Abstract

Starting from three theatrical rewritings of the parable of the prodigal son played on the stages of the Jesuits, the Fair and the Comédie-Française, the article focuses on analysing dramatic, dramaturgical and scenic choices that correspond to the narrative processes of the parable to renew its approach at the beginning of the eighteenth century, which is the turning point of a movement of secularization of biblical subjects. The open guidance of the word of Christ as reported by Luke is followed by another form of guidance towards various interpretations corresponding to the expectations of the spectator, and plural readings that give a perception of the literacy of the New Testament narrative.