La Construction de la Masculinité dans la Tragédie du Sac de Cabrières: Le Cas d’Opède

Abstract

This article examines how, in the Protestant play “La Tragédie du sac de Cabrières” (16th century), the personality of the leader of the Catholic forces at the siege of Cabrières, d’Opède, is constructed through a set of oppositions between his duties as a leader and his dilemmas as a man. With an analysis of the transformation of the character from a man full of doubts to a “monster” dedicated to the extermination of the Waldensians, the author examines how gender and emotions are intertwined in the (re)creation of a masculine personality that sets aside any non-useful ideas in order to become a man completely devoted to his cause.