Figaro

Operatic Spanish barber

Figaro is the resourceful barber and servant who appears in plays by Beaumarchais and operas by Mozart and Rossini—clever, quick-witted, and adept at scheming on behalf of his masters.

The name has become shorthand for a crafty valet or fixer.

The Marriage of Figaro remains among the most performed operas.

Figaro is also a common name for cats, perhaps from the Disney character.

character

valet

Personal servant or parker

scheme · intrigue · wit · resourceful · comedic · trickster · disguise · plot · wedding · class

opera

Mozart

Eighteenth-century Austrian composer

Rossini · recitative · duet · ensemble · soprano · mezzo-soprano · tenor · baritone · bass · conductor

barber

Seville

Andalusia's capital city

  • shaveCut hair close
  • razorBlade for removing hair
  • trimRemove unwanted edges

beard · salon · haircut · lather · barbershop · tonic · pomade · aftershave · clippers · scissors

Seville

Andalusia

Spain's southernmost autonomous community

flamenco · plaza · fiesta · Carmen · feria · orange trees · balcony · serenade

Categories
Opposites
social class/hierarchy

Figaromaster

Authority or controller

aristocrat · nobleman · lord · employer · patron

operatic role type

FigaroDon Giovanni

Mozart opera libertine

Rodolfo · tragic hero · Tristan · Siegfried

character archetype

Figarodupe

Deceive or victim

cuckold · gull · mark · ingenue · tragic hero

Phrases
Family

barber, barbers, barber-surgeon

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G