LE THÉÂTRE NOCTURNE DE BAUDELAIRE :RÊVES, OBSESSIONS, PROJETS
THE BAUDELAIRIAN THEATRE OF THE NIGHT: DREAMS, OBSESSIONS, PROJECTS

Summary/Abstract: The Baudelairian Theatre of the Night: Dreams, Obsessions, Projects. This paper shows the importance of a metaphor in Baudelaire’s work, especially The Flowers of Evil and Artificial Paradises: “toile des ténèbres” (“blanket of the darkness”). This “toile des ténèbres” is a medium where the poet projects his visions, dreams and fantasies, always in association with the principles and strategies of the theatrical representation. The characters who occupy this “toile” are often borrowed from classical works such as Macbeth. Baudelaire is interested in Lady Macbeth because of her symbolical ties with the Night, but also because of her strong will of power. The main hypothesis of the present article is that Baudelaire would have done a nocturne theatre, if he had accomplished at least one of his great theatrical projects, The Drunkard, a revolutionary psychological drama.

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