Background
Pierre Augustin Caron the pseudonym of Pierre Augustin Caron (1732-1799), the most important French dramatist of the second half of the 18th century. Beaumarchais was born in Paris on Jan. 24, 1732. The son of a prosperous watchmaker, he was educated in the trade, but his father dismissed him because of his escapades. Thereupon Beaumarchais started a colorful career, which made him one of the best-known personalities of his age. He entered the household of Louis XV as music master to the king's daughters. Later, he bought an appointment as secretary to the king and, through his court contacts, became associated in a variety of business enterprises. These were to enrich him enormously and at the same time involve him in several notorious lawsuits. In 1764 Beaumarchais went to Spain to vindicate the honor of his sister, who had been jilted by a Spanish suitor; from this trip came much of the atmosphere that he was to use later in his plays. His inclination for the theater led him to write the dramas EugénieEugenie (1767), which was fairly successful, and Les Deux Amis (1770), which failed completely.
At this point, Beaumarchais became implicated in a series of lawsuits which culminated in the scandalous affaire Goëzman.Goezman. Having lost important decisions in the lower courts, Beaumarchais sought the influence of M. Goëzman,Goezman, president of the Maupeou Parlement in Paris, by showering largess on Madame Goëzman.Goezman. The president ruled against Beaumarchais and Madame GoëzmanGoezman returned all the gifts except one item of 15 gold louis. Beaumarchais sued for recovery, and GoëzmanGoezman placed countercharges; for weeks the case was the sensation of Paris. Eventually both men were condemned, and Beaumarchais spent a short time in prison. To clear himself, he wrote his witty and darling MémoiresMemoires (1774), which contains a mordant attack on judicial injustice.
The resounding success of Le Barbier de SévilleSeville in 1775 brought Beaumarchais to the fore as a dramatist. The next year he formed a company to supply weapons to the American revolutionists. The venture made him a fortune, although his claims against the United States long remained unsettled. He also headed a project to publish the works of Voltaire. Between business deals and political intrigues, he finished Le Mariage de Figaro (1778). His play attacked feudal privileges so devastatingly that the king refused authorization for public performance. Beaumarchais therefore had it performed privately for nobles and members of the court; always an opportunist, he utilized royal censorship to sharpen curiosity about the play. When it was finally given at the ThéâtreTheatre Français,Francais, Apr. 27, 1784, three persons were crushed to death by the hysterical crowd outside the theater. Beaumarchais attempted to use the Figaro characters a third time in La MèreMere coupable (1792), but this heavy melodrama was a dismal failure.
During the French Revolution, Beaumarchais's career continued its bizarre course: he carried out commissions in Holland for the revolutionists and then was thrown into prison. Released, he became an agent for the Committee of Public Safety and was persecuted as an émigré;emigre; his wealth was confiscated and his family arrested. He was permitted to return to France in 1796 and died in Paris, May 18, 1799.