The Figaro Trilogy

• The only English translation of all three Figaro plays in one volume.
• Printing the trilogy together allows the reader to follow the development of the characters.
• Popularity of the first two plays as the sources of operas by Mozart and Rossini.
• Introduction surveys Beaumarchais' life, his annexation by opera, the evolution of the trilogy and how it reflects his growing technique as a playwright and the evolution of his humanitarianism.
• Explanatory notes clarify references in the text and explain cultural differences.
• Reputation of David Coward as author and translator, and past winner of the Scott Moncrieff Prize for translation.

Readership: Students and readers of French literature, drama, actors and directors, music (as the basis for the operas by Mozart and Rossini), Beaumarchais

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais

"'Coward's introduction is a small masterpiece, weaving information and interpretation into a compelling narrative in a way which makes it alone worth the modest price of the volume.' 'David Coward's translations cope admirably with Beaumarchais' wide range of tones and registers in three very different plays, and are as speakable as they are readable.' 'this excellent volume provides an admirable introduction for the English-speaking reader to Beaumarchais' greatest creation'" - Times Literary Supplement

The Barber of Seville
The Marriage of Figaro
The Guilty Mother