Summary
The play opens with an "Advertisement," which begins, "Though to thank the Public is to thank nobody, since no particular Person takes this Sort of Compliments to himself, yet were I not to feel that Gratitude, which individually I know not where to pay, I were unworthy of past, of present, or of future Favours." Beaumarchais, the author, ruminates on what it means to thank one's audience, whether this is just an act of vanity or if there is actually something worthwhile in the practice. He discusses the fact that the play is being translated for performance in England.
The prologue playfully introduces the audience to the play. Act 1 begins in the castle of Count Almaviva, Aguas Frescas, three leagues from Seville. Figaro and Susan are there, in a bedroom that they are set to share after their wedding later that day. Susan tells Figaro that she does not like the room, and suggests to him that Count Almaviva has been pressuring her to have an affair with him. She alludes to the fact that he used to have the right to sleep with every new bride in his castle, but gave it up, before telling Figaro that she suspects the count has put them in the room they are in because it is close to his. Figaro tries to figure out a way to prevent this affair, imagining all the ways he could dupe Almaviva and also, perhaps, make a little money in the process.
The bell rings, and Susan must go to tend to the countess. She says to Figaro, "I must run, for she has several times strictly charged me to be the first at her bedside the morning of my marriage...The old saying tells us, that to meet a young Bride the first on the morning of her wedding-day is lucky to a neglected wife."
When Susan runs off, Figaro delivers a soliloquy about the fact that the count has promoted him and wants to sleep with Susan. He also discusses the fact that he owes the housekeeper, Marcelina, a great deal of money, and that he has promised to marry her if he is unable to repay the amount.
Doctor Bartholo and Marcelina enter. Bartholo and Figaro spar, before Figaro exits. When he is gone, Bartholo asks Marcelina why she sent for him to come to the castle from Seville. She tells him that the countess, Rosina, is ailing because her husband is unfaithful, news she has learned from Basil, the countess' music master. Marcelina also discusses the fact that Basil is often trying to seduce her.
Marcelina discusses the fact that Bartholo refuses to marry her, and proposes that he help her marry "the amiable, the gay, the ever sprightly Figaro." Marcelina tells Bartholo about the fact that Figaro has given her a written promise of marriage if he cannot repay her debts, and suggests that the count's pursuit of Susan will work into their plan to get Figaro to marry her.
Suddenly, Susan enters, carrying clothes that belong to the countess: a gown and a cap and riband. She and Marcelina argue about who has a claim to Figaro. They condescendingly call one another "madam," and when Bartholo and Marcelina leave the room, Susan is flustered by their tense fight. Hannibal ("Cherubin" in the original French), the page, runs in and tells Susan that the Count is thinking of sending him back to his mother and father.
In an aside, Susan notes that Hannibal is in love with the Countess (his godmother), having an affair with Agnes (another servant), and is now saying that he does not want to be parted from her. "Why you amorous little villain," she says, "You are in love with every Woman you meet."
Hannibal tells Susan that the count is sending him away because he caught him with Agnes. He teaches her her part in a comedy performance that will be happening that evening at the castle. After talking about how attracted he is to the countess, Hannibal grabs the riband Susan is holding, before handing her a song he has written for the countess. As he sees the count coming, he hides in between Susan's petticoats and the great chair.
Almaviva enters and discusses his desire for Susan, who expresses her confusion, given the fact that he "took so much pains to steal [her] from her old Guardian, Dr. Bartholo, and for love of whom you generously abolished a certain vile privilege." As they hear someone coming, the count worries and hides behind the great chair, while Hannibal jumps onto the chair, where Susan covers him with the countess' gown.
Basil enters and asks for the count, but Susan lies and says she has not seen him. Basil leers at her and suggests that he wants to sleep with her. He says, "I know it isn’t Figaro who is the great obstacle to my Lord’s happiness, but a certain beardless Page, whom I surprised here, this morning, looking for you as I entered." Basil continues and talks about the fact that Hannibal is in love with the countess, which causes the count to come out from behind the chair.
Basil tries to make it seem as if he was just making a joke, but Almaviva is angered, suggesting that he found Hannibal with Agnes, the gardener's daughter, just the other day. "Where my Lord happened to have business himself," Susan says, cheekily. As the count demonstrates just how he found Agnes with Hannibal, he pulls apart the gown under which Hannibal is hiding, revealing him. Almaviva scolds Hannibal for trying to seduce Susan when she is promised to Figaro, someone he esteems so highly.
Susan tells Almaviva that Hannibal is there because he was afraid of being sent home. Almaviva does not believe them. They are all once again interrupted by the countess, Agnes, Figaro, and some vassals. Figaro is carrying the nuptial cap.
Figaro asks Almaviva if the bride "may have the honor of receiving from our worthy Lord’s hand, this Nuptial-Cap; ornamented with half-blown roses, and white ribbands, Symbols of the purity of his intentions." He then says that he will lead the vassals in a chorus he has composed about the fact that the count has refused his courtly right to bed the new brides in the kingdom.
Figaro asks Hannibal why he is being so quiet, and Susan announces that Almaviva means to send him from the kingdom, which causes a stir. Hannibal says, "My conduct, my Lord, may have been indiscreet, but I can assure your Lordship, that never the least word shall pass my lips—" Almaviva interrupts him to say that he will send him to be in his army regiment, departing immediately for Catalonia; evidently, Almaviva is now additionally worried that Hannibal will reveal the fact that he propositioned Susan.
Figaro asks that Hannibal be sent the next day, but Almaviva insists on his departure being immediate. When the countess expresses dismay about Hannibal being sent away, Almaviva questions her about it and she tells him that she is worried about her godson. The count and countess depart, leaving Figaro, Basil, and Hannibal behind. Figaro tells Hannibal to make it seem like he is leaving and then come back and wait for him.
Analysis
The play opens with a stark class differentiation between Count Almaviva and his servants—the protagonists—Susan and Figaro. Susan and Figaro are about to get married, and they openly discuss the fact that Count Almaviva, their employer, has his mind set on bedding Susan. In a matter of moments, the engaged couple is hatching plans to dupe their employer, to pull one over on him, protecting Susan, and maybe even make a little extra cash in the process. The first scene of the play shows us a couple of servants who are intent on gaining the upper hand with their wealthy employer.
We also learn that some of the upper-class characters, namely the countess, are dissatisfied as well. The count's wandering eye is a nuisance not only to the innocent Susan, but also to the countess who feels neglected as a wife. Susan tells Figaro that the countess has requested that she be the first person to be at her bedside on her wedding day, since that is said to be good luck to "a neglected wife." Both rich and poor characters face their own kinds of unhappiness for different reasons.
The plot of the play is a tangled web of desire. Each of the characters loves another, some love more than one, and many people are vying for marriage on a deadline. Susan and Figaro are happily betrothed, but Susan is pursued by the lusty and entitled count, while Figaro has promised marriage to the housekeeper, Marcelina, should he fail to repay a debt. This is a complicated chain of connections that is treated with a light touch by playwright Beaumarchais (translated into English by Thomas Holcroft in 1785) that keeps all of the action fast-paced, fizzy, and entertaining.
The fact that all of the characters are keeping their own secrets creates some rather humorous moments. In the first act, both Hannibal and the count find themselves hiding in the bedroom. Hannibal is also hiding from the count, who has no idea he is in the room. The comedy of these scenes comes from the crossing of boundaries, the fact that characters of both the upper and lower classes are merging together in inappropriate ways. Nearly every character is engaged in some kind of lurid or secret affair, and in order to maintain these affairs, they find themselves pushed into absurd situations.
The play moves at a very quick pace, which gives all of the many moving parts of the plot an even more rambunctious and humorous sheen. No sooner has the count been discovered in the bedroom than he is dismissing Hannibal. Then, no sooner is he dismissing Hannibal than his courtiers are imploring him to be more merciful to Hannibal. Finally, even after Hannibal has been sent away to join the army, Figaro advises him to stick around and hide himself, having devised a plot to bring him back into favor with Count Almaviva.
