Théophile de Viau
Encyclopedia
Théophile de Viau was a French
Baroque
poet
and dramatist.
Born at Clairac
, near Agen
in the Lot-et-Garonne
and raised as a Huguenot
, Théophile de Viau participated in the Protestant wars in Guyenne
from 1615-1616 in the service of the Comte de Candale. After the war, he was pardoned and became a brilliant young poet in the royal court. Théophile came into contact with the epicurean
ideas of the Italian philosopher Lucilio Vanini
(who was accused of heresy and of practising magic, and was burned alive in Toulouse
in 1619) which questioned the immortality of the soul.
Because of his religion, his libertine
lifestyle, de Viau was banished from France in 1619 and traveled in England, though he returned to the court in 1620. In 1622, a collection of licentious poems, "Le Parnasse satyrique", was published under his name, although many of the poems were written by others, and de Viau was denounced by the Jesuits in 1623 and sentenced to appear barefoot before Notre Dame
in Paris and to be burned alive.
While de Viau was in hiding, the sentence was carried out in effigy, but the poet was eventually caught in flight toward England and put in the Conciergerie
prison in Paris for almost two years. The trial lead to debates among scholars and writers, and 55 pamphlets were published both for and against de Viau. His sentence was changed to permanent banishment and de Viau spent the remaining months of his life in Chantilly
under the protection of the Duke of Montmorency
before dying in Paris in 1626.
De Viau's works includes one play, "Les Amours tragiques de Pyrame et Thisbé" (performed in 1621), which is the story of Pyramus and Thisbe
. He also wrote satirical poems, sonnets, odes
and elegies
.
De Viau's poetic style refused the logical and classicist constraints of François de Malherbe
and remained attached to the emotional and the baroque
images of the late Renaissance, such as in his ode "Un corbeau devant moi croasse" ("A crow before me caws"), which paints a fantastic scene of thunder, serpents and fire (much like a painting by Salvator Rosa
). Two of his poems are melancholy pleas to the king on the subject of his incarceration or exile, and this tone of sadness is also present in his ode "On Solitide" which mixes classical motifs with an elegy about the poet in the midst of a forest.
Théophile de Viau was "rediscovered" by the French Romantics
in the 19th century.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and dramatist.
Born at Clairac
Clairac
Clairac is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.-People:Clairac is the birth place of the 17th century poet and dramatist Théophile de Viau and of François de Labat....
, near Agen
Agen
Agen is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.-Economy:The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average...
in the Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
and raised as a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
, Théophile de Viau participated in the Protestant wars in Guyenne
Guyenne
Guyenne or Guienne , , ; Occitan Guiana ) is a vaguely defined historic region of south-western France. The Province of Guyenne, sometimes called the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, was a large province of pre-revolutionary France....
from 1615-1616 in the service of the Comte de Candale. After the war, he was pardoned and became a brilliant young poet in the royal court. Théophile came into contact with the epicurean
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
ideas of the Italian philosopher Lucilio Vanini
Lucilio Vanini
Lucilio Vanini was an Italian free-thinker, who in his works styled himself Giulio Cesare Vanini.He was born at Taurisano, near Lecce, and studied philosophy and theology at Rome. After his return to Lecce he applied himself to the physical studies which had come into vogue with the Renaissance....
(who was accused of heresy and of practising magic, and was burned alive in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1619) which questioned the immortality of the soul.
Because of his religion, his libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
lifestyle, de Viau was banished from France in 1619 and traveled in England, though he returned to the court in 1620. In 1622, a collection of licentious poems, "Le Parnasse satyrique", was published under his name, although many of the poems were written by others, and de Viau was denounced by the Jesuits in 1623 and sentenced to appear barefoot before Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
in Paris and to be burned alive.
While de Viau was in hiding, the sentence was carried out in effigy, but the poet was eventually caught in flight toward England and put in the Conciergerie
Conciergerie
La Conciergerie is a former royal palace and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, near the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. It is part of the larger complex known as the Palais de Justice, which is still used for judicial purposes...
prison in Paris for almost two years. The trial lead to debates among scholars and writers, and 55 pamphlets were published both for and against de Viau. His sentence was changed to permanent banishment and de Viau spent the remaining months of his life in Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
under the protection of the Duke of Montmorency
Duke of Montmorency
The title of Duke of Montmorency was created several times for members of the Montmorency family, who were lords of Montmorency, near Paris.The first creation was in 1551 for Anne of Montmorency, Constable of France...
before dying in Paris in 1626.
De Viau's works includes one play, "Les Amours tragiques de Pyrame et Thisbé" (performed in 1621), which is the story of Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe are two characters of Roman mythology, whose love story of ill-fated lovers is also a sentimental romance.The tale is told by Ovid in his Metamorphoses.-Plot:...
. He also wrote satirical poems, sonnets, odes
Odes
Odes may refer to:*The plural of ode, a type of poem*Odes , a collection of poems by the Roman author Horace, circa 65 - 8 BC*Odes of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic book of the Bible*Book of Odes , a Deuterocanonical book of the Bible...
and elegies
Elegies
is the Hello! Project 2005 shuffle group consisting of Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka of Morning Musume, along with Melon Kinenbi's Ayumi Shibata and Country Musume's Mai Satoda. The name comes from the word elegy. They released the single "" on June 22, 2005....
.
De Viau's poetic style refused the logical and classicist constraints of François de Malherbe
François de Malherbe
François de Malherbe was a French poet, critic, and translator.-Life:Born in Le-Locheur , his family was of some position, though it seems not to have been able to establish to the satisfaction of heralds the claims which it made to nobility older than the 16th century.He was the eldest son of...
and remained attached to the emotional and the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
images of the late Renaissance, such as in his ode "Un corbeau devant moi croasse" ("A crow before me caws"), which paints a fantastic scene of thunder, serpents and fire (much like a painting by Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
). Two of his poems are melancholy pleas to the king on the subject of his incarceration or exile, and this tone of sadness is also present in his ode "On Solitide" which mixes classical motifs with an elegy about the poet in the midst of a forest.
Théophile de Viau was "rediscovered" by the French Romantics
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
in the 19th century.