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''Sémiramis'' (1746) is a tragedy in five acts by
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
, first performed in 1748 and published in 1749.


Action


Act 1

The plot is very similar to that of Voltaire's earlier unsuccessful tragedy '' Ériphyle''. The action takes place in a courtyard in front of the palace of Sémiramis in
Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...
, in front of the
Hanging Gardens The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World listed by Hellenic culture. They were described as a remarkable feat of engineering with an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a wide variety of tree ...
. Sémiramis, after having her husband Ninus poisoned, now rules the Babylonian Empire. Ninus had previously given his son Ninias to the old man Phradate. The son grew up as Arsace in Scythia and returns to Babylon 15 years after the murder. At his father's coffin he hears his voice demanding revenge. – Sémiramis has been plagued by Ninus’ ghost for months.


Act 2

The queen hates Assur - he in turn wants to be king and rule together with Azéma as his wife. In order to find out the will of the gods, Sémiramis obtained an oracle: a second wedding should calm Ninus in his grave. In a confidential conversation she reveals to Assur her intention to share the royal rule with him.


Act 3

Sémiramis sees that the gods have brought Arsace to her for a new marriage and decides to marry him instead of Assur. She announces the decision that the gods who watch over the empire have made: Arsace is the new monarch. Ninus's shadow rises from the grave and tells Arsace that he will rule but must atone for atrocities.


Act 4

The Grand Priest reveals to Arsace that he is Ninias, Ninus' son - Sémiramis himself took her husband's life, and Assur gave the poison. A document written by the dying man proves the queen's guilt. Arsace shows the document to his mother, who then pleads guilty.


Act 5

Assur wants to eliminate his rival Arsace in the mausoleum. Sémiramis comes to save the son, but is fatally injured by him in the scuffle. Arsace/Ninias involuntarily avenged his father's death on his mother. The Grand Priest sums up: “Tremble, you kings on the throne and fear the justice of the gods.”


Dispute with Crébillon

When Voltaire was given the opportunity to write a piece of grand theatre to commemorate the birth of the dauphin’s first son in 1746, he selected the apparently inappropriate story of the ancient queen
Semiramis Semiramis (; ''Šammīrām'', ''Šamiram'', , ''Samīrāmīs'') was the legendary Lydian- Babylonian wife of Onnes and of Ninus, who succeeded the latter on the throne of Assyria, according to Movses Khorenatsi. Legends narrated by Diodorus ...
. The theme of a ruler who poisoned her husband, fell in love with her own son and ultimately met her death was not one that appeared to have the expected celebratory qualities. Voltaire claimed that the play would restore French tragedy to its classical glory, an aspiration worthy of a new prince. In the event the birth went badly and the young dauphine Maria Teresa died. The play was therefore not performed at court or in the public theatre, but Voltaire sent a copy to
Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
in February 1747. ''Sémiramis'' became a focal point for the bitter dispute between Voltaire and his older rival Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon. Crébillon was favoured by
Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
, who secured him the position of royal librarian and gave him a pension. Crébillon was also the royal censor, and had previously irritated Voltaire by demanding changes in ''Temple du goût'' (1733) and then stopped the performances of ''Mahomet'' (1742) and ''La Mort de César'' (1743). Voltaire decided to retaliate by selecting, one after another, classical themes for his tragedies which Crébillon had used earlier, to demonstrate the superiority of his own treatment of the material. The first of these plays, ''Sémiramis'', dealt with a plot Crébillon had used in his tragedy of the same name in 1717. He followed this up with ''Oreste'' (1750) and ''Rome sauvée'' (1752). Crébillon was angry with Voltaire's choice of ''Sémiramis''. He first required a number of irritating changes from Voltaire, and then immediately authorised the publication of a parody of the play - not uncommon at the time - which was performed at the Comédie Italienne and then for the court at
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
, and which Voltaire felt singled him out for ridicule.Siegfried Detemple: ''Semiramis, in: Voltaire: Die Werke. Katalog zum 300. Geburtstag.'' Reichert, Wiesbaden 1994 The staging of the play became another battleground between the followers of Crébillon and partisans of Voltaire. Traditionally part of the stage in the Comédie-Française was occupied by gentlemen spectators, and Crébillon supported this status quo. However Voltaire wanted grand and lavish sets, and the theatrical effect of a ghost would be lost if there were spectators sitting close to where he appeared. He therefore insisted on clearing the stage.


Critical reception

The play was first performed at the court of
Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (Stanisław Bogusław; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duk ...
in
Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German : ''Lünstadt'' ; Lorrain: ''Leneinvile'') is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Ve ...
, but its public premiere was on August 29, 1748 at the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
. It became one of Voltaire's greatest stage successes, not only in France but internationally, as it was performed in many European capitals.
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
was an exception, as
Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
found the theme of a queen murdering her husband uncongenial. Voltaire's text was the basis for the libretto by Gaetano Rossi used by
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...
for his opera ''
Semiramide ''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Sémiramis (tragedy), Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first ...
''. An English translation of the play was printed in 1760, and adaptations of it were staged at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
in 1776 and the King's Theatre, Haymarket in 1794.


Printed editions

In 1749 a version of the play, printed by Lambert, appeared without naming the author. Three other unauthorized printings followed in the same year. Voltaire added a treatise on ancient and modern tragedy as a preface and an appendix in honour of the dead officers of the
War of Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...
.


References


External links


third edition of ''Sémiramis'' (1749)''Lettre sur la Semiramis de M. de Voltaire'' (1748)Literature on ''Sémiramis'', Société des Etudes Voltairiennes
{{Authority control Plays by Voltaire Tragedy plays 1748 in France 1746 plays Works set in Babylon Semiramis