The Marriage of Figaro is a play known for being overtly critical of the aristocracy in pre-Revolutionary France. It was written by French author Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais around 1778, but the first performances didn't take place until 1784. At the center of the play is Figaro, a character who has become so famous that he has taken on a life of his own and inspired a number of satirical newspapers and magazines including Le Figaro in France, The London Figaro in Victorian England, and Der Figaro in Vienna. He is a rascally, erudite servant who refuses to compromise his dignity and resists being taken advantage of by his aristocratic employer, the Count.
The play centers...
