Abstract
Jean Hotman’s Les Opuscules , a collection of works by ‘Messieurs les Hotman’ have a double object: reconcile his family, divided by their religious opinions, and reconcile the European family torn by religious wars. A friend of Grotius, the founder of jus gentium, his first aim is peace in Europe, before the selfish interests of princes and states. This chapter discusses how Hotman uses editorial diplomacy in order to create a performative vision of the common weal. This leads us to assess the value of illusion as the space of a diplomatic truce both on and off the stage through the analysis of diplomacy in early modern English and French drama in the light of Jean Hotman’s views on both the ambassador and his principal. The Saint Bartholomew massacres, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, King James’s ambition to be Europe’s peace-maker by offering a child in marriage to each camp, exercise Hotman’s and the contemporary playwrights’ political philosophy. The tensions on the world stage are reflected on the theatrical stage. De la charge et dignite de l’Ambasssadeur, and its English version The Ambassador, show the diplomat closer in spirit to the dramatists who expose the mechanisms of contemporary power games than to its rulers.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
