Scaramouche Author Rafael Sabatini

Scaramouche is a historical novel that narrates the story of a young nobleman and his romantic adventures during the French Revolution. Rafael Sabatini was the author of the novel that was originally published in 1921. First time in 1923 it was made into a film starring Ramón Novarro in 1923 and later in 1962 it was again filmed with Stewart Granger in the lead.

Barbara Field adopted the Scaramouche novel into a play. The novel portrays the aristocrat as a young man in search of his love adventures, where by he changed himself into an actor playing Scaramouche. Scaramouche is also called Scaramuccia that literally means a roguish buffoon character in the commedia dell'arte. In the course of his adventures he also becomes a lawyer, politician, and lover, He confused his opponents with his elegant orations and fencing skills. The later film version had the best swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever made in the film history.The novel was in three parts and the opening line was a brilliant quote.

In the Scaramouche novel it said that the young man was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. This sentence was quoted in Sabatini's epitaph in Adelboden, Switzerland. The plot goes like this that André-Louis Moreau one day when his friend Philippe de Vilmorin died of a forced duel with Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, vowed to avenge his friends death. He sets off from his hometown of Gavrillac for Rennes. The backdrop was set for the French Revolution, and makes Moreau who got involved in political agitations with his fine rhetoric became the most wanted man.

In the Scaramouche novel we see that escaping south he chanced upon two theatre actors and joined the plays. He became popular in due course. Moreau was forced to hide and he discovered a fencing academy looking for an apprentice so he bluffed and joined in. Meanwhile the revolution broke off. Finally he achieved his goal of vendetta and in the process defeated all who opposed him.

Historically, Scaramouche whose real name was Tiberio Fiorilli was an actor in Naples, Italy in 1608. He was an active member of Commedia dell'Arte. He was a contemporary of Molière and died in 1694.The legend has entered the popular culture even in modern times.The rock group Queen has used the reference of Scaramouche in their song Bohemian Rhapsody. Scaramouche is also the name given to the female role in the Queen musical We Will Rock You. Scaramouche