Power and Propaganda: Theatrical Representations of Napoleon Bonaparte During the Second Empire

Abstract

ABSTRACTMy article focuses on theatrical representations of Napoleon and retired soldiers of the grande armée during France's Second Empire (1851–1870). I examine three plays: Une petite fille de la grande armée by Barrière and Perrot, Le porte-drapeau d'Austerlitz by Guénée and Marc-Leprévost, and Napoléon, ou Schoenbrunn et Sainte-Hélène by Dupeuty and Destourbets. Although based on historical fact, these works were subject to prior government censorship, as were all dramatic works at that time. My analyses show that changes made by the censors altered the historical narrative in order to reinforce the images of power these plays projected. My conclusion emphasizes the dual role of these plays as instruments of propaganda, as well as examples of censored discourse, showing how important a tool the retelling of the past was to those in power, and how much they feared any allusion to regime change or assassination attempts.