Translated by William F. Fleming
Zaire was first performed on August 13th 1732 by the Comedie Francaise at the Theatre de la rue des Fosses Saint-Germain in Paris. The theatre troupe was founded by a decree of Louis XIV in August 1680 and it remains a vibrant and prominent part of the Paris theatre community in the 21st century. Voltaire had been disappointed by the reception of his previous play and was interested in responding to his critics regarding the lack of importance placed upon romantic stories within his work. He composed the play in a matter of weeks and its first staging featured the renowned French actors Quinault-Dufresne, Charles Francois Racot de Grandval and in the title role Jeanne-Catherine Gaussin. It was deemed a success and the playwright was invited to the royal court to stage the work for King Louis XV. In 1732 alone it was performed more than thirty times and is still considered to be one of Voltaire’s most popular dramas both in France and in the English speaking world.
The play was first translated into English by the dramatist and writer Aaron Hill as Zara: A Tragedy. It opened in 1736 at London’s Drury Lane Theatre, and during the eighteenth century the eponymous heroine was played by some of the greatest British actresses of the period, such as Elizabeth Younge and Sarah Siddons.
The tragedy centres on Zaire: a young ‘Christian’ woman who had been enslaved by the Muslim army that sacked her city when she was a baby. She and her brother Nerestan had been raised in the palace of Orosmane, the Sultan of Jerusalem. Zaire expresses no great devotion to Christianity as she believes religious faith is a consequence of cultural and geographical ideas. As she reaches maturity she and the Sultan fall in love and intend to marry. Nerestan had previously secured the right to travel to France to attempt to procure a ransom to free some of the Christian slaves. An important Christian prisoner is Lusignan, an elderly descendant of the Kings of Jerusalem, who remains devoted to his religion. When Nerestan returns from France he is alarmed and dismayed to learn of Zaire’s plans to marry the Sultan and devote herself to his faith. This situation leads to a series of events that spiral to a tragic conclusion. Voltaire’s play is an intriguing work that raises questions regarding religious tolerance, highlighting the dangers of dogma and fanaticism.