Marriage of Figaro

 Marceline

 

The Marriage of Figaro
Ann Ronan Picture Library

  The character in Marriage of Figaro that I chose to talk about is Marceline, the court housekeeper. Even though she isn't exactly the main character of the whole play, she was a sub-character that stood out to me. I found her character to be interesting through the beginning of how she wants to marry Figaro and create a plot within getting the Count to not allow Figaro to marry Suzanne. As a court housekeeper, Marceline's class status would lie more into the middle class but may have some advantages as upper.  In Act 3 when they all found out that Marceline is the maternal mother of Figaro. Personally, my thoughts went exactly like "huh?" because it was a weird idea that there could've been a possible chance of Figaro marrying his maternal mother. That would've been a huge twisted controversy. Marceline engaged through the plot forward by getting the Count against the marriage of Figaro and Suzanne because Figaro had to repay Marceline. This led to the court scene in Act 3 where there are debates over whether Figaro should just pay off the debt or else he would have to marry Marceline. Sooner or later, it is found that Figaro's mother is Marceline and the love that she had for him was just maternal love. 

    In addition, seeing how Marceline progresses throughout the play even though the minimal appearances, one part that struck out to me was how Marceline begins to side with Suzanne of Figaro's suspicion of Suzanne's affair. This was right after when everyone found out that Marceline is Figaro's mother. Despite the fact that she once did not like Suzanne for taking Figaro away from her before, she still chose Suzanne's side over her own son. When Fanchette told Figaro about the possible infidelity, Marceline calms Figaro yet goes on to tell Suzanne about Figaro's questioning. In a journal article, it mentions how women tend to defend "their sex against ' this arrogant, this dreadful... and moreover this rather silly masculine sex.' " ( Allanbrook 72 ) This seemed interesting because it almost depicts Marceline as this standing feminist who's willing to protect someone of the same sex in this act. 

Act 5 and Satire

    In Act 5 which is the very last act, Suzanne and the Countess switches role by dressing up as each other. Suzanne who is dressed up as the Countess hides while the actual Countess has been approached by the Count. Figaro sees this and shames Suzanne even though it's the Countess. As the actual Countess and the Count have gone away into the Pavilion, the real Suzanne confronts Figaro. Figaro laughs it off because he knew the Countess was playing as Suzanne. When the Count saw this, he became ashamed as everyone laughed. The very last line of Act 5 or the overall play states " My wife and fortune apart- you are all welcome to what I have". I feel that Figaro is suggesting to the audience of reality and the celebration of the happy ending on his side and the Count and the Countess. 

    Satire is a literary work that mocks with sarcasm or irony to expose others or issues. This can be seen through political cartoons. However, in the case of Marriage of Figaro, the function of satire was seen more as a political satire of social class and wealth. In the play of Act 5, Figaro gives off a soliloquy that mentions the power of the upper-class and how ashamed he is of the aristocracy. Through this soliloquy, it mocks the political power of the upper class which is the reason why King Louis XVI forbids the play. It's fascinating how Beaumarchais was able to succeed in a play that used a political satire that became a huge controversy towards high ranks. 

Pierre Beaumarchais
Jean-Marc Nattier

Work Cited

Allanbrook, Wye J. “Pro Marcellina: The Shape of ‘Figaro’, Act IV.” Music & Letters, vol. 63, no. 1/2, Oxford University Press, 1982, pp. 69–84, http://www.jstor.org/stable/736042.

Cunningham, Lawrence, et al. Culture & Values a Survey of the Humanities. Cengage Learning, 2018.

de, B. P. A. C., & Sahlins, B. (1994). The Marriage of Figaro. I.R. Dee.