The gloomy legend of the Gepid princess Rosmunda, become popular over the centuries mainly in the versions of Paul the Deacon and Machiavelli, has always enjoyed a certain fortune in stage literature due to its intrinsic tragic potential (unwillingly married to the Longobard king Alboinus, the conqueror of her people, and forced by him to drink from the skull of her deceased father, Rosmunda first has him killed by her lover Helmechis; the two then take refuge in Ravenna where, because of the exarch’s plots, they end up killing each other). Its success was at its peak in the 19th century, however, boosted as it was by the influence of Alfieri’s Rosmunda and the interest of the time, in the context of a nascent patriotism, in Longobard stories. The article outlines the main steps of its reception, exami- ning the tragedies by G.B. Roselli, G.F. Gambara, T. Bandettini, P. Corelli and the opera librettos by L.A. Paladini and P. Rotondi, and dwells in particular on the psychological portrayal of the characters and the authors’ relationship with Alfieri.
La cupa leggenda della principessa dei Gepidi Rosmunda, diffusa nel corso dei secoli soprattutto nelle versioni di Paolo Diacono e Machiavelli, ha sempre goduto di una certa fortuna nella letteratura scenica per il suo intrinseco potenziale tragico (sposata forzatamente al re longobardo Alboino, conquistatore del suo popolo, e costretta da questi a bere dal cranio del defunto padre, Rosmunda lo fa prima uccidere dal suo amante Helmechis; i due riparano poi a Ravenna dove, a causa delle trame dell’esarca, finiranno per darsi vicendevolmente la morte). Il suo successo è però al massimo nell’Ottocento, per l’impulso rappresentato dall’esempio della Rosmunda alfieriana e per l’interesse dell’epoca, nell’ottica di un nascente patriottismo, per le storie longobarde. L’articolo ripercorre alcune tappe di questa fortuna, esaminando le tragedie di G.B. Roselli, G.F. Gambara, T. Bandettini, P. Corelli e i libretti per musica di L.A. Paladini e P. Rotondi e soffermandosi in particolare sulla caratterizzazione psicologica dei personaggi e sul rapporto degli autori con Alfieri.
Episodi della fortuna di Rosmunda come personaggio tragico nella prima metà dell’Ottocento / G. Guassardo. - In: GRISELDAONLINE. - ISSN 1721-4777. - 23:1(2024), pp. 163-185. [10.6092/issn.1721-4777/19313]
Episodi della fortuna di Rosmunda come personaggio tragico nella prima metà dell’Ottocento
G. Guassardo
2024
Abstract
The gloomy legend of the Gepid princess Rosmunda, become popular over the centuries mainly in the versions of Paul the Deacon and Machiavelli, has always enjoyed a certain fortune in stage literature due to its intrinsic tragic potential (unwillingly married to the Longobard king Alboinus, the conqueror of her people, and forced by him to drink from the skull of her deceased father, Rosmunda first has him killed by her lover Helmechis; the two then take refuge in Ravenna where, because of the exarch’s plots, they end up killing each other). Its success was at its peak in the 19th century, however, boosted as it was by the influence of Alfieri’s Rosmunda and the interest of the time, in the context of a nascent patriotism, in Longobard stories. The article outlines the main steps of its reception, exami- ning the tragedies by G.B. Roselli, G.F. Gambara, T. Bandettini, P. Corelli and the opera librettos by L.A. Paladini and P. Rotondi, and dwells in particular on the psychological portrayal of the characters and the authors’ relationship with Alfieri.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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