Battle of Hernani

The Battle of Hernani , combat purely esthetic but wild, has as a framework the first representation, the February 25th 1830 of the part of Victor Hugo, Hernani , with the Comédie-Française of Paris. This part, works of a young already known author, breaks the traditional rules of the three units and employs an unusual vocabulary with the theater, mixing lyricism and commonplace. It puts in scene the unhappy love affairs of an outlaw, Hernani, for the young person infante Doña Sol.

The part and preparation of the battle

In 1829, the young author Victor Hugo, already éreinté by the censure which had prohibited its Marion Delorme , however obtains King the authorization to create a part of its choice to the Comédie-Française. Choosing a historical drama in Spain, it decides to tell the history of Hernani, proscribed by the king of Spain, in love with beautiful Doña Sol, so courted by the old Gift Ruy Gomez and the king Don Carlos, future Charles Quint.

The representation itself was preceded by several readings between the members of the romantic Cénacle , in the author, so that the partisans of Hugo prepare with in découdre. Side of the adversaries: the Censure, which cut all that appears an attack with the Monarchie, Masters imposed, holding of the Classicisme theatrical, eager to cut down once and for all this generation well too provocative, and the critical press. A Cabale is set up against this part: the press éreinte the author, wire of a Napoleonean general, Brifaut into diffuse of the deformed extracts and Hugo complains with the Minister of Interior Department, the censure slices in the sharp one, leaving voluntarily boldnesses of tone, thinking that the public will hoot these “errors of taste”.

During the repetitions, even certain actors, such Miss Mars, have sometimes some reserves and apprehensions to be played in this part which breaks by too traditional constructions and to agree with this young author who upsets the traditional play. One should not however exaggerate the hostility of the actors because they were in general more eager to support this drama and their author. The following anecdote, told by Alexandre Dumas, is not without interest:

The things occurred about as follows: in the middle of the repetition, Miss Mars stopped.
suddenly “Forgiveness my friend, said it to Firmin, Michelot or in Joanny, I have a word to say to the author. ”
The actor to which she addressed herself made a sign of approval, and remained dumb and motionless in his place. Miss Mars advanced until on slope, put hand on its eyes, and though it knew very well at which place of the orchestra the author was, it made pretense seek it. It was its small setting in scene, with elle.
“Mr Hugo? she asked. Is Mr. Hugo there?
- Me here, Madam, Hugo in levant.
answered - Ah! Very well! Thank you… Tell me Mr Hugo…
- Madam?
- I have to say this worms: “You are my superb and generous lion! ”
- Yes Madam, Hernani says to you: “Alas! I however like love quite deep! … /Does not cry! Pimpernels rather! What don't I have a world? /I would give it to you! I am quite unhappy! ” And you answer him: “You are my superb and generous lion! ”
- Do you like that, Mr Hugo?
- What?
- You are my lion ! …
- I wrote it thus Madam, therefore I believed that it was bien.
- Then hold you to with it with your lion ?
- I hold to with it and I do not hold Madam to with it; find to me something of better, and I will put this better at the place.
- Is not with me to find that: I am not the author, moi.
- Eh well then, Madam, since it is thus, let us leave all only what is written. ”
And the repetition continued. Only, the following day, arrival with the same place, Miss Mars stopped like the day before; as the day before it advanced on the slope; as the day before it put the hand on its eyes; like the day before, it made pretense seek the auteur.
It is of course that, the day of the first representation, Miss Mars, instead of saying: “You are my lion” known as: “You are, Monseigneur”. The worms neither was applauded nor whistled; he was not worth of it any more the sorrow|Alexandre Dumas|Memories, Volume V

The first

The February 25th 1830, with the French Theater. Victor Hugo removed the official snap, troop of forced applaudisseurs, acquired with the traditional ones. It to support, him and his wife beat the paving stone and fact call to friends, of the coterie for the majority, informed scuffle, already famous or not yet: Honore de Balzac, Gerard de Nerval, Petrus Borel, Hector Berlioz, Alexandre Dumas, Théophile Gautier… This last was provided besides with a pink waistcoat, and not red vermilion like it wants the legend, celebrates dress that according to his words “it put only once and carried all his life”. These sections occupied well before the hour the floor and the second galleries, being claquemurant in the room and being thus authorized drinking, to eat and urinate, sharing in the black a meal containing chocolate, of bread and saveloy.

When the public returns, but especially the “old hand”, defender of the classicism, it is a hooting. Théophile Gautier was made thereafter the rapporteur of this capital evening for the Romantisme, as this extract testifies it to a posthumous homage Victor Hugo in 1902:

Yes, we looked them with a perfect coolness, all these larvae of passed and routine, all these enemies of art, ideal, freedom and poetry, which sought their weak trembling hands to hold closed the door of the future; and we felt in our heart, a savage desire to remove their scalp with our tomahawk to decorate our belt of it; but to this fight, we had run the risk to gather less chevelures than of wigs; because, if she scoffed the modern school on her hair, the traditional school on the other hand, spread out with the balcony and the gallery of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais a collection of similar heads bald people to the cranium chain of the Dourga goddess. That jumped so extremely to the eyes that with the aspect of these glabrous stubs leaving their triangular collars with tons of color of flesh and rancid butter, malevolent in spite of their benevolent appearance, a young sculptor of much of spirit and talent, celebrates since, whose words are worth statues, exclaimed in the middle of the tumult: “With the guillotine knees! ”

The black is done, the three blows thunder and the curtain rises on a room to sleep. Between the duenna awaiting the lover of his mistress. And this towards: Would this be already him? - It is well in the staircase/Dérobé. The quarrel begins on this Césure, unacceptable for the traditional ones. During all the representation the free snap of romantic made failure to the opposition which whistled the bold images, the Hémistiche S and the caesuras by its verbal and capillary scuffles, its apostrophes with the punch and its jokes. Thus it was fatty paper rain on the jabots and the wigs of the traditional ones, whereas Balzac was caught a cabbage core in the figure, and Ernest of Saxony-Cobourg answered a lady who laughed with the glares with the scene of the portraits: “Do not laugh Madam, one sees your teeth! ” On scene, Miss Mars and her partners try to continue the representation, in spite of the battle which makes rage.

In its Newspaper , the actor Joanny note the evening even:

The part completely succeeded, in spite of a well marked opposition, and the original way in which this work is treated.

It is a triumph, the receipt is enormous, the Romantisme French was born.

The traditional ones counter-attack

The following day, the adversaries of the romanticism break out in the press:

Critical anonymity of the White Flag :

This chief of work of the absurdity, dreams of a delirious brain, obtained a success of frenzy; it would have been said that all insane the, escaped ones of their cabin, had gathered in the Th3e4atre Fran1cais.

Critical anonymity of the Gazette of France :

A coarse fable, worthy of the cruelest centuries; a fabric of coldly unrolled crimes, without combinations, art, morality.

Charles Maurice:

A horrible choice of manners, denigration of the inviolable characters, and an intolerable system of the destructive style of any poetry… Made rather odes!

The battle takes another turning then: Hugo has nothing any more but some places to give, which the royal Commissaire leaves him, and the public thus mainly becomes traditional (hundred places against fifteen hundreds). The newspapers declared that “the true” public could now go to avenge art insult.

Each representation became an appalling din: the Loge S laughed, the Stalle S whistled, the Salon S were held for known as going “to laugh with Hernani ”. Some straightforwardly turned the back on the scene, others rose, said “I of then more” and left, and others calmer read their newspapers passively.

Hundred young people did not démordaient any however: they whistled and insulted holding them of the “good taste”, they applauded boldnesses of tone, the eyes rivetted on the scene, carried by their twenty years.

The actors démenaient themselves as they could to make respect the part. Miss Mars, although she discovered what it was to be whistled and rigor was due some to the author that she criticized in Coulisse, was however she also faithful to the station on the Scène and defended the part until the end.

A paradoxical assessment

The battle thus continued all March but the part ends up being essential, and thirty six representations took place between the February 25th and the June 22nd. The romantic ones had affirmed their existence. They had gained the battle, even if the part itself suffered well too much and remains the only victim of this war: if it were the Manifeste new style, it in most known nor is not played. Precede Ruy Blas , One badine not with the love , Lorenzaccio , which did not have to be essential same manner.

The traditional ones did not démordirent any, attest some criticisms exhausting of the press which lasted until in June and of many parody S sques light comedy played as of end March, such as Harnali or the Constraint of the Horn by Auguste de Lauzanne, Oh! That nenni or the fatal Eunuch flute by Brazier and Pierre Carmouche or NR, I, Ni or the Danger of Castilles (romantic amphigori in five acts and towards sublimes interfered ridiculous prose) of Carmouche, Frederic de Courcy and Dupaty on a music of Piccini.

But these parody S attests success of the part, just like its important financial triumph. The romantic ones actually indeed overcame from the point of view of the popular public. Thus Holy-Beuve, spokesperson of the romanticism but denigror of art hugolien, noted:

The romantic question is carried, by the only fact of Hernani, one hundred miles ahead, and all the theories of the contradictors are upset.

Accounts on Hernani

Contemporaries:

Analyzes and retrospectives:

Random links:Aire-sur-l'Adour | Fluir medios | Battle of Fornoue | List French Ministers for the coordination of the services to the Presidency of the Council | Casey Laulala | Pissevinaigre island | Pembroke,_Maine