Camicie horses

Camicie Rosse ( Italian : the red shirts ) is a play written by Orsola Nemi in 1961 about Giuseppe Garibaldi and his train of a thousand .

The piece has not yet been translated into German.

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The play is about the procession of the thousand who, under Garibaldi's leadership, embarked from Quarto dei Mille for Sicily to fight for the unity of Italy. At the center of the story is the fate of his comrades-in-arms, who leave home and family behind to fight for their dream of a united Italy. The suffering of the Sicilian population also plays a major role. The title "the red shirts" refers to the red shirts worn by Garibaldi's colleagues.

In the play Orsola Nemi gives an impression of Italy's struggle for independence without idealizing it, rather it shows the terrible effects of the war on the population. The plot of the text is limited to the liberation of Sicily from Bourbon rule by Garibaldi and his famous battle of Calatafimi against the king of Naples and his surrender.

Structure and plot

The play has two acts with a total of nine scenes. The first act consists of four, the second act of five scenes.

1st act, 1st scene

In Quarto, near Genoa , Garibaldi's followers have come together to embark with him for Sicily. With their ideas and hopes, the protagonists Airenta and Abba embody the spirit of many, especially the young followers of Garibaldi. The scene opens with a dialogue between Mrs. Emma and her son Mario, who wants to join Garibaldi because he wants to take part in the heroic struggle for the liberation of Italy, not unlike Airenta and Abba. Airenta fends off Abba's question as to whether he had ever thought about the consequences of these decisions; both want to follow Garibaldi unconditionally, without thinking about the family or the future. Your ideas about war are far from reality: “Why die? You return from the war; you win and then you return! ”(p. 15). In the following, Garibaldi's general staff is presented, consisting of Crispi, Sirtori, Bandi and the only woman on Garibaldi's train, Crispi's wife Rosalia. Then the troops set out for Sicily.

1st act, 2nd scene

It is in Sicily that the two protagonists meet the poor people for the first time. You get to know the young Agata and her mother Ortolana, who are reluctant and skeptical about the new ideas of Garibaldi and his followers. Nevertheless, they cannot escape Garibaldi's glamor and aura either: “But they say that Sinibaldi can work miracles.” (P. 37) In the second scene, some of Garibaldi's followers begin the first time the extent of their decision and the consequences associated with it to understand, disillusionment spreads. They feel fear and fear the "galley" or the "gallows" for themselves (p. 40).

1st act 3rd scene

"The dead of the battle of Calatafimi" appear and each of them tells his or her personal experience on the battlefield. All stories have in common that Garibaldi is shown great respect, the sight of him gave them courage and new confidence in battle. None of the fallen complains of their fate, only the fact that "Italians against Italians" (p. 45) fought in this battle depresses them.

1st act, 4th scene

Abba finds accommodation in a house, and Rosalia as well as Crispi, Sirtori, Bandi, Carini and Sant'Anna also arrive in the same house. In the ensuing dialogue, Rosalia tries to bring the worried woman closer to the new situation: “We are all Italians, Garibaldi will chase the borbones off the island and the king will come. It will be like the mainland here. You will be free. ”(P. 63) But all of Rosalia's assurances about a good outcome are met with skepticism by the woman, although she shows great deference to Garibaldi:“ You have good intentions and a good heart, but what you do says it is not possible: that everything will be fine ”(p. 64). When the others join in, they first talk about organizational matters, but also admire the great support from the Sicilians and the courageous efforts of their own people, who never complain about the existing circumstances: “Who says Italy is poor! As long as there are men like these, Italy can feel rich and capable of any challenge. ”(P. 66)

2nd act, 1st scene

The family of the mason Francesco Crispi impatiently awaits Garibaldi's arrival in Palermo . As members of the underprivileged classes, Francesco Riso, his father Antonio and his wife Maria represent the simple Sicilians who support Garibaldi. The entire family is agitated and tense at the scant and contradicting news that has reached them about Garibalid's whereabouts. When they learn that, contrary to public opinion, Garibaldi is not withdrawing to Corleone , but almost “flying towards Palermo” (p. 82), Francesco can no longer suppress his impatience and sets off to support Garibaldi. His old father Antonio also trusts Garibaldi and is certain that after his death his children "will be respected and have honor and bread." (P. 83)

2nd act, 2nd scene

Francesco and other workers are waiting in a shed for Garibaldi's arrival. They encourage each other. One of the workers tells of a strange dream: Garibaldi had handed him a cigar, and suddenly bats fluttered around both of them. With regard to the further development of the plot, the dream can be interpreted as downright prophetic. Because at this very moment the police chief Maniscalo's troops appear. Francesco and the others fell victim to betrayal and have no chance of holding their own against the overwhelming odds, but instead of fleeing they choose to fight and die for their dream of Italy and for Garibaldi. Maria tries to stop her husband, she is the only one who realistically assesses the situation. The men, on the other hand, forget their responsibility to their families and try to win the hopeless battle. When the seriously injured Francesco is dying, the police chief tries to blackmail him: He is supposed to name the comrades in arms, and in return the police chief promises to send Francesco's father, who is in prison, home. Maniscalo appeals to Francesco not to forget the good times in life, to think of the wife and children who will need him urgently. Francesco, however, is a devotee of Garibaldi with all his heart; His impatience drives him to death, he says: "I am happy to die!" (P. 101)

2nd act, 3rd scene

Insurgent Sicilians and supporters of Garibaldi proclaim the unity of Italy. In fact, the Sicilians have not quite got used to the new situation of a united Italy, alternately celebrating Italy, Sicily and Saint Rosalia . After a meeting between the lawyer Tedaldi and Abba and Airenta, Francesco's widow appears, who did not manage to store her husband's body in a church. To the horror of the rebels, Francesco betrayed the names of his fellow combatants before his death in order to save his father's life.

2nd act, 4th scene

Three Sicilian peasant women want to present the glorious Garibaldi with fruit. Their real motivation, however, is curiosity about the man about whom they have heard so many wonderful stories and about whom legends are already being formed. He has never been injured by a weapon because "Santa Rosalia is with him" (p. 212). The peasant women ignore the danger of a nearby battle, they really want to see their hero.

When the women try to kill a fleeing soldier from the army of the King of Naples, they use the usual phrases to justify their actions: "Only the law of war applies." (P. 123) The war is brutal Effect on people also in these women. The brutally wounded corpse of a girl is found and the act is attributed to the soldiers of the King of Naples. At the sight of the dead girl, an old man says what the only real law of war is: "Here with us, on earth, you get nothing unless you pay with innocence." (P. 132)

2nd act, 5th scene

In the last scene there is a happy hustle and bustle on the streets. A newspaper article announced that the governor had signed the surrender on behalf of the king. The Italian flag is hoisted at the fortress of Castellammare, but one also thinks of the fallen comrades-in-arms who could not see Victory Day, but - as Bandi says - who did not die in vain.

The character of Garibaldi

In addition to Garibaldi, other historical figures play a role in the play, such as Francesco Crispi . The author works out the special charisma of Garibaldi, who knew how to inspire people for the idea of ​​a united Italy. His youthful followers follow him to Sicily at first only out of a thirst for adventure, out of curiosity, to have seen the hero once, Garibaldi soon succeeds in getting people excited about his cause, giving them strength and hope so that they are even ready to die for Italy.

But not only his followers, also the people of Sicily adore him. Garibaldi is always idealized in people's minds; they dream of him, feel privileged simply by the fact that they have seen the hero in person.

Garibaldi himself never goes into action, with one exception towards the end of the play, his actions are only communicated to the viewer through dialogues between the individual people.

bibliography

• Orsola Nemi : Camicie Rosse . Le edizioni del Borghese, Milan 1961.