Was Beaumarchais a precursor of the Revolution? That is how this statue created in 1895 by Louis Causade depicts him! Standing firmly, with his arms crossed, he seems to defy tyrants. Was he not the author of The Marriage of Figaro (1778), a play whose hero is a servant who defies his master? And yet, this does not make him a revolutionary. The writer was also a speculator: after getting rich during the American Revolution (1776-1783), he only dedicated a little bit of time to the French Revolution, before returning to his own affairs, thus profiting from events in order to earn money.
How could a person improve their revolutionary image?
Demolition of the Bastille in 1789
Beaumarchais may not have been a revolutionary, but he knew how to improve his image. On the evening of July 14th, when workers had started to demolish the Bastille only a few hours after it was stormed, several famous figures rushed over, understanding how they could use this event to their advantage. Beaumarchais, lived close by and was one of the first to arrive. Along with the others, he threw a couple of stones from the hated fortress into the moat and made sure that he was noticed doing so!
