Despite Voltaire’s supposed stance against religious intolerance, he is notorious for his negative portrayal of some religions. Besides attacks on the Catholic Church, Voltaire also painted an ugly picture of Jewish people and had a negative view of Islam. [1]
Brutus is a tragedy in five acts written by Voltaire. It premiered on 11 December 1730 in Paris.
Voltaire drew his material from the legendary story of the first Roman Consul Lucius Junius Brutus (509 BC). His son, Titus, falls in love with Tullie, daughter of the last Etruscan king of Rome, and through this relationship is led into betraying Rome. The Senate hands Titus over to his father, who forgives him but insists on his execution to ensure the safety of the Republic.
M. de Voltaire was the assumed name of François-Marie Arouet, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. He was famous for his wit, his criticism of religious intolerance and slavery, and was at constant risk from the strict censorship laws of the French monarchy. He produced works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific writings, and was one of the first authors to become renowned and commercially successful internationally.
The first part of the play was written while Voltaire was in England in 1727. He completed it on his return to France and finally felt it ready for the stage in 1729. When the play premiered, the audience reaction was mixed, and it was criticised for the harsh attitude of the character of Brutus. Voltaire’s enemies actively tried to turn the public against it, and although well-attended, it was taken off the stage after only 15 performances. The play enjoyed a revival during the French Revolution, and the National Convention ordered a performance on 2 August 1793 with free admission where it was enthusiastically applauded.
In all, there were 110 performances at the Comédie-Française between 1730 and 1799. The first printed edition of the play appeared in 1731, with 13 further publications produced during Voltaire’s lifetime.
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