Seventeenth century French society was a time in which the arts flourished and were used to create an eminence of power and absolutism. The gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte were commissioned by Nicolas Fouquet and designed by André Le Nôtre. The gardens created a political and social space through the characteristics of design and standards of order which together conveyed power and absolutism. Louis XIV, newly crowned king, recognized at Vaux the perfect vehicle for the portrayal of power. French theater at the same time was gaining popularity and establishing itself as a great art form. Similar to the gardens at Vaux which illustrated beauty and power through order and careful design, the theater also was subject to specific guidelines of order and design. Powerful men such as Cardinal Richelieu helped to establish the early acceptance and development of theater at this time. Principles set forth for the theater were followed in order to create the perfect theatrical illusion onstage. Standards such as those set forth by Scudéry, d'Aubignac and the Academy were closely followed while plays such as Pierre Corneille's Le Cid were criticized for their lack of adherence to the rules. Trends and elements of formal gardens aligned with similar trends in French theater to reflect the power of the king. This power was doubly manifested through the garden setting and the theatrical performances which took place within them. The festivities of The Pleasures of the Enchanted Isle presented numerous plays by Molière such as Les Fâcheux and Tartuffe. These works demonstrated the power of the king while the week-long festivities created a space in which real and the desire for reality combined.

Le théâtre de Jean Cocteau est dominé par le thème de l’illusion. Dans Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde (1937) et Renaud et Armide (1943), ce thème est illustré par les pouvoirs surnaturels de l’enchanteur Merlin et de l’enchanteresse Armide. Le présent mémoire cherche à montrer comment, dans ces deux pièces d’inspiration médiévale, le recours à ces figures légendaires éclaire de manière originale l’ethos auctorial de Cocteau. Dans leurs éthê de magiciens, Merlin et Armide apparaissent en effet comme des doubles du dramaturge. Comme lui, ils utilisent l’art de l’illusion pour ensorceler leur public, influencer et contrôler l’intrigue et ainsi parvenir à leurs fins. Mais leur échec les confronte aux limites de leurs capacités. L’analyse de l’ethos de Merlin et d’Armide met en relief une vision complexe de la création, où l’art théâtral, associé au maléfice, est finalement dominé par la poésie, associée au bien. Ainsi, au-delà du thème de l’illusion, ces personnages d’enchanteurs permettent d’éclairer la signification métadiscursive de la figure du double chez Cocteau. Leur étude fait émerger un reflet inédit de Jean Cocteau qui contribue à l’élaboration de son ethos discursif. / Jean Cocteau's theater is dominated by the theme of illusion. In Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde (1937) and Renaud et Armide (1943), this theme is illustrated by the supernatural powers of the enchanter Merlin and the enchantress Armide. This thesis seeks to show how, in these two medieval-inspired plays, recourse to these legendary figures sheds original light on Cocteau's auctorial ethos. In their magician's ethos, Merlin and Armide appear as doubles of the playwright. Like him, they use the art of illusion to bewitch their audience, influence and control the plot and thus achieve their ends. But their failure brings them face to face with the limits of their abilities. Analysis of Merlin and Armide's ethos highlights a complex vision of creation, where theatrical art, associated with evil, is ultimately dominated by poetry, associated with good. Beyond the theme of illusion, these enchanting characters shed light on the metadiscursive significance of Cocteau's figure of the double. Their study reveals a new reflection of Jean Cocteau that contributes to the development of his discursive ethos.