Figaro

Figaro is a name that appears in literature, opera, and media. It is best known from the character in Pierre Beaumarchais's plays Le Barbier de Séville (1775) and Le Mariage de Figaro (1784). Figaro is a resourceful barber who becomes a quick-witted servant, using his wit to outmaneuver his social superiors and pursue his own interests. The character’s antics and personality helped establish Figaro as a stock figure in European drama.

In music, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), first performed in 1786, adapts Beaumarchais’s second play and remains one of the best-known works in the operatic repertoire. The opera amplifies the Figaro archetype of the clever, outspoken servant and is a key link between Beaumarchais’s plays and the broader operatic tradition.

In print and media, Le Figaro is a major French daily newspaper and one of the oldest continuously published dailies in France. It is the flagship publication of the Le Figaro Group and has a broad domestic and international readership, with online editions that extend its reach. The name Figaro has also been used for various magazines and media brands, reflecting its cultural resonance beyond the original literary character.

Overall, Figaro denotes a cultural figure whose influence spans theater, opera, and journalism. The character’s sense of wit and social maneuvering has left a lasting imprint on how clever, resourceful servants are portrayed in Western storytelling.