Marie Antoinette: Victim of the Media

Lexi Grubbs
In this paper, I seek to assess the treatment and representation of Marie Antoinette during
the French Revolution. According to biography.com, Born on November 2, 1755, in Vienna,
Austria, Marie Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution
and to the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792. I argue that Marie Antoinette was a
scapegoat for the French peoples rage and frustration. The French people were enraged during
the time of the revolution. Marie Antoinette was going through a thread a hardship during this
period. She was an easy target for blame. I will prove this by discussing the life of Marie
Antoinette before the French Revolution. Also, I will use the pretrial of Marie Antoinette in the
media to prove my point.
First, I seek to discuss the life of Marie Antoinette prior to the revolution. Marie
Antoinette, often regarded as the last Queen of France, was a peace offering from Austria to
France because they were looking to make an alliance. Biography.com said the following about
the topic, In 1768, Louis XV dispatched a tutor to Austria to instruct his grandson's future wife.
The tutor found Marie Antoinette more intelligent than has been generally supposed, but added
that since she is rather lazy and extremely frivolous, she is hard to teach. [] In May 1770, she
set out for France to be married, escorted by fifty-seven carriages, one hundred and seventeen
footmen and three hundred and seventy-six horses. She was plagued with many hardships
during her time in France, including her inability to conceive an heir and the fact she took the
throne at a time when France was weak and poor. During this time, she was known for her
partying antics and her spending. Biography.com says, she was vivacious, outgoing and bold, a
social butterfly who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions. When the king went to

bed before midnight, Marie Antoinette's nights of partying and carousing had yet to begin. []
Beginning in 1780, Marie Antoinette began spending more and more time at the Petit Trianon,
her private castle on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, almost always without the king. In
conclusion, Marie Antoinette was a free-spirited, energetic woman who enjoyed indulging in the
lavish lifestyle presented to her.
Now, I would like to discuss how the media singled-out Marie Antoinette. The true fault
of Marie Antoinette is that she took the throne at a time plagued with misfortune. First of all,
Marie Antoinette became a figure of conversation when she had not yet produced an heir; the
media often dragged her through the mud for this, stating it was all her fault. Also, as previously
stated, she took the throne when France was in the middle of a serious financial crisis. Her
spending was well documented during this years. Biography.com states, Marie Antoinette's
fabulously extravagant lifestyle increasingly became the subject of popular ire. Countless
pamphlets accused the queen of ignorance, extravagance and adultery, some featuring salacious
cartoons and others dubbing her Madame Deficit. Finally, her reputation was completely
ruined following a scandal in which a person matching her description stole an expensive
diamond necklace. A thief posing as Marie Antoinette had obtained a 647-diamond necklace
and smuggled it to London to be sold off in pieces, stated Biography.com. Though Marie
Antoinette was innocent of any involvement, she was nevertheless guilty in the eyes of the
people. In the case of all of the cases presented, there was somebody else who either deserved
some or all of the blame. However, media outlets stirred the pot, always jumping to the
conclusion that it was Marie who was causing the problem. In conclusion, Marie Antoinette was
treated and portrayed wrongfully, ultimately causing her death.

Marie Antoinette was the quirky, fun loving queen of France during the French
Revolution. She admired her privileged and extravagant life, wanting to live it out to the fullest.
However, she was never well received due to the media. She was portrayed as an ignorant,
selfish woman who did not care about the citizens of France. For this reason, Marie Antoinette
was executed. Had the media presented her as the woman that she really was, who know what
could have happened? Would France, or even the world, be the same as it is now? We may never
truly know what could have been. This is why I argue that Marie Antoinette was a scapegoat for
the French peoples rage and frustration.