The Full Tragedy of Violetta

A detailed Summary of The Full Tragedy of Violetta

Through moralist eyes, the theme of Verdi's La Traviata could easily appear to be a censure of Violetta's lifestyle. Indeed, some of Alfredo's first words to her are "in costal guisa v'ucciderete" ("in this fashion you will kill yourself"). However, Verdi and Piave's true intent for their heroine was likely far less critical and far more tragic. For Violetta, sadness corresponds almost directly with disease and death. Her tuberculosis lurked wherever there was sorrow, and served as a physical projection of her emotions. Her life as a courtesan, filled with gaiety and passion, is an escape from sorrow she is forced to take. Yet while she suffers so greatly, she ultimately sacrifices herself for the happiness of someone else. Violetta is a tragic, compassionate character who is forced to live every day as if being pursued by death itself.

As stated above, sadness and illness were directly related for Violetta. In act one, her life as a "kept woman" provides her with distractions to keep misery at bay. In just her second line, she calls upon pleasure to "dull my sufferings" (m. 53). However, even she calls the lifestyle "aride follie" ("barren folly," m. 18, Act I finale), and it becomes clear early on that tuberculosis fi

The music abruptly breaks into the allegro middle movement on Violetta's cries of "Follie!" (m. 118). She doubts her dreams will ever come true. As the violins shake on middle C and the bass strings crescendo and rise from below, she condemns herself to live and die alone (m. 123). Violetta knows she will die in this lifestyle, but she convinces herself it is the best she can do. As she sings "Di volutta ne' vortici perir! Gioir!" ("Perish in a giddy world of pleasure! Enjoy!" m. 134) her abundant coloratura is unconvincing and desperate. In the cabaletta, she turns away from her dreams of true happiness and back to a life of "darting lightheadedly from joy to joy," but at the beginning of her phrase "A diletti sempre nuovi," (m. 162) Verdi writes "con effeto questo ripiglio" ("with the effect of catching her breath") - her disease makes a brief reappearance. A few measures later, Alfredo's voice is heard singing "Amor e palpito..." once again. Almost simultaneously she is reminded of the despair and sickness she faces in one life and the happiness and vitality she'll find in another.

While the others leave to enjoy themselves, Alfredo remains with Violetta cuing the beginning of true love, and an apparent end (at least for one act) of her disease. While Alfredo insists on his "ignoto amor" ("unknown love," m 193) in the duet, "Un dì felice," Violetta appears to treat him as just another man. Her reply to his first extended passage is high and brillante and consists largely of descending, staccato 64th notes (m. 215); she laughs at Alfredo's love. She leads him through the rest of the duet and out the door. Her life as a courtesan, although empty, provides her with constant distractions from her sickness. She does not easily give up such security.

nds sadness enough to haunt her, here. While Gastone introduces Alfredo, the audience is informed

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Approximate Word count = 1260
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English