Anyone know the answer to this?

[pianonut]

I am studying "the marriage of figaro" and am supposed to come up with a list of changes between what beaumarchais wrote in his play and what da ponte wrote in his libretto.  what do you think was mostly left out?  were there specific references or nicknames that were used of actual royalty, thus offending them...or was it more the general story line that hit too close to home?  i will also post this question on openmozart.net (forum)

[pianonut]

I think I found some answers on the internet.  I realize this doesn't really relate to piano, and probably should have been under "anything but piano."  But, for those of you who might be interested:  The valet Figaro and the Maid Susanna are as real as the nobles.  They are as articulate and as subtle.  This would really tee off the nobility, so, I believe the play was not allowed by Emperor Joseph II.  Also, the reference to just being born as no justification for having a brain. But, da ponte convinced him to allow the libretto because he wasn't inciting revolte by making it an opera buffa (making the differences between figaro and the count personal and not political).  What seems to be kept is the fast pace, tight construction, and a reduction of characters (from 16-11).

Also, I noticed that there is a lot of mirroring in the dialogue.  Figaro basically repeats what Susanna says in the beginning, but rephrases it.  I guess, trying to be careful to understand completely what she is saying.  Whereas the Count makes no such effort to understand her, or his Countess, and simply "tunes people out,"  therefore doesn't know whats' going on around him.