Ériphyle (tragedy)

The spirit of his father appears to him to the temple, demanding revenge and the high priest proves to Alcméon that he is the son of Amphiaraos, long believed dead.

The numerous reworkings of the scene in which Alcméon kills his mother were intended to ensure the effect Voltaire sought as with his other scenes of matricide (in Oreste [de; fr] and Sémiramis); not to shock the audience but to reintroduce to French tragedy the element of 'terror' which Voltaire felt had been lost as a result of the taste for gallantry on stage.

[4] Voltaire's correspondence in March 1732 with Moncrif, secretary to the Comte de Clermont, indicates that the actors of the Comédie-Française may have been reluctant to perform the play: Voltaire wanted to dedicate the work to Clermont and urged Moncrif to ensure that his master recommended the work to them, so they knew it enjoyed his patronage.

Although box office receipts for the premiere of 3,970 livres do not indicate that the play was a flop, it did not meet Voltaire's own expectations.

[6][7] Voltaire had already commissioned the printing of the work from a trusted publisher, fr:Claude-François Jore of Rouen, with whom he was to quarrel two years later.