Voltaire
François Marie Arouet
Oedipe (1718)
Bastille; Paris, France
Most people know him as Voltaire in society today, philosopher and witty playwright, but François Marie Arouet was more commonly known for his sass and rebellion against the strict government control. Jailed many times throughout his life, Arouet created Oedipe during an 11 month imprisonment, which due to his skepticism and rebellious acts toward not only officials, but also the government, and forced him to continue his writings while imprisoned. With Oedipe being his most famous of works after its first production, and once it did Voltaire became one of the top dramatists of the century. This is somewhat entertaining in itself considering Arouet was not very much of a dramatist since he lacked sympathy and understanding. But with his quick wit and stunning intellectual ability to create satirical playwrights put him at the top.
Arouet began using his pen name Voltaire after he wrote Oedipe. This play is based on the story of Oedipus, but made no real contributions to it and actually followed more of a love story to do with Philoctetes love for Jocasta, two Greek mythology characters in which Jocasta was actually Oedipus’ mother and wife. Talk about drama! This first play was acted at Theatre- Francais the year it came out and set Voltaire’s reputation for good.
Around this time in the Classical era there was a lot of government censorship that was taking place and theaters were ordered to have a license by the Licensing Act of 1737 to cut back on political satire. This is exactly what Voltaire thrived off of and his witty remarks and satirical nature might have been what got him exiled and arrested so many times, but it is also the exact reason why he is and was so famous. Not only did he go after the king and crown ship, but he also went after religion and churches. This got him in big trouble but never stopped his writings from being popular. In fact, the more his work was banned, the more popular it became. The middle class was one of the main audiences to his works, so they were the most frequent buyers. With the rise of the middle class, also came the rise of Voltaire!
The main thing that really attracted me to Voltaire was his intellectual common sense. I like him for the sake of his (for a lack of a better term) ballsiness. So many people during this time were so concerned with breaking the law and being caught under censorship laws, Voltaire wasn’t concerned with any of this, he got out what he wanted to say and didn’t think twice, except for maybe when he was in jail. My favorite quote from him:
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.” — Voltaire , letter (1767)
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire
http://www.theatrehistory.com/french/voltaire001.html
http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/V/VOL/voltaire.html
This is a great blog. I learned alot of information on Voltaire. I think its neat how even in past societies there were people who had a problem with authority and government control (there would never be change if there wasn’t). Jailed 11 times. WOW!! You can’t really compare him with any modern day activists. I think most would give up after only a few sit-downs in the hoosegow. I did not know Voltaire was a pen name. Interesting. I agree that the story of Oedipus is drama. A man sleeping with his mother… gets my attention. Great Blog! I really enjoyed reading it and gaining some knowledge.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I did not know what ODIPE was about. It’s gross yet interesting how Jocasta was Oedipus’ mother and wife. It would probably make a good movie! I learned a lot about Voltaire himself from your blog as well. You did a great job explaining how Voltaire connects to the rise of middle class. I can see why you admire him for standing behind his convictions no matter what the outcome. Good Job on your blog!
This was an awesome blog. First of all I want to say kudos, it was brave to choose Voltaire as your topic. I wanted to but chose something a bit safer. I really liked the background info about the writer and how he didn’t really mean to be a dramatist. The quote at the end has to be my favorite part though. Oh, how very satirical he was. You included all the neccessary requirement for the assignment and more. And you educated me about Voltaire in the process! Thanks so much for sharing.
Rachel
You did a very good job. It is evident that it is a well thought out and researched blog. You covered all of the bases needed as well as extra things that are interesting as well. I really enjoyed reading it and learning more about Voltaire. You made it very interesting. Great Job
Great job. I also did a play written by Voltaire and was intrigued by his witt and great pieces of work. You explained a lot about him and how he was jailed many times. Id like to know a little more about they play though and what it entailed. I also like the quote you put at the bottom, very true! Thanks for blogging!
This is all really fascinating and exciting information. I never knew much about Voltaire, and this is a real eye opener not only to him but to the Classical period as a whole. I love how theater in itself was so dramatic, on stage as well as off. Good job on a very well thought out and executed blog!
Incredibly great read! Really.
Incredibly awesome post. Honestly!