The Barber of Seville

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was an exceptional French writer of prose comedy during the eighteenth century. He is best known for his theatrical works of the three Figaro plays. Beaumarchais had an action-filled career as a watchmaker, musician, secret agent, businessman, diplomat and a financer of revolutions. His literary career was as turbulent as his personal life. After a series of lawsuits in Paris, the accounts of his trials made his reputation as a sarcastic, effective, and recognized writer. "The Barber of Seville" (1775) was originally a comic opera, or a mixture of spoken play with music. The story was based on an ill-fated alliance between Beaumarchais' sister and José Clavijo, a Spanish writer. In addition, Beaumarchais raises a cry for the condemnation of the prevailing social system through his main character, Figaro. The work was prohibited in 1773 for indecency then received with great success two years later.