This week we are looking at Claudio Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea, a morally challenged opera. This contrast most works of theater from that time (and our own) where we expect the hero (though they may have flaws) to come up the victor. In Poppea, that is not the case. We should empathize with Nero’s spurned wife, Octavia, but we don’t. Monteverdi keeps the focus on Poppea — the living embodiment of sensuality. It makes one wonder how audiences in the early 1600’s might have viewed this work.
A tiny bit of background: Venice in the 1600’s was a very liberal city. The church was not as powerful there as in other parts of Italy and there was a steady decline in marriage amongst the ruling class. The Republic of Venice imposed strict rules about who could marry whom. There were clear lines of social class, and moving up from one “rank” to another was not easy. A man of the “Patriciate” couldn’t just marry a women who was not of the same lineage. Their children were considered a dilution of the noble line. Since the rules were so limiting, many chose to skip marriage altogether. Men would have liaisons with women of lower station, and many wealthy women, finding themselves without a better choice, would become nuns. One could say that many audience members had a lot in common with Nero and Poppea.
Audiences at the time would also have been familiar with the real story of Nero and Poppea. They would have been aware that even though the opera ends with their marriage, in real life their happiness didn’t last long. While pregnant with Nero’s child, Poppea and the emperor had a huge fight and he threw her down a staircase, killing her and the unborn fetus. (I guess the maid was right about contending with Kings!). There is a theory that audiences at the time were more accepting of the happy ending, because they knew Poppea’s ultimate fate.
Having read the synopsis, viewed parts of the work, and after reading the above, how do you feel about the characters in this opera? Who do you sympathize with and why? How do you see the character of Poppea? Is she a schemer, a victim, or something else? How about Nero –– how do you see him? A man of power, who won’t let anything get in the way of his love, a power hungry dictator, or….? Can we, a 21st century audience, still relate to these people and even root for them? Do you personally need to like and empathize with the main characters to enjoy an opera (or movie or book?) If so, you may want to provide an example. Write a one to two page response. Even though I am posting this to the discussion board, consider this formal writing. In other words, you should have an opening and closing paragraph and you should proofread. I will be grading writing more carefully on this piece. And of course, do read at least one of your classmates submissions and leave a short comment — do you see validity in their argument?
Welcome to one of the best assignments to help companies online .
· Do you want to order for a customized assignment help task?
· Click on the order now button
· Set up your topic, Fix the number of pages, Fix your Order instructions
· Set up your deadline, upload the necessary files required to complete the task, Complete the payment.
We delivery high quality and non plagiarized tasks within the stipulated time given
