BEAUMARCHAIS, bo'nffir'shh'. A name assumed by Pierre Augustin Caron (1732-99), the most important French dramatist of the Eighteenth Century, though he wrote but two really successful plays, Le barbicr de Seville (1775) and Le Mariage de Figaro (1784). He was born in Paris, the son of a watchmaker, and was educated to his father's trade. He early developed a marked taste for music and suffi cient proficiency to become music-master to the daughters of Louis XV. He turned this posi tion to good account in speculations. In 1764 he made a journey to Spain to protect or vindi cate his sister, who had been abandoned by her betrothed, Clavigo. His account of this mission in his 3Hmoires suggested the drama to (Inethe. He brought from Madrid a knowledge of things Spanish that was later of much use to him. He now' turned to the drama, wrote Eugenic (1767), a fairly successful domestic drama, and Les dear amis, a decided failure in the pathetic vein. Meantime he had become en gaged in financial speculations that led to law suits, and these led to a series of lie/noires, appeals to the public that are among the most vigorous, audacious, clever, and witty polemics in literature. Their attack on judicial injustice gave them a universal interest. They were eager ly read, and deepened the discontent. with the existing state of society that was to culminate in the Revolution. Beaumarchais thus became a political personality. He was confidentially employed by Louis XV. and later by Louis XVI., but before this he had snatched a sensational dramatic triumph out of failure by rearranging a comic opera into a five-act comedy—his Barbie?. de Wyllie (1775), Spanish in scene, but essen tially 'French at the heart; the most famous comedy of the century, save only its sequel from the same hand. ft is simple, lively, ingenious, effective, and it contains one of the strongest drawn characters of dramatic literature—Figaro, an incarnation of the new democracy.
Beaumarchais now engaged in furnishing the American revolted colonists with supplies, and acquired a pecuniary claim against the United States that remained long unsettled. His rest
less spirit also projected a complete edition of Voltaire, and he prepared a sequel to the Barbier, Le mariage de Figaro, so daringly democratic and revolutionary that it received the advertise ment of a prohibition which so whetted public curiosity that when at last it was licensed, three persons were crushed to death in seeking en trance to the National Theatre (Theatre Fran 1784). Here the wit is keener, the action swifter, the social satire more mordant than in the Barbier. Figaro, the light-hearted, ver satile, shrewd scapegrace, was furnishing a social solvent that would disintegrate society and in vite the Revolution. Beaumarchais had prob ably no more serious purpose than delight in his own wit. "He wished to tire a squib and he ex ploded the magazine." These comedies mark, in dialogue, construction, and intrigue, the high water mark of the century. If they err, it is in the monotony of their brilliancy. The tradition of their unparalleled success gave models to Hugo and Dumas and inspired the operas of Rossini and Mozart. Beaumarchais did noth ing more of significance. An opera libretto, Tarare (1777) is a trifle. A heavy melodrama, La inCrc cougable (1790), vainly seeks to recall Figaro. Then Beaumarchais fled from the Terror to Holland. He returned in 1796, and left at death a comfortable fortune that he had managed to save from the wreck of the Revolution. Beau marchais's works are edited by Conlin (7 vols., l809), by Fume (6 vols., 1827), and by Moland (1874). Consult also Lomenie, Beaumarchais et son temps, 4th ed, (trans. by Edwards. Lon don, 1856) ; Lintilhac, Beaumarchais et sex rearres (Paris, 1887) ; Gudin de la Brenellerie, Ilistoire de Beaumarchais (ed. Tourneaux, Paris, 1886) ; Lescure, Binge de Beaumarchais (Paris, 1887) ; Bonnefon, Etude sue Beaumarchais ( Paris. 1887 ) ; and Ha Ilays, (Paris, 1897).