'' Agathocle '' is the last dramatic tragedy by
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
. It was written by the 84-year-old author in 1777 almost simultaneously with the tragedy ''
Irène'', only months before he died. It was not performed on the public stage until the first anniversary of his death.
Composition
Voltaire sent a copy of the manuscript to his friend
d'Argental in August 1777, describing it to him as 'too cold and insipid' and urging him not to let anyone else see it. A month later, after further work, he was more confident about it, and hoped that the marvel of a play from an 84-year-old would soften the harshness of the critics. However of his two new plays he gradually came to consider that ''Irène'' would work better on stage, and it was indeed that work which was rehearsed and performed while he was alive.
He wrote again to d'Argental on 25 October to say that he felt ''Agathocle'' was only suitable for performing 'at the Olympic Games of some school of Platonic philosophy. I'm sending you something (''Irène'') more passionate, more theatrical, and more interesting.'
Action
The action takes place in ancient
Syracuse in the palace of the tyrant Agathocle (
Agathocles Agathocles ( Greek: ) is a Greek name, the most famous of which is Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from , ''agathos'', i.e. "good" and , ''kleos'', i.e. "glory".
Other personalities named Agathocles:
*Agathocles ...
) and the ruins of the Temple of
Ceres
Ceres most commonly refers to:
* Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid
* Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture
Ceres may also refer to:
Places
Brazil
* Ceres, Goiás, Brazil
* Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...
. Peace has been agreed between Syracuse and
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...
, which requires prisoners to be freed. The Carthaginian soldier Ydasan wants to secure the release of his captive daughter Ydace, but both the two sons of the tyrant Agathocle desire her. Polycrate is ready to undermine the peace agreement by refusing to allow Ydace to leave. The selfless Argide, on the other hand, protects her from his brother and when a fight ensues, he kills him. Agathocle is consumed with grief at his son's death, but recognises the virtue in Argide's motives. Argide renounces any claim over Ydace. To general surprise, Agathocle abdicates in favour of Argide, who promptly abdicates in turn, declaring the Republic restored.
Performances
The first performance of ''Agathocle'' was a private one in the house theatre on Voltaire's estate at
Ferney
Ferney-Voltaire () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ain Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of eastern France. It lies between the Jura Mountains and the France–Switzerland border, Sw ...
in September 1777, after which the author made a number of corrections to it. After Voltaire died his niece Mme Denis asked the
Comédie Française to stage it for the first anniversary of his death on 31 May 1779.
Before the performance, the actor Jean Baptiste Brisard read a speech written by
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert.
The role of Agathocle was played by (fr)
Grammont, Polycrate by
Fleury, Argide by (fr)
Molé Molé is a surname of French origin. Notable people with the surname include:
* Louis-Mathieu Molé (1781–1855), French statesman
* Mathieu Molé
Mathieu Molé (1584 – 3 January 1656) was a French statesman.
Biography
The son of Edouard Mo ...
, Ydasan by (fr)
Brizard, Egeste by Dorival, Elpénor by
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, and Ydace by Mlle Saint-Val.
The public did not like the play and ''Agathocle'' was taken off the stage after only four performances.
Contemporary reception
Critical opinion was not kind to ''Agathocle''.
La Harpe described it as ‘a most imperfect sketch’ with lifeless and colourless characters which the author might have been able to work up into a full play if he had tackled the subject earlier before his strength failed him.
The Kehl edition of Voltaire's works also emphasised that the work was little more than an outline, of value mainly because it showed how Voltaire worked up a dramatic idea into a final performance text.
Printed editions
''Agathocle'' was first printed in volume six of the Kehl edition of Voltaire's Complete Works (''Oeuvres Completes de Voltaire'', Kehl, 1784, Volume 6, pp. 337-393). No contemporary printings of the play on its own are known.
References
External links
Full text of the play
{{Voltaire, state=expanded
1779 in France
1779 plays
Tragedy plays
Plays by Voltaire