page_title: Irène (tragedy)
section_title: Contemporary reception
hierarchical_section_title: Irène (tragedy) / Contemporary reception
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Couronnement de Voltaire. Krönung der Büste Voltaires in der Comédie Francaise 1778 nach der sechsten Aufführung der Irène am 30.März 1778. Der anwesende Voltaire sitzt in der oberen Loge links. Kupferstich ohne Umrahmung und Bildlegende.
context_page_description: Irène is a tragedy in five acts by Voltaire, and his penultimate play. It was written in 1776-1777 and premiered in Paris on March 16, 1778.
context_section_description: Voltaire's appearance in Paris caused immense public excitement; he was hailed wherever he went and the success of his play was more a tribute to his public standing than to its artistic merits. The dress rehearsal on 14 March 1778 indicated that the play would not fail. The play opened on 16 March in the presence of Marie Antoinette, though Voltaire was too ill to attend; messengers were dispatched to him at the end of each act to report the audience's reception.
  For the sixth performance of the play on 21 March, the king's brother the comte d'Artois sent the captain of his guards to congratulate Voltaire, who then attended the performance in person. The audience shouted demands for him to be crowned, upon which one of the actors placed a wreath of laurels on his head. 'My God! Do you want to kill me with glory?' he exclaimed, weeping tears of joy. The play was performed twice that evening, and the actors then inaugurated a bust of Voltaire in the theatre, which they also crowned. After six further performances the play was taken off the stage.
caption: The crowning of Voltaire's bust after the sixth performance of Irène, 30 March 1778
exif: {}