Robert Macaire
Encyclopedia
Robert Macaire was a noted criminal and assassin who appears in French plays
. His name is renowned in French culture as that of the archetypal villain.
Macaire was convicted of a murder in trial by combat with a witness in the shape of the dog of the murdered man. According to thebookofdays.com, the murdered man was Aubry de Montdidier of France, slain in the forest of Bondy. The trial reputedly occurred on October 8, 1361.
Aubry de Montdidier was a fictional French
knight
of Charles V
. The only witness of the murder was Montdidier's dog, which acted so violently against Macaire in court that King Charles ordered a duel between the dog and Macaire. As the dog won, Macaire confessed and was hanged.
written by Pierre Joseph Rousseau (James Rousseau) and illustrated by Henri Daumier. From this topicality, a character of this name appeared in the nineteenth-century play L'Auberge des Adrets, or 'The Adrets' Inn'. As played in 1823 by the star Frédérick Lemaître
as a bluff, free-living, unblushing libertine, who committed horrible crimes without stint or compunction, he became phenomenally acclaimed in France. However, most of the performance was timing, intonation, facial expression, and gesture; reading the play suggests none of the performance. In the play, Macaire's accomplice is Bertrand, a simpleton and villain.
Films were later made with the character Macaire, including Robert Macaire et Bertrand (1907) and The Adventures of Robert Macaire (1925).
Over a century and a quarter later, Lemaître's performance in L'Auberge des Adrets (courtesy of actor Pierre Brasseur
) figured significantly in plot of the classic French film Les Enfants du Paradis (1945).
Films
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. His name is renowned in French culture as that of the archetypal villain.
Macaire was convicted of a murder in trial by combat with a witness in the shape of the dog of the murdered man. According to thebookofdays.com, the murdered man was Aubry de Montdidier of France, slain in the forest of Bondy. The trial reputedly occurred on October 8, 1361.
Aubry de Montdidier was a fictional French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
. The only witness of the murder was Montdidier's dog, which acted so violently against Macaire in court that King Charles ordered a duel between the dog and Macaire. As the dog won, Macaire confessed and was hanged.
In popular culture
His is the name of the title character in the 1842 book Physiologie du Robert-Macairewritten by Pierre Joseph Rousseau (James Rousseau) and illustrated by Henri Daumier. From this topicality, a character of this name appeared in the nineteenth-century play L'Auberge des Adrets, or 'The Adrets' Inn'. As played in 1823 by the star Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître — birth name Antoine Louis Prosper Lemaître — was a French actor and playwright, one of the most famous players on the celebrated Boulevard du Crime.-Biography:...
as a bluff, free-living, unblushing libertine, who committed horrible crimes without stint or compunction, he became phenomenally acclaimed in France. However, most of the performance was timing, intonation, facial expression, and gesture; reading the play suggests none of the performance. In the play, Macaire's accomplice is Bertrand, a simpleton and villain.
Films were later made with the character Macaire, including Robert Macaire et Bertrand (1907) and The Adventures of Robert Macaire (1925).
Over a century and a quarter later, Lemaître's performance in L'Auberge des Adrets (courtesy of actor Pierre Brasseur
Pierre Brasseur
Pierre Brasseur , born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor.He was the son of actor Georges Espinasse and actress Germaine Brasseur while the latter was married to Albert Brasseur. His grandfather, Jules Brasseur, was an actor as well...
) figured significantly in plot of the classic French film Les Enfants du Paradis (1945).
External links
- "Judicial Combat Between a Man and a Dog"
- "Physiologie du Robert-Macaire, par James Rousseau. Illustr. de H. Daumier By Pierre Joseph Rousseau"
Films