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Which of Voltaire’s plays was his final theatrical success?
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Voltaire
Voltaire, plaster sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.
Voltaire’s final theatrical success was the tragedy Tancrède, which was produced in 1760 with sumptuous decor and featured the renowned actor Lekain in the title role. While Voltaire continued to write and produce plays later in his life, including Irène in 1778, his subsequent tragedies were generally not successful, often being described as arid, ill-constructed, or overly focused on philosophical propaganda.1