« Si fault-il pourtant clorre le bec ». Les adresses aux spectatrices chez Théodore de Bèze (Abraham sacrifiant) et Louis des Masures (Tragédies saintes)

Abstract

The prologues of the tragedies by Louis des Masures and Théodore de Bèze present a singularity, which remains unique in the French tragic production of the 16th century: when asking the public for silence, both Prologues pretend to be interrupted by a woman to whom they then speak directly. Should these prologues be taken seriously or do they only come under the comic topos? This study first examines the text of these prologues: beyond the fact that these prologues confirm the presence of women in the audience, they can in themselves reveal a certain ambivalence on the specific role of the female audience. Then, it returns to their possible sources: these types of prologues potentially fall under two traditions, that of comic prologues and that of mystery prologues, which shows the aesthetic peculiarity of these biblical tragedies. Finally, the article looks at the echoes of these comments on the feminine in the plays: they seem to present a similar ambivalence as to their representation of the feminine, since, like the prologues, they recall commonplaces on women but then do not model the female characters on the stage according to these commonplaces. From then on, the spectators could observe positive models of women on stage, and feel even more concerned by a lesson that they could in turn understand and transmit: beyond the topos, the female spectators therefore have their place in the theatrical project of Bèze and des Masures.

Keywords

• theater
• tragedy
• audience
• biblical tragedy
• Théodore de Bèze
• Louis des Masures