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{{Short description|French dramatist (1733–1816)}}
{{multiple issues|
{{one source|date=February 2012}}
{{more footnotes|date=February 2012}}
}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Jean-François Ducis
| name = Jean-François Ducis
| image = Jean François Ducis.PNG
| image = Jean-François Ducis par le baron Gérard.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =Portrait of Jean-François Ducis by [[François Gérard]]
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1733|08|14|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1733|08|14|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Versailles (city)]]
| birth_place = [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1816|03|31|1733|08|14|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1816|03|31|1733|08|14|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]]
| nationality = French
| nationality = French
| other_names =
| other_names =
| occupation = [[dramatist]]
| occupation = [[Dramatist]]
| known_for =
| known_for =
}}
}}
'''Jean-François Ducis''' (August 22, 1733 – March 31, 1816) was a [[France|French]] [[dramatist]] and adapter of [[Shakespeare]].
'''Jean-François Ducis''' ({{IPA|fr|dysi|lang}}; 22 August 1733{{snd}}31 March 1816) was a [[France|French]] [[dramatist]] and adapter of [[Shakespeare]].


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Ducis was born in [[Versailles (city)|Versailles]], one of ten children.
Ducis was born in [[Versailles (city)|Versailles]], one of ten children.
His father, Pierre Ducis, originally from [[Savoy]], was a linen draper at Versailles, and his mother, Maria-Thérèse Rappe, 'fille d'un porteur de chaise du comte de Toulouse';<ref>Golder, John. Shakespeare for the Age of Reason: The Earliesst Stage Adaptations of Jean-François Ducis 1769-1793. The Voltaire Foundation.</ref> and all through life he retained the simple tastes and straightforward independence fostered by his bourgeois education. {{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
His father, Pierre Ducis, originally from [[Savoy]], was a linen draper at Versailles, and his mother, Maria-Thérèse Rappe, was the daughter of a porter of the Count of Toulouse and all through life he retained the simple tastes and straightforward independence fostered by his bourgeois education.<ref>Golder, John. Shakespeare for the Age of Reason: The Earliest Stage Adaptations of Jean-François Ducis 1769-1793. The Voltaire Foundation.</ref>{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}


In 1768, he produced his first tragedy, ''Amélise''. The failure of this first attempt was fully compensated by the success of his ''[[Hamlet]]'' (1769), and ''[[Romeo and Juliet|Roméo et Juliette]]'' (1772). ''Œdipe chez Admète'', imitated partly from [[Euripides]] and partly from [[Sophocles]], appeared in 1778, and secured him in the following year the chair in the Academy left vacant by the death of [[Voltaire]]. Equally successful was ''Le Roi Lear'' in 1783. ''[[Macbeth]]'' in 1784 did not take so well, and ''Jean sans terre'' in 1791 was almost a failure; but ''[[Othello]]'' in 1792, supported by the acting of [[François Joseph Talma|Talma]], obtained immense applause.
In 1768, he produced his first tragedy, ''Amélise''. The failure of this first attempt was fully compensated by the success of his ''[[Hamlet]]'' (1769), and ''[[Romeo and Juliet|Roméo et Juliette]]'' (1772). ''Œdipe chez Admète'', imitated partly from [[Euripides]] and partly from [[Sophocles]], appeared in 1778, and secured him in the following year the chair in the Academy left vacant by the death of [[Voltaire]]. Equally successful was ''Le Roi Lear'' in 1783. ''[[Macbeth]]'' in 1784 did not take so well, and ''Jean sans terre'' in 1791 was almost a failure; but ''[[Othello]]'' in 1792, supported by the acting of [[François Joseph Talma|Talma]], obtained immense applause.
Its vivid picturing of desert life secured for ''Abufar ou la Famille arabe'' (1795), an original drama, a flattering reception.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
Its vivid picture of desert life secured for ''Abufar ou la Famille arabe'' (1795), an original drama, a flattering reception.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}


Ducis was noted for his translations of six of Shakespeare's plays and Ducis' adaptations, which frequently involved renaming characters and revising plots, became the basis for translations into Italian and the languages of Eastern Europe.<ref name=lee>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Sidney|title=Shakespeare and the Modern Stage|year=1907|publisher=Constable|location=London|pages=207–211|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18780/18780-h/18780-h.htm#X.3}}</ref> As an example, Ducis version of ''Othello'' ended with the title character reconciling with [[Desdemona]] and pardoning a chastened [[Iago]].<ref name=lee />
Ducis was noted for his translations of six of Shakespeare's plays and Ducis' adaptations, which frequently involved renaming characters and revising plots, became the basis for translations into Italian and the languages of Eastern Europe.<ref name=lee>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Sidney|title=Shakespeare and the Modern Stage|year=1907|publisher=Constable|location=London|pages=207–211|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18780/18780-h/18780-h.htm#X.3}}</ref> As an example, Ducis's version of ''Othello'' ended with the title character reconciling with [[Desdemona]] and pardoning a chastened [[Iago]].<ref name=lee />


On the failure of a similar piece, ''Phédor et Waldamir, ou la famille de Sibérie'' (1801), Ducis ceased to write for the stage; and the rest of his life was spent in quiet retirement at Versailles.
On the failure of a similar piece, ''Phédor et Waldamir, ou la famille de Sibérie'' (1801), Ducis ceased to write for the stage; and the rest of his life was spent in quiet retirement at Versailles.
He had been named a member of the Council of the Ancients in 1798, but he never discharged the functions of the office; and when Napoleon offered him a post of honor under the empire, he refused.
He had been named a member of the Council of the Ancients in 1798, but he never discharged the functions of the office; and when Napoleon offered him a post of honor under the empire, he refused.
Amiable, religious and bucolic, he had little sympathy with the fierce, sceptical and tragic times in which his lot was cast. "Alas!" he said in the midst of the [[French Revolution|Revolution]], "tragedy is abroad in the streets; if I step outside of my door, I have blood to my very ankles. I have too often seen Atreus in clogs, to venture to bring an Atreus on the stage."{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
Amiable, religious, and bucolic, he had little sympathy with the fierce, skeptical and tragic times in which his lot was cast. "Alas!" he said in the midst of the [[French Revolution|Revolution]], "tragedy is abroad in the streets; if I step outside of my door, I have blood to my very ankles. I have too often seen Atreus in clogs, to venture to bring an Atreus on the stage."{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}


[[Image:Ducis.jpg|left|thumb|Medal portraying Jean-François Ducis.]]
[[Image:Ducis.jpg|thumb|Medal portraying Jean-François Ducis.]]
Though actuated by honest admiration of the great English dramatist, Ducis is not Shakespearian. His ignorance of the [[English language]] left him at the mercy of the translations of Pierre Letourneur (1736-1788) and of Pierre de la Place (1707-1793); and even this modified Shakespeare had still to undergo a process of purification and correction before he could be presented to the fastidious criticism of French taste.
Though actuated by honest admiration of the great English dramatist, Ducis is not Shakespearean. His ignorance of the [[English language]] left him at the mercy of the translations of Pierre Letourneur (1736–1788) and of Pierre de la Place (1707–1793); and even this modified Shakespeare had still to undergo a process of purification and correction before he could be presented to the fastidious criticism of French taste.
That such was the case was not, however, the fault of Ducis; and he did good service in modifying the judgment of his fellow countrymen.
That such was the case was not, however, the fault of Ducis; and he did good service in modifying the judgment of his fellow countrymen.
He did not pretend to reproduce, but to excerpt and refashion; and consequently the French play sometimes differs from its English namesake in everything almost but the name.
He did not pretend to reproduce, but to excerpt and refashion; and consequently the French play sometimes differs from its English namesake in everything almost but the name.
The plot is different, the characters are different, the ''motif'' different, and the scenic arrangement different.
The plot is different, the characters are different, the ''motif'' different, and the scenic arrangement different.
''Le Banquet de l'amitié'', a poem in four [[canto]]s (1771), ''Au roi de Sardaigne'' (1775), ''Discours de réception à l'académie française'' (1779), ''Épîtres à l'amitíé'' (1786), and a ''Recueil de poésies'' (1809), complete the list of Ducis's publications.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
''Le Banquet de l'amitié'', a poem in four [[canto]]s (1771), ''Au roi de Sardaigne'' (1775), ''Discours de réception à l'académie française'' (1779), ''Épîtres à l'amitíé'' (1786), and a ''Recueil de poésies'' (1809), complete the list of Ducis's publications.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}


== References ==
== Works ==
=== Theatre plays ===
* 1760: ''Hamlet''
* 1772: ''Roméo et Juliette''
* 1778: ''Œdipe chez Admèle''
* 1783: ''Le roi Lear''
* 1784: ''Macbeth''
* 1791: ''Jean sans Terre''
* 1792: ''Othello''
* 1795: ''Abufard ou la Famille arabe''
* 1797: ''Œdipe à Colonne''
* 1801: ''Phédor et Waldamir''

=== Poetry ===
* 1771: ''Le Banquet de l’amitié''
* 1809: ''Mélanges''
* 1813: ''Épîtres et poésies diverses''
* 1826: ''Œuvres posthumes'' (publiées par Vincent Campenon)

=== Correspondence ===
* 1836: ''Lettres à Talma, 1792-1815'', publication posthume

=== Speeches ===
*1775: ''Au roi de Sardaigne, sur le mariage du prince de Piémont avec Mme Clotilde de France'', 1775
*1779: ''Discours de réception : Éloge de M. de Voltaire'', 4 March
*1822: ''Épître à Richard pendant ma convalescence'', 28 November

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

<!-- EB1911 is essentially the only source. If you add additional text, consider including inline references to identify the EB1911 material. (June 2014) -->
== References ==
;Attribution
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Ducis, Jean François}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Ducis, Jean François|volume=8|page=630}}


{{Académie française Seat 33}}
{{Académie française Seat 33}}


== External links ==
* [http://data.bnf.fr/11900910/jean-francois_ducis/ Jean-françois Ducis] on [[data.bnf.fr]]
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Ducis, Jean-Francois
{{EB1911 article with no significant updates}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = French dramatist
| DATE OF BIRTH = August 22, 1733
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Versailles (city)]]
| DATE OF DEATH = March 31, 1816
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ducis, Jean-Francois}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ducis, Jean-Francois}}
[[Category:1733 births]]
[[Category:1733 births]]
[[Category:1816 deaths]]
[[Category:1816 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Versailles]]
[[Category:Writers from Versailles]]
[[Category:French dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:18th-century French dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Members of the Académie française]]
[[Category:18th-century French poets]]
[[Category:18th-century French male writers]]
[[Category:Members of the Académie Française]]
[[Category:Burials at the Cemetery of Saint-Louis, Versailles]]
[[Category:Burials at the Cemetery of Saint-Louis, Versailles]]
[[Category:French male dramatists and playwrights]]

Latest revision as of 08:44, 21 August 2024

Jean-François Ducis
Portrait of Jean-François Ducis by François Gérard
Born(1733-08-14)14 August 1733
Versailles
Died31 March 1816(1816-03-31) (aged 82)
Versailles
NationalityFrench
OccupationDramatist

Jean-François Ducis (French: [dysi]; 22 August 1733 – 31 March 1816) was a French dramatist and adapter of Shakespeare.

Biography

[edit]

Ducis was born in Versailles, one of ten children. His father, Pierre Ducis, originally from Savoy, was a linen draper at Versailles, and his mother, Maria-Thérèse Rappe, was the daughter of a porter of the Count of Toulouse and all through life he retained the simple tastes and straightforward independence fostered by his bourgeois education.[1][2]

In 1768, he produced his first tragedy, Amélise. The failure of this first attempt was fully compensated by the success of his Hamlet (1769), and Roméo et Juliette (1772). Œdipe chez Admète, imitated partly from Euripides and partly from Sophocles, appeared in 1778, and secured him in the following year the chair in the Academy left vacant by the death of Voltaire. Equally successful was Le Roi Lear in 1783. Macbeth in 1784 did not take so well, and Jean sans terre in 1791 was almost a failure; but Othello in 1792, supported by the acting of Talma, obtained immense applause. Its vivid picture of desert life secured for Abufar ou la Famille arabe (1795), an original drama, a flattering reception.[2]

Ducis was noted for his translations of six of Shakespeare's plays and Ducis' adaptations, which frequently involved renaming characters and revising plots, became the basis for translations into Italian and the languages of Eastern Europe.[3] As an example, Ducis's version of Othello ended with the title character reconciling with Desdemona and pardoning a chastened Iago.[3]

On the failure of a similar piece, Phédor et Waldamir, ou la famille de Sibérie (1801), Ducis ceased to write for the stage; and the rest of his life was spent in quiet retirement at Versailles. He had been named a member of the Council of the Ancients in 1798, but he never discharged the functions of the office; and when Napoleon offered him a post of honor under the empire, he refused. Amiable, religious, and bucolic, he had little sympathy with the fierce, skeptical and tragic times in which his lot was cast. "Alas!" he said in the midst of the Revolution, "tragedy is abroad in the streets; if I step outside of my door, I have blood to my very ankles. I have too often seen Atreus in clogs, to venture to bring an Atreus on the stage."[2]

Medal portraying Jean-François Ducis.

Though actuated by honest admiration of the great English dramatist, Ducis is not Shakespearean. His ignorance of the English language left him at the mercy of the translations of Pierre Letourneur (1736–1788) and of Pierre de la Place (1707–1793); and even this modified Shakespeare had still to undergo a process of purification and correction before he could be presented to the fastidious criticism of French taste. That such was the case was not, however, the fault of Ducis; and he did good service in modifying the judgment of his fellow countrymen. He did not pretend to reproduce, but to excerpt and refashion; and consequently the French play sometimes differs from its English namesake in everything almost but the name. The plot is different, the characters are different, the motif different, and the scenic arrangement different. Le Banquet de l'amitié, a poem in four cantos (1771), Au roi de Sardaigne (1775), Discours de réception à l'académie française (1779), Épîtres à l'amitíé (1786), and a Recueil de poésies (1809), complete the list of Ducis's publications.[2]

Works

[edit]

Theatre plays

[edit]
  • 1760: Hamlet
  • 1772: Roméo et Juliette
  • 1778: Œdipe chez Admèle
  • 1783: Le roi Lear
  • 1784: Macbeth
  • 1791: Jean sans Terre
  • 1792: Othello
  • 1795: Abufard ou la Famille arabe
  • 1797: Œdipe à Colonne
  • 1801: Phédor et Waldamir

Poetry

[edit]
  • 1771: Le Banquet de l’amitié
  • 1809: Mélanges
  • 1813: Épîtres et poésies diverses
  • 1826: Œuvres posthumes (publiées par Vincent Campenon)

Correspondence

[edit]
  • 1836: Lettres à Talma, 1792-1815, publication posthume

Speeches

[edit]
  • 1775: Au roi de Sardaigne, sur le mariage du prince de Piémont avec Mme Clotilde de France, 1775
  • 1779: Discours de réception : Éloge de M. de Voltaire, 4 March
  • 1822: Épître à Richard pendant ma convalescence, 28 November

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Golder, John. Shakespeare for the Age of Reason: The Earliest Stage Adaptations of Jean-François Ducis 1769-1793. The Voltaire Foundation.
  2. ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Sidney (1907). Shakespeare and the Modern Stage. London: Constable. pp. 207–211.

References

[edit]
[edit]

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