Jean-François Ducis

Contributions

1. Jean Sans-terre ou la Mort d'Arthur. Tragédie, en trois actes et en vers translation has paratext translator
2. Jean Sans-terre ou la Mort d'Arthur. Tragédie, en trois actes et en vers paratext author
3. Macbeth (1784) translation has other edition translator
4. Macbeth. Tragédie, remise au Théâtre le premier juin 1790 translation has paratext translator
5. Macbeth. Tragédie, remise au Théâtre le premier juin 1790 paratext author
6. Othello ou le More de Venise translation translator
7. Othello ou le More de Venise, tragédie... translation translator
8. Othello, ou le More de Venise, Tragédie par Ducis, L'un des quarante de l'Académie: Représentée, pour la première fois à Paris; sur le Théâtre de la République translation translator
9. Othello, ou le More de Venise, tragédie par le citoyen Ducis: Représentée, pour la première fois à Paris; sur le Théâtre de la République, le lundi 26 novembre 1792, l'an premier de la République translation has translation has paratext has other edition translator
10. Othello, ou le More de Venise, tragédie par le citoyen Ducis: Représentée, pour la première fois à Paris; sur le Théâtre de la République, le lundi 26 novembre 1792, l'an premier de la République translation translator
11. Othello, ou le More de Venise, tragédie par le citoyen Ducis: Représentée, pour la première fois à Paris; sur le Théâtre de la République, le lundi 26 novembre 1792, l'an premier de la République paratext author
12. Othello ou le More de Venise, Tragédie par le citoyen Ducis: Représentée, pour la première fois à Paris; sur le Théâtre de la République, le lundi 26 novembre 1792, l'an premier de la République translation translator

Knows

• Paul Jérémie Bitaubé cleric poet professor translator writer
• Claude-François Maradan bookseller publisher
• Jean Talma physician writer

Member of

• Académie française academic institution
• Institut national des Sciences et Arts academic institution

Notes

Ducis participated in the first phase of the Revolution and gave a speech in Notre Dame Cathedral, on 30 September 1789, in praise of the National Guard. However, after 1792 he withdrew from public life. His partnership with Talma led to a triumphal return to the stage in 1793 with his version of 'Othello'.

Ducis was noted for his heavily modified adaptations of six of Shakespeare's plays, which frequently involved renaming characters and revising plots, and these became the basis for translations into Italian and other languages. While motivated by a sincere admiration of the great English dramatist, Ducis' ignorance of the English language left him at the mercy of the translations of Pierre Letourneur and Pierre de la Place, which he then modified for the fastidious strictures of French taste. His constant refashioning meant that sometimes his French version differed from its English namesake in almost everything but the title, changing the plot, the characters, the motif, and even the setting. For example, his version of 'Othello' ended with the title character reconciling with Desdemona and pardoning a chastened Iago.

In 1798, he was named a member of the Council of the Ancients, but he never discharged the functions of the office. When Napoleon offered him a senior post under the empire, he refused. After the failure of 'Phédor et Waldamir, ou la famille de Sibérie' (1801), he ceased to write for the stage and retired to Versailles.