Napoléon Arlequin ou la métaphore théâtrale

Abstract

In 1814 a close link was established between Napoleon and popular theatre forms as a way of reinforcing his lack of authenticity. Commentators such as Nodier rejected popular theatre as being for the ears and eyes only, a spectacle that offers only 'lukewarm and common emotions', in other words ones that are feigned. By emphasising the illusion and falsity of fairground theatre, and by linking Napoleon and those close to him (Cambacerès, for example) to the commedia dell'arte tradition in particular, the pamphleteers and cartoonists of the First Restoration were able to highlight the inferiority and ridicule of the imperial regime. However, during the Hundred Days Bonapartists retaliated and quickly reclaimed theatrical references as a visual tool and this article will trace the evolution and metamorphoses of this metaphor in order to better grasp the polyvalences at the heart of this imagery.

Keywords

• Napoleon
• print culture
• Chateaubriand
• commedia dell’arte
• theatre