During the last period of the Directory, the government tries to counteract the opposition of the Jacobin faction and the rebirth of the royalists by multiplying the directives tending to consoli- date the civic spirit and the exaltation of the revolutionary values. Theatres, still considered as “civic schools”, are thus invited to promote the great ancient libertarian examples of republican virtues opposed to the darkness of tyranny. Étéocle, Gabriel-Marie Legouve’s tragedy created at the Théâtre-Français on the 19th October 1799 developing the most «tragic subject of anti- quity» – the fratricidal struggle of the Oedipus’ sons for the throne of Thebes – is justly praised by the censors for its exaltation of the republican virtues: «la haine des rois est la moralité de cette tragédie». Despite a good success of criticism and public, the play nonetheless disappears from the repertory after a few performances. “Political” since conceived as a hymn to the values of an ideal Republic, this tragedy treating of the legitimacy and the obsession of power was not likely to be appreciated by Bonaparte after his Coup d’État of November 9th and was no longer really suited to the desire of an audience dreaming of fun, order and peace under the guide of the man of Providence.
"Une fois sur le trône, on n'en veut plus sortir": "Eteocle" de Gabriel-Marie Legouvé, ou de la légitimité du pouvoir entre Directoire et Consulat
Paola perazzolo
2020-01-01
Abstract
During the last period of the Directory, the government tries to counteract the opposition of the Jacobin faction and the rebirth of the royalists by multiplying the directives tending to consoli- date the civic spirit and the exaltation of the revolutionary values. Theatres, still considered as “civic schools”, are thus invited to promote the great ancient libertarian examples of republican virtues opposed to the darkness of tyranny. Étéocle, Gabriel-Marie Legouve’s tragedy created at the Théâtre-Français on the 19th October 1799 developing the most «tragic subject of anti- quity» – the fratricidal struggle of the Oedipus’ sons for the throne of Thebes – is justly praised by the censors for its exaltation of the republican virtues: «la haine des rois est la moralité de cette tragédie». Despite a good success of criticism and public, the play nonetheless disappears from the repertory after a few performances. “Political” since conceived as a hymn to the values of an ideal Republic, this tragedy treating of the legitimacy and the obsession of power was not likely to be appreciated by Bonaparte after his Coup d’État of November 9th and was no longer really suited to the desire of an audience dreaming of fun, order and peace under the guide of the man of Providence.
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