Turandot (play and character)
Encyclopedia
Turandot is a commedia dell'arte
play by Carlo Gozzi
after a supposedly Persian story from the collection Les Mille et un jours (1710-1712) by François Pétis de la Croix
. The play provides the plot for the homonymous opera by Puccini
, (and also the earlier work by Busoni), although it was Friedrich Schiller’s adaptation Turandot, Prinzessin von China (1801) which iniatially interested Puccini in the material. Another adaptation of the story comes from the German playwright Karl Vollmoeller. The twentieth-century dramatist Bertolt Brecht
also adapted Gozzi's play, as Turandot, or the Whitewashers' Congress
(1953-4).
principle of universalism
.
Gozzi’s main character, the princess Turandot, seems to act out of a mood and cruelty whereas Schiller’s Turandot is a person who resolutely follows her moral and ethical attitude.Also prince Calaf, who is a kind of lost soul and philanderer in Gozzi’s version, becomes a kind lover who surrenders to his deep and true love for Turandot.
The classical commedia dell’arte characters in the play, especially Pantalone and Brighella, whose language is rather colloquial in Gozzi’s version, lose their naïve nature and even speak in well-formed verses in Schiller’s work; they also contribute to the more severe and moralistic atmosphere in Schiller’s adaptation.
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
play by Carlo Gozzi
Carlo Gozzi
Carlo, Count Gozzi was an Italian playwright.Born in Venice, he came from an old Venetian family from the Republic of Ragusa...
after a supposedly Persian story from the collection Les Mille et un jours (1710-1712) by François Pétis de la Croix
François Pétis de la Croix
François Pétis de la Croix was a French orientalist.He was born in Paris, the son of the Arabic interpreter of the French court, and inherited this office at his father's death in 1695, afterwards transmitting it to his own son, Alexandre Louis Marie, who also distinguished himself in Oriental...
. The play provides the plot for the homonymous opera by Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
, (and also the earlier work by Busoni), although it was Friedrich Schiller’s adaptation Turandot, Prinzessin von China (1801) which iniatially interested Puccini in the material. Another adaptation of the story comes from the German playwright Karl Vollmoeller. The twentieth-century dramatist Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
also adapted Gozzi's play, as Turandot, or the Whitewashers' Congress
Turandot (Brecht)
Turandot or the Whitewashers' Congress is an epic comedy by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It was written during the summer of 1953 in Buckow and substantially revised in light of a brief period of rehearsals in 1954, though it did not receive its first production until several...
(1953-4).
Plot
The story, set in ancient China, involves prince Calàf who falls in love with the cold princess Turandot. To obtain permission to marry her, a suitor must solve three riddles; any false answer results in death. Calàf passes the test, but Turandot still hesitates to marry him. He offers her a way out, agreeing to die should she be able guess his real name.Comparison of Gozzi's and Schiller's versions
Gozzi’s play has a “light, sarcastic tone” whereas Schiller transforms it into a symbolic epic with an idealised moral attitude. Gozzi, although he also uses both elements of drama and comedy, puts them side by side as independent parts; Schiller combines them and makes them the result of each other. This interaction of dramatic and comical, their interdependence and the fact of their being equally matched, embodies the RomanticRomanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
principle of universalism
Moral universalism
Moral universalism is the meta-ethical position that some system of ethics, or a universal ethic, applies universally, that is, for "all similarly situated individuals", regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexuality, or any other distinguishing feature...
.
Gozzi’s main character, the princess Turandot, seems to act out of a mood and cruelty whereas Schiller’s Turandot is a person who resolutely follows her moral and ethical attitude.Also prince Calaf, who is a kind of lost soul and philanderer in Gozzi’s version, becomes a kind lover who surrenders to his deep and true love for Turandot.
The classical commedia dell’arte characters in the play, especially Pantalone and Brighella, whose language is rather colloquial in Gozzi’s version, lose their naïve nature and even speak in well-formed verses in Schiller’s work; they also contribute to the more severe and moralistic atmosphere in Schiller’s adaptation.