The 1827 performance seems to have been a critical junction for the art scene in Paris, a sort of bridge from the classic to the romantic movement. It was a moment of budding artistic vision meeting the genius of Shakespeare, as well as the exemplary, even if incidental and oblivious, style of an English theater troupe.
Shakespeare was virtually unknown in Paris as of this date. The first adaptation of Shakespeare for stage was Hamlet in 1769, but it was adapted by a man (Ducis) who knew no English and produced a version bearing little resemblance to the original. Even so, it survived in repertories until 1852 (Raby 43). French classicists saw Shakespeare as barbarous, and during a performance of Othello in 1822, Desdemona's smothering was met with flying fruit and the exclamation, "Down with Shakespeare--he's a flunky of Wellington!"
However, by 1827, romanticism was on the horizon. Stendhal's book, "Shakespeare et Racine", questioned the nature of art and drama, and budding romantics yearned for exposure to real Shakespearean tragic prose. While in London, Shakespearean tragedies had become a vehicle for spectacle with fancy stage effects and design, they were in demand in Paris, where they were valued more for their literary appeal. As one audience member remarked, "The theatres of other countries assemble spectators; but an audience is only to be found in a French theatre" (Raby 59).
In addition, Hamlet impressed the audience because it broke away from the Aristotelian idea of the three unities, which was still present in French drama. According to the unities, a theatrical performance must adhere to rules, including the rule that the action must occur in real time, without any jumping from scene to scene that skips over time.
One audience member who appreciated this deviation from classical theater was Alexander Dumas, one of Shakespeare's most ardent admirers and a popular French playwright. Dumas knew Shakespeare's dramas almost by heart by the time of Hamlet in 1827; according to Paul Meurice, "Shakespeare was a god for Dumas" (Partridge 241).
Shakespeare was such a formative influence on Dumas that other Romantics accused him of plagiarism. In his notes he wrote:
Shakespeare contains the whole of humanity. Anybody that studies Shakespeare, studies at once Corneille and Moliere, Racine and Regnard- plus Shakespeare. Shakespeare is as much a writer of comedy as Moliere and Regnard: look at Falstaff and Mercutio. He is as tragic as Corneille and Racine: see Othello and Richard III. Moreover, he's as much a dreamer as Goethe: see Hamlet; as dramatic as Schiller,- think of Macbeth. As poetic. . .as ever poet has been: remember Romeo and Juliet. It results that, when an actor or actress has studied Shakespeare, they have studied everything. . .Shakespeare has divined everything. . .In conclusion, Shakespeare, in the hands of a capable student, can at one and the same time replace Moliere, Corneille, Racine, Calderon, Goethe and Schiller. (Partridge 242)
The most immediate results of Dumas' admiration for Shakespeare are Christine and Henri III, where he attempts to capture the essence of good theater, although some would argue that he does not succeed (Raby 96-97). Other French writers reacted similarly to Dumas and incorporated the brilliance they saw in Shakespeare into their own works. (see Literature)
