During the Middle Ages, the word "courtesan" referred to a woman of the royal court just as "courtier" still refers to a man. During the eighteenth century it usually referred to mistresses of kings such as Madame de Pompadour (mistress of King Louis XV), or mistresses of other members of the aristocracy. They were members of the highest level of society le grand monde (the great world). During the nineteenth century the word became attached to the women of the demimonde* (the half world). The courtesans of thle demimonde (called demimondaine) occupied a place apart from the aristocracy. The support of the most successful ones came from wealthy male protectors such as Honoré and Gaston. These women, young and beautiful, set a tone of glittering gaiety and extravagant living, and they invented their own customs, language, and ethics. They made their living through extravagant gifts rather than money and were financially secure**.

The writer, George Sand, whose lovers included the composer Chopin, wrote: "The satisfaction ... is not happiness. Happiness, to deserve the name, must be enduring and indestructible. Those who try to find happiness in excitement attempt the impossible". As long as she kept her beauty and vitality, a courtesan could glitter and be gay in a financially secure world, with property and material wealth from her admirers.

Courtesans feature in a number of operas. Violetta in Verdi's La traviata is one of the most famous. She leaves the glittery world she had inhabited to be with a new lover, Alfredo, but returns to it to save his reputation and finally dies in abject poverty. Magda in Puccini's The Swallow (La Rondine), also leaves the demimonde temporarily, then returns. We do not learn her fate. Only Gigi escapes with marriage and, we hope, a long and happy life as a faithful and loving wife.

*The word demimonde originated with a play, Le Demi-monde, by Alexandre Dumas fils. In it, one of the characters says:

Though they have the same origin, the same appearance and the same prejudices as women of society, they do not belong in it: they constitute the demimonde or "half-world", a veritable floating island on the ocean of Paris, which calls to itself, welcomes, accepts, everything that falls from the mainland — not to mention those who have been shipwrecked or who come from God knows where.

Although married herself, Colette, the author of Gigi, was well acquainted with this world, being introduced into it by her first husband.

** The scene in Gigi in which Gaston's lawyer and Alicia settle on a contract for Gigi's security is a fine example of this. (Act II Scene 3)

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Revised August 2010
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