Voltaire’s Early Life
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Francois-Marie Arouet was born in 1694 in Paris, France. He was born to
a fairly wealthy and influential family. His family was very well off and
could be described as noble. (Compare to Candide) His mother died when
he was 7, so he also could have felt like an orphan (Candide). Voltaire
received early education from Jesuits at a prestigious college in Paris. His
father didn’t want him to be a writer, and pushed him to be a lawyer many
times. Voltaire eventually gave up law, and went back to Paris to write.
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His first successful work was a play, called Oedipe. Due to his connections
through his already prominent family, Voltaire quickly gained fame and
established himself as a prominent writer of the day.
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However, his radical views expressed in religion and government got
Voltaire arrested by the French Government. He spent 11 months in the
Bastille prison.
Exile to England
 In 1726, a powerful aristocrat accused Voltaire of
defamation. To avoid indefinite imprisonment, Voltaire
chose to be exiled to England. While he was there for the
next three year, his ideas and writing were deeply
influenced. He met many authors and influential people
through a friend of his, Lord Bolingbroke. Voltaire may
have been influenced by “Gulliver’s Travels”, which was an
example of writing, coupled with political criticism. Voltaire
was also influenced by the works of Shakespeare and the
theories of Sir Isacc Newton.
Leibniz Philosophy

Leibniz and his philosophies are greatly important throughout Candide. He is
important to understanding Voltaire’s point of view, especially as much as he
satirizes him.

His philosophy is based on Monads. (immaterial, simple, mindlike, entities)
Each monad has a set system of internal programming. That causes them to
distinct way of interacting, affecting, and communicating with other monads,
people, and things.

He believes God set up this system so that each person will have a supposed
influence on each other. “Pre-established Harmony.”

Under this he believes that the soul doesn’t tell the body what to do but the
pre-established harmony lets the body know when the soul or mind wants to
do something.
(Cont.)
 He also talks about how our souls can feel pain, even
though it happens to our physical bodies.
 Ex.-2 choirs. 2 clocks.
Leibniz Philosophy on God
 Everything has a reason for existence. This has to be a good
and sufficient reason. This reason is God.
 Believes we live in the best of all possible worlds. (Pangloss)
God is infinitely good, and therefore all of his creations are
good. The Earth is the excess of good over evil.
 Believes God is omnipotent, but also limited. God can only
create possibilities but not do it.
 2 types of evil. 1.Individual Monads are created imperfect
(not God) 2.Every evil is for the greater part of good.
Voltaire’s response through
Candide
 Pangloss is representative of Leibniz’s ideas in
Candide. Candide initially believes this philosophy as
well. Through the entire book Voltaire makes fun of
Leibniz by making Candide and Pangloss’s lives as
horrible as possible. (Shipwreck, earthquake, hanging,
etc) Eventually Candide concludes that things certainly
can not be for the best, because things couldn’t possibly
have been designed to be this bad. Perhaps this
thinking is directly attributed to Voltaire.
Oedipus(1718)
 The first literary work
that Voltaire used his
pseudonym “Voltaire”
 Adaptation of
Sophocles’ Oedipus the
king (original Greek
work). He completed
this work during his 11
month imprisonment in
the Bastille.
Henriade(1728)
 Voltaire’s attempt at an
epic poem. Written in 10
cantos/chants.
 In honor of Henry IV and
the celebration of his life.
Deals with themes of twin
evils of religious
fanaticism and civil
discord.
Philosophical Letters(1773)
 Very controversial. Initially
released in London in
English, before French.
 Part of Voltaire’s “complete
works”. Discusses social and
political analysis after he was
exiled into England. He was
impressed by the religious
toleration he found there,
along with comparative
liberty.
Irene(1778)
 Written by Voltaire near the
very end of his life, the last play
he wrote. Play in 5 parts written
like a Shakespearean tragedy.
 Set in Constantinople, this love
story between Irene and Alexis
Comnene. About philosophical
ideas that Voltaire expresses.
 The play’s premiere was
preformed for Voltaire, in Paris,
just months before he died.