Voltaire had been arrested and sent to the Bastille in May 1717 after telling a police informer that the Duchess was pregnant and secluding herself in her castle of La Muette pending her delivery.

But when spectators looked at the volume of the loose-fitting gown concealing the corpulence of the princess, they couldn't fail to notice that her plump waistline had grown considerably bigger in recent weeks, suggesting she was once again carrying in her womb the fruit of her debauchery.

The theater room was packed, and the heat made the princess feel ill and faint when a theatrical allusion to Jocasta's incestuous maternity was loudly applauded by the audience.

Malicious tongues immediately whispered that "Berry-Jocasta" had just gone into labor and would give birth to Eteocles in the middle of the play, but a window was opened and the mother-to-be recovered from her fainting spell.

[10] The production ran for 45 performances and received great critical acclaim that marked the start of Voltaire's success in his theatrical career.