Open Access« Amongst the Gods I Psyche will translate »: la réécriture par Thomas Shadwell de la tragédie-ballet Psyché (1671) de Molière, Corneille et Quinault
Author(s) -
Pierre Degott
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
lisa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1762-6153
DOI - 10.4000/lisa.1128
Subject(s) - psyche , ballet , allegory , art , representation (politics) , literature , interpretation (philosophy) , humanities , opera , art history , philosophy , politics , linguistics , epistemology , dance , political science , law
The present article aims at studying Thomas Shadwell’s adaptation of Molière, Corneille and Quinault’s tragédie-ballet of 1671, Psyché. A comparative examination of the two texts does indeed highlight the differing horizons of expectancy of the French and the English stages. If Shadwell’s play can be read as an allegory of the political situation of the Restoration, this article attempts to show that the English Psyche, boldly subtitled “The English Opera” by the musician Matthew Locke in his edition of the work, can also be seen as an allegorical representation of the operatic world itself. The third part of the article is therefore an examination of the various elements likely to support this interpretation