, waits outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rosine, whom he met in Madrid and has followed to Seville, though up till now they have never spoken directly. Figaro happens to come down the street, and he and the Count recognize each other. While talking outside, Dr. Bartholo and Rosine come to a window of the house and Rosine pretends to drop a piece of sheet music out her window by mistake. While the doctor is coming down the stairs to retrieve it, Rosine instructs the Count to take it. He does, and finds a note from Rosine hidden inside it, in which she asks that he explain who he is, and why he has followed her to Seville, by way of singing his answer to the tune of the song. Figaro then informs the Count that Rosine is the ward of Dr. Bartholo; and also that since he is the doctor's barber and apothecary, he goes in and out of the house all the time. He devises a plan to smuggle the Count into the house by disguising him as a drunken soldier in need of lodging.

The two are interrupted when they overhear Dr. Bartholo making plans to secretly marry Rosine during the night, before he leaves to see his friend Bazile who is to make the arrangements. Afterwards, the Count sings to Rosine, claiming to be a poor man named Lindor who is in love with her. From inside the house, Rosine sings back a verse requiting his affections, before she is caught by someone else inside and is forced to retreat. At this point Figaro and the Count split ways to meet again once their plan is underway.

Second act

Rosine writes another note to the Count (Lindor), and when Figaro comes into the house she gives it to him asking if he will deliver it. Figaro agrees. When he leaves, Dr. Bartholo comes in, complaining that Figaro has given incapacitating medical treatments to all the servants in the house; when he looks at Rosine he can see by the inkstains on her fingers that she has been writing, and demands to know what she wrote. When she continues to deny writing anything, he accuses Figaro of having seduced her. Rosine leaves, and it is then revealed to the audience that Figaro is hiding in a cabinet, and he listens as Bartholo and Bazile discuss the fact that they know Count Almaviva has been inquiring all over town about her, and they form a plan to spread malicious gossip about the Count so that if he ever should find Rosine, she will be too disgusted with him to ever want to form a relationship.

They leave, and Figaro goes to Rosine and warns her that Bartholo is planning to force her to marry him before morning. At this point the Count enters in his disguise of an inebriated soldier. He presents a forged lodging billet, but the doctor points out he is exempt from the law that requires people to lodge soldiers. When he goes to produce the paper proving this, the Count smuggles another note to Rosine. When the doctor returns he sends the Count away and then sees Rosine with the note and demands she show it to him, but she is able to switch it with an innocent letter, putting out Bartholo's fears. Rosine reads the actual note, which contains instructions for her to start a fight with Bartholo.

Third act

The Count arrives at the house again, disguised this time as a teacher and tells Bartholo that Bazile is sick and has sent him as a substitute to give Rosine her music lesson for the day. Rosine enters pretending to be very angry, having chosen the music lesson as an excuse to pick a fight with Bartholo. She however recognizes the Count (Lindor) again, and quiets down. A comic scene ensues in which the Count accompanies Rosine on the piano while she sings and Bartholo keeps falling asleep; the Count begins kissing Rosine, causing the music to stop and the Doctor to wake up each time, forcing Rosine and the Count to scurry back into place, and the lazzo repeats. Figaro comes in and tries to distract Dr. Bartholo by shaving him so that Rosine and the Count will be alone together, but Bartholo catches on, especially when Bazile arrives to give Rosine her music lesson. The Count discreetly hands Bazile a bag of money, bribing him to play along, and they are able to settle the doctor's fears once more. The Count tells Rosine he will be back at night to visit.

Fourth act

The stage is dark and the sound effects for a lightning storm are played. Bazile admits to Bartholo what had happened earlier in the day, and speculates that the man in the house before may have been the Count. He advises against Bartholo's plan to force a marriage to Rosine, but Bartholo takes no heed. Rosine then comes out, looking for the Count; Bartholo goes to her and tells her that the man in the house was working for a notorious womanizing count named Almaviva, and that this count is planning to kidnap her. Rosine believes this story and becomes outraged. She agrees to marry Bartholo, and he goes out to find a judge to perform the marriage ceremony. Rosine runs to lock herself in Marceline's room to avoid what she thinks is the impending kidnap. Figaro and the Count break into the house, discussing the Count's plan to propose marriage to Rosine, and worrying about how to break the news that he is really a Count. Rosine comes back out to yell at him, and tell him she knows all about his horrible scheme to kidnap her: however, she notices that Figaro keeps addressing him as "my lord" and inquires as to the reason. The Count then reveals his true identity, and Rosine forgives him. The Judge then enters, and the Count takes him and has him draw up a marriage contract between himself and Rosine. Bartholo comes in just a moment after it is signed, and after making some futile arguments against the contract's validity, resigns himself. As a consolation he is given Rosine's dowry money to keep.

The Characters

• Count Almaviva, a Spanish grandee, in love with Rosina
• Figaro, barber of Seville
• Rosina, a young lady of noble birth, ward of Bartholo
• Bartholo, physician and Rosine's guardian
• Bazile, organist and music master to Rosina
• Wakeful (L'Éveilleé), servant of Bartholo, a dull sleepy boy
• Youthful (La Jeunesse), an elderly servant of Bartholo
• A notary
• An alcalde
• Alguazils and servants

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. ... Alguazil is a Spanish title often to be met in stories and plays, derived from the Arabic visir and the article al The alguazil among the early Spaniards was a judge, and sometimes the governor of a town or fortress. ...

The Character of Figaro

Figaro is inspired by the Commedia dell'Arte character of Brighella, and like his predecessor he is a clever liar; moral and yet unscrupulous; good humored, helpful and brave, though somewhat embittered and cynical. As he says in The Barber of Seville: "I must force myself to laugh at everything lest I be obliged to weep." Though he is normally calm, collected and intelligent, he can be irrational when angered. The name 'Figaro' was invented by Beaumarchais for this character, and it has been theorized by Frederic Grendel that it is made from a phoenetic transcription of the words "fils Caron" (Caron having been the given surname of the playwright.) Commedia redirects here. ... Brighella, from the 16th century. ... For other uses, see Caron (disambiguation). ...

The Operas

Giovanni Paisiello's opera based on the play was first performed in 1782, but it is Gioacchino Rossini's opera, The Barber of Seville, premièred in 1816, that has better stood the test of time. Paisiello at the clavichord, by Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1791. ... Il barbiere di Siviglia, ovvero La precauzione inutile (The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution) is a comic opera by Giovanni Paisiello, first performed on 26 September 1782 at the Imperial Court, Saint Petersburg. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... For the Beaumarchais play, see The Barber of Seville (play). ...

Sources

• The Figaro Trilogy: a new translation by David Coward, Oxford World's Classics
• The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, Penguin Classics
• The Italian Comedy, Dover

External Links

• Full text of the play (in French)