Le Duc d'Alençon ou les Frères ennemis
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| Title: | Le Duc d'Alençon ou les Frères ennemis |
| Genus: | tragedy |
| Original language: | French |
| Author: | Voltaire |
| Publishing year: | 1821 |
| Premiere: | 1751 in Sanssouci |
| Place of premiere: | Potsdam |
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Le Duc d'Alençon ou les Frères ennemis is a tragedy in three acts by Voltaire . The text is a new version of Voltaire's tragedy Adélaïde du Guèsclin from 1734, written in Berlin, and was premiered in 1751 for Frederick II without female roles in Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam .
action
The action takes place in Lusignan in Poitou during the Hundred Years War . Nemours, supporter of the Dauphin of France, and the Duc de d'Alençon, allied with the English, are brothers at war. The Duc d'Alençon rescued Adélaïde du Guesclin from the hands of the English and wants to marry her. However, Amélie loves Nemours and stands by the Dauphin. When Nemours is captured by the English, the jealous Duc d'Alençon wants his brother and rival to be killed by his ally Coucy, who also loves Amélie. When the Duc d'Alençon's conscience stirs and he regrets his command, it is supposedly too late. Coucy, however, foresightedly spared Nemour's repentance from the Duc d'Alençon. After the reconciliation, Nemours married Adélaïde and the Duc d'Alençon recognized the Dauphin as a candidate for the French throne.
Literary source and biographical references
Voltaire, disappointed by the mild reception of his unprinted Adélaïde du Guèsclin , which was only listed eleven times in Paris in 1734 , revised the tragedy in Berlin in 1751 for Frederick II, who wanted a performance in Sanssouci. Since only men were welcome in Sanssouci, Voltaire removed the female roles.
Performances and contemporary reception
The tragedy was performed repeatedly in Sanssouci in 1751 to the complete satisfaction of the king. Friedrich's brother Heinrich took over the title role
Going to press
Despite the performances, the tragedy remained unprinted. In 1752 the five-act version Amélie ou le Duc de Foix was published . The first book edition was obtained in 1821 by Louis de Bois.
First editions
- Le Duc d'Alençon ou les Frères ennemis, Tragédie par M. de Voltaire, Ouvrage inédit publié pour la prémier fois par M. Louis de Bois , Paris, Pluquet et Brissot-Thivars, 1821, 8 °, X, 35 pp.
literature
- Èric van Schueren: (Le) Duc d'Alençon , in: Dictionnaire Voltaire, Hachette Livre, 1994, p. 65f.
- Le Duc d'Alençon ou les Frères ennemis : Nouvelle édition augmentée d'annexes (biography), Anvresa-Èditions, 2014, 81 pp.
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Èric van Schueren: Le Duc d'Alençon, in: Dictionnaire Voltaire, Hachette Livre, 1994, p. 65 f.