Zaïre (French pronunciation: [za.iʁ]; The Tragedy of Zara) is a five-act tragedy in verse by Voltaire. After the others have gone, Orosmane remarks to Corasmin, one of his officers, that Nerestan had sighed and fixed his eyes on Zaïre. The historical characters alluded to, members of the Lusignan and Châtillon families, were related to events of the Crusades but not alive at the time of Louis IX. Voltaire established himself as one of the leading writers of the Enlightenment. The play, in which the sultan Orosmane, deceived by an ambiguous letter, stabs his prisoner, the devoted Christian-born Zaïre, in a fit of jealousy, captivated the public with its exotic subject. [2] Although some Anglophone writers, most notably Aaron Hill and Thomas Lounsbury, have tended to emphasise the plot similarities between Zaïre and Shakespeare's Othello,[3][4] the resemblance is only superficial.[5]. [10] The published version of Zaïre contains two lengthy dedications by Voltaire. Lounsbury also observes the influence of, See Carlson (1998) p. 42; Desnoiresterres (1867) p. 470; Bungener (1854) p. 278; and "Philo" (1828) p. 63, Desnoiresterres (1867) p. 470. He completed Zaïre in three weeks, and it premiered on 13 August 1732 performed by the Comédie française at the Théâtre de la rue des Fossés Saint-Germain. Zaïre replies that she does not even know who her parents were; she has only Nerestan’s surmise, because of the cross she has worn since childhood, that she is a Christian. Zaïre, however, was a resounding success. Although Orosmane has the power to treat them as mere chattel and to use them for his pleasure, he treats them with respect and consideration. [7] Voltaire's secretary, Jean-Louis Wagnière, recalled: One day Zaïre was acted in his house, and he was Lusignan. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. She admits that she admired Nerestan at the time of his promise, but she has decided to think of the matter no longer. He was one of the first authors to … Réprésenté une première fois au Château de la Chevrette en 1732 et chez la Comtesse de Fontaine-Martel la même année. Chatillon agrees that without Lusignan, the great Christian leader and... Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Zaïre study guide and get instant access to the following: You'll also get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and 300,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Although Zaïre does not wish to be released herself, she escorts the elderly Christian prisoner, Lusignan, to the camp of Nérestan and his knights. Zaïre was soon translated into English by Aaron Hill as Zara: A Tragedy. Zaïre replies that two years have passed since Nerestan’s departure and that perhaps Nerestan made the promise to return with ransom for ten slaves only because there was no other way for him to escape a similar servitude. Zaïre's brother and father are now horrified at the idea that she will marry a Muslim and adopt his religion. [5] For Voltaire himself, the play was a turning point. The play opens two years after Nérestan had been granted permission by Osman to return to France to raise a ransom for the other Christian slaves. Lusignan, a descendant of the Christian princes of Jerusalem, recognizes the cross that had been given to Zaïre as a baby and realizes that she and Nérestan are his lost children. Since she has been a slave from her childhood, it is only natural that her faith reflects the customs of the place where she was reared. The Sultan believes that she is planning an assignation with her lover and goes to the appointed place himself. [5] He completed Zaïre in three weeks,[9] and it premiered on 13 August 1732 performed by the Comédie française at the Théâtre de la rue des Fossés Saint-Germain. [13] The company took the play to New York City in 1769 and after the end of the Revolutionary War sporadically revived it there and in Philadelphia. When Corasmin warns his master against jealousy, the sultan replies that he cannot be jealous on Zaïre’s account because she is truth itself. you may unsubscribe at any time.