Seeing the Audible, Aspiring to the Inaccessible Invisible: Hypotyposis as Adaptation to the Classical Rules in 17th Century French Hagiographic Dramaturgy

Abstract

During the 17th century, the establishment of neo-Aristotelian rules imposed restrictions on French dramatic art. At the same time, dramatists created a number of hagiographic plays, seemingly incompatible with the purified classical stage. How could one limit the multivalent life of their protagonists to twenty-four hours? How could one perform the focal point of lives of saints, that of their deaths, without transgressing the necessary bienséance and vraisemblance? Hypotyposis complemented the protagonists’ narratives in the hagiographic corpus. Through the description of conversion and martyrdom, the plot could be supplemented and understood by the spectators. Additionally, these vivid descriptions inspired the conversion of secondary characters. This article will address how dramatists used hypotyposis to adapt hagiographic plays to the dramatic restrictions of their time.