Il Marescalco

Il Marescalco is a five-act comedy by Pietro Aretino , written in 1533 . The title of the comedy refers to the protagonist, a courtier at the court of Mantua who holds the function of marescalco (i.e. marshal ).

content

Appropriation

Pietro Aretino dedicates Il Marescalco Argentina Rangona, actually Argentina Pallavicino, wife of Guido Rangone, a nobleman from Mantua. The appropriation has an ironic undertone. Aretino imagines himself to be a father concerned about his daughter's chastity. However, his daughter is the comedy Il Marescalco . Although he raised his daughter in all modesty, she is now known to everyone. Since he could not send his "daughter" to the monastery, he entrusted her to Argentina, who is known for her virtue. This should ensure that Aretino's “daughter” does not overstep the limits of good taste when performing the story of Marescalco. Then Aretino speaks about the protagonist of the comedy. The Marescalco's eyes would have opened if he had consulted with Argentina's husband Guido Rangone. He would have married a woman immediately. With this, Aretino alludes to Marescalco's refusal to marry a woman put at his side by the prince and at the same time to Marescalco's homophilia, a vice (from a Catholic point of view) that can be overcome by the light of divine reason. In the end, Aretino praises his comedy as a woman who surpasses all others in charm, just as Madonna Argentina overshadows not only all generous women, but also all princes.

prolog

The prologue given by a comedian indicates that the play is to be performed in honor of the Cardinal by Loreno (possibly Jean de Lorraine-Guise ). Ippolito de 'Medici also received a special honor . However, as it turns out later, the comedian, as in Giordano Bruno's Candelaio later, is in reality only a substitute for another person who should have performed the prologue and the plot summary but did not do so for fear of punishment, especially in the comedy says that the duke is playing a prank on one of his courtiers.

The mention of the prank serves as a pretext for the comedian to summarize the plot of the comedy. The plot was as follows: Since the marshal of the Duke of Mantua had consistently refused to accept women, the Duke played a trick on him. The prank consisted in the marshal being dragged into the house of a certain Count Nicola, which was considered virtuous, and married there to a young man disguised as a woman. When the marshal noticed that the bride was actually a man, he was delighted.

Then, for the amusement of the audience, the comedian tells a Schwank in which he plays all the roles, whereby the Schwank is supposed to represent the typical plot of a comedy, in which the roles should be typical for the comedy of the time. First, the comedian takes on the role of the pharmacist or pedant, who sums up the action for the audience in cumbersome words borrowed from Petrarch's poetry. The comedy actor then says that if he were a matchmaker, he would go to a woman whose husband is not in the house and praise her beauty over the clover in order to soften it. The praise is to be followed by the news that a man has fallen madly in love with the woman, whose love letter the comedian in the role of matchmaker would hand over to the woman. But should he be caught as a matchmaker by the husband, he would find innumerable excuses.

Now the comedian takes on the role of the woman who was addressed by the matchmaker. As a woman, he would insult the matchmaker (as at least an apparently virtuous woman) and chase him away. He would tear up the letter that the matchmaker had given her and trample it. When the matchmaker left he would pick up the letter and put it back together. Thereupon he would, as a woman, tease and tease his lover from the balcony in such a way that he could not resist him. Even if he were caught (still as a woman) by his husband with his lover, he would find an excuse in every situation.

Another role that he intends to play is that of the woman's maudlin lover, who finds the most beautiful words (from Petrarch's love poem) for his love. He would be accompanied by a page who would keep cleaning his velvet shoes. A picture riddle is depicted on his cap, which means that he is a lover of fine hearts. The comedian also wants to play the jealous husband who locks his wife in even when she goes to the toilet and does not let her go to parties or other amusements. Other people who the comedian would like to play in this prototypical comedy, but who are not directly related to the above-mentioned plot, i.e. act as extras, are the Bramarbassier , i.e. the actually cowardly military leader, who in peacetime shows his fellow men through his martial demeanor Scares you; the parasite , a flatterer and soeichelcker, which has made it indispensable after a week at the latest; and finally Bramarba's companion, who wistfully remembers the good old days. However, he could never play the gentleman credibly, since he had neither sufficient understanding nor sufficient prudence for this role. However, the comedian formulates this statement in a way in which the prince's virtues and virtues can also be understood as unattainable stupidity and clumsiness. Finally the comedian leaves, because now Giannicco - a thief and a sweet tooth, according to the comedian - enters the stage.

first act

Giannicco tells his master, the Marescalco, that the prince has ordered him to marry a woman, but the Marescalco doesn't believe him. When Jacopo confirms the order, the Marescalco is not happy. Jacopo reports to Ambrogio about Marescalco's sullen reaction to the marriage plans. Both arrange to meet at the Count's house where the wedding is to take place. Giannicco also tells Marescalco's wet nurse of his master's sullen reaction. When the nurse meets the Marescalco, she tells him about a dream that she relates to the Marescalco. The Marescalco still considers the marriage idea to be a bad joke by the prince. The wet nurse tries to make married life palatable to him and tells him the joys of marriage, but cannot convince the Marescalco.

Giannicco arrives and is chastened by Marescalco in the presence of the wet nurse because of the news of the wedding. In the following monologue, the Marescalco regrets having given up his job as a shopkeeper to go to court. He meets the pedant who teaches him that the Marescalco, like all people, was created by God to multiply. Giannicco interrupts their conversation because the horses in the stable have gone wild and Marescalco's goes off to look after the horses. Giannicco and the pedant, meanwhile, talk about the brittleness of Marescalco. Giannicco makes an appointment with the pedant for a later date.

Second act

Giannicco meets the page of Marescalco. He wants to play a prank on someone. Giannicco recommends the pedant to him. While Giannicco keeps this in check, the page is supposed to attach paper to the pedant's bottom, which is to be set on fire later. Giannicco then talks to the pedant. The page can evidently perform his prank on the pedant. When the pedant notices the prank, he wants to report it to the prince. Giannicco tries to excuse the page from the pedant. The pedant finally goes to the lesson, which he now has to hold, while Giannicco sees the groom of Marescalco and makes off. The groom is supposed to pick up the Marescalco on behalf of the prince for the wedding. Both make up for the prince. Giannicco and the nurse are talking about the wedding. They enter the nurse's house to meet the nurse's son. Ambrogio and the Marescalco are talking about the wedding. Neither of them think much of women. Ambrogio implies in conversation that his wife is cheating on him. Apart from that, life with his wife seems to be hell on earth for him, yes, women in general seem to be the worst in the world to him. In the conversation, the audience also learn that the prince is the Duke of Mantua. Ambrogio exits. The Marescalco then meets his wet nurse and Giannicco. Since the Marescalco is still deadly unhappy about the upcoming wedding, the nurse suggests that he use a spell to prevent the prince from thinking about the wedding any longer. Meanwhile, a cavalier and a count talk about the negative attitude of the Marescalco towards the wedding. You cannot understand why the Marescalco does not want to marry his chosen woman. Obviously everything they say is ironic or ambiguous, since the wedding is really a prank. You see Giannicco and ask him about the Marescalco. Giannicco tells the two of Marescalco's displeasure and that, in view of his attitude, he had proposed to Marescalco that he should marry the chosen woman after all, as she would attract young men with whom the Marescalco could have fun, while Giannicco looked after the wife of the Marescalco could do amicable. The Marescalco was extremely angry about this proposal. Giannicco exits. Meanwhile the Conte and the Cavaliere meet the Marescalco. You can see from the Marescalco himself that he is unhappy with his situation. After the two have left, the nurse who had previously promised the Marescalco the spell comes out of her hiding place. To make the magic work, the Marescalco is supposed to draw a cross on the earth, sprinkle the prince with a magical powder and whisper a spell in his ear. However, the Marescalco cannot remember the spell. The nurse then leaves. Instead, the pedant comes his way. He returns home from class and is angry with his students. They played a trick on him and set fire to a paper snake attached to his buttocks. He knows the page is responsible for this prank.

Third act

Giannicco meets a Jewish trader and tells him that he needs jewelry for his master's bride's wife. He advises him that he will get a good deal if he goes directly to the Marescalco and offers him his goods, but that he should not reveal to him that he, Giannicco, had taken him to his master. The dealer knocks on the door of the Marescalco and Giannicco watches the scene from a hiding place. Since the Jew is already talking about his upcoming wedding, the Marescalco believes he is being mocked by the city's Jewish community. The Marescalco complains that he is not allowed to chastise the Jews because the law forbids this. Finally the Jew tells him that Giannicco instigated him to sell his goods. Giannicco tries to talk his way out of it and, luckily, is relieved by a groom who informs the Marescalco that the prince has asked for a jeweler .

The Marescalco now suspects that the prince's search for a jeweler is related to his upcoming wedding. Giannicco is supposed to find out what the prince's visit to the jeweler is all about. The groom, the jeweler, Giannicco and the Marescalco make their way to the castle. On the way, the jeweler shows the groom a box with jewelry and precious stones. Among other things, there is talk of a necklace that the King of France Pietro Aretino sent as a gift to Venice. The groom and the jeweler are received by the Prince of Ambrogio, who complains that they had both left a lot of time to come. Ambrogio talks about life at court, which comes off anything but good in his monologue. When Jacopo comes by, Ambrogio tells him that Marescalco's wedding is a prank. At the end of the conversation, both seek the distance so as not to be stopped by the approaching pedant. The pedant tells Preis in a self-talk that he should give the speech at Marescalco's wedding. The page who played a prank on him comes towards him. Both become physical and part in an argument.

Fourth act

Giannicco, who was supposed to find out on behalf of the Marescalco why the prince had called the jeweler, is a long time coming. In the meantime, the Marescalco lets his resentment towards women run wild in a monologue. Giannicco finally comes over. He confirms the fears of the Marescalco: The prince has called the jeweler to buy jewelry for the wedding. The Marescalco learns from the Conte that the wedding will probably take place at two o'clock in the house of another Conte. The Conte and the Cavaliere try to show the Marescalco what a great favor the Prince is doing and how grateful the Marescalco should actually be for the wedding. On the other hand, they make it clear to him that the prince's kindness has its limits and that in the end the prince will hand out everything he had pocketed if the barrel overflows. The Marescalco, however, remains hard. Thereupon the Cavaliere and the Conte go out to report this to the Prince. The pedant comes by by chance and tells the Marescalco that he has been assigned to give the wedding speech. The Marescalco, intimidated by the warnings of the Conte and the Cavaliere, does not know in the meantime whether he should remain tough or give in. In a conversation between Jacopo, Giannicco, the Marescalco and the pedant, Jacopo philosophizes about the sin of being unmarried and childlessness and talks about the joys of his marriage and family life. The Marescalco dismisses Jacopo's experiences with his wife as an individual case. Jacopo and Pedant, tired of the constant nagging of Marescalco, leave. Since Giannicco, who has since been added, continues to make fun of his master because of the wedding, he receives another beating from him. The wet nurse, who has meanwhile arrived, tries to stop him. But the Marescalco chases them away too. Now that he has chased all people out of his environment, he tries desperately to convince himself that even the prince can only order him to marry against his will via his corpse. The groom now comes his way. Since he continues to harass the Marescalco with the upcoming wedding, the Marescalco takes refuge in his house to have some peace. In the following monologue by the stable master it becomes clear that he is an accomplice in the prince's prank, as he was charged with the above-mentioned harassment.

Fifth act

Scene 1-3

Jacopo tries to make the wedding attractive to Marescalco by introducing him to his son, the mainstay of his age. But the Marescalco is also skeptical about the children's loyalty. The Conte and the Cavaliere, who have joined them, try to make the Marescalco's wedding attractive by telling him that the prince intends to make him knight after the wedding. This prospect does not impress the Marscalco either, since according to his experience courtiers are not made knights without ulterior motives, because as knights they have to render special services to the prince. In his view, the fact that the woman assigned to him reads does not speak for her either. The following are pros and cons of women in general. The Marescalco reveals that Ambrogio had advised against the wedding. At the end of the conversation, the Conte makes short work of it. He decreed that the Marescalco should marry the prince's wife in the evening. The pedant joins the rest of the people. He tries to make Marescalco's wedding palatable by listing which famous personalities of the present the Marescalco's son will be like. Since the Conte, the Cavaliere and Jacopo make fun of the pedant, a catalog of famous people follows, whom the pedant calls his friends and acquaintances in order to defend his authority against his interlocutors. This catalog is followed by a list of famous painters and architects whose achievements the future son of Marescalco is said to be equal to. Then the virtues of the bride of Marescalco are compared with those of other famous women of contemporary history and present. The same happens with the future daughter of Marescalco and his bride. The Marescalco replies that his children could also fail him. All five go to the house of Marescalco.

Scene 4-7

We learn from an old woman that the prince wants to play a prank on his subjects, or at least some of them, by claiming that he has chosen a woman to marry the Marescalco. In reality, the bride is a man named Carlo da Fano. The "bride" who is also present in this scene is extremely amused by this funny idea. The old woman and a matron instruct Carlo in his role as bride. The “bride” is supposed to kiss the Marescalco with her tongue at the end of the marriage ceremony. You then go to the house of Conte to wait for the groom. After the Conte, the Cavaliere and Jacopo have intimidated the Marescalco, they also enter the Conte's house together with the pedant. Ambrogio, meanwhile, is busy converting a certain Phebus to his hatred of women. From Giannicco, who has joined the two, Ambrogio learns that he has made peace with his master. Even the wet nurse, who is suddenly there and who should actually turn her back on the Marescalco because of his violent attacks on her, is hoping for a reconciliation through the wedding. All four enter the Conte's house.

Scene 8-12

The groom has looked for the Marescalco everywhere without success. Now, on behalf of the prince, he is to forward the order to the Count to hand over the wedding ring to the bride. When the groom wants to enter the house of Conte, he is received by the maid of the same. She seems to be the groom's lover. He forwards the order to her. They both arrange to meet at nine o'clock. She keeps reminding him of the time while he showered her with compliments. The groom, however, has absolutely no intention of being at the agreed place. Almost all of the aforementioned people are in the Conte's house. The Marescalco is waiting for the bride. When she finally approaches him, he faints. He is nursed back up by the people around him, the bride is led to Marescalco, who has come to again, and the pedant finally gives the wedding speech. In his speech, Genesis serves as the reason for the marriage of Martescalco and his bride. During the speech the audience learns that the prince of the court is called Federico. When all the formalities have been completed, the “bride”, ie Carlo da Fano, kisses Marescalco on the mouth. He imagines that this gesture of the bride is already a future cuckold. After the kiss, he removes her veil. He notices that the bride is Carlo, a page from the prince. Some of those present are surprised and laugh. The nurse complains that the Marescalco is happy that the bride is not a woman. The groom calls all those present to dinner in the Conte's house, since the wedding must have taken place in front of the house or in the courtyard. In the end, Giannicco tells the pedant to amuse the dinner party with misogynous fantasies. The pedant then turns to the audience and announces to them that he must advise society against a wedding to the extent that he had to advise it during the wedding. He explains to the audience that he intended to write a comedy featuring the adventures of Marescalco and four discussions. The first should be about the happiness of being unmarried, the second about the unhappiness of those whose wife simply does not intend to die; the third, about the burden that rests on the shoulders of those who must marry a woman; and the fourth, about the bliss of those who had no wives, who did not want and never had one. In the meantime, the pedant has forgotten what he wanted to say to the audience. He thinks about it and says goodbye with the closing formula "Valete et plaudite", which is customary in the old Roman and Renaissance comedy. (= Farewell and applause!)

people

• Istrione (comedian)
• Giannicco , lad
• Marescalco (Marshal), sir
• Messer Jacopo (Mr. Jacopo)
• Ambrogio
• Balia del Marescalco (wet nurse of Marescalco)
• Pedante (schoolmaster)
• Paggio del Cavaliere (Page of the Knight)
• Staffiere del Duca (Duke's groom)
• Conte (Count)
• Cavaliers (knights)
• Giudeo (Jew)
• Gioielliere (jeweler)
• Figliuolo di Messer Jacopo (son of Messer Jacopo)
• Vecchia (old woman)
• Carlo vestito da Sposa (Carlo disguised as a bride)
• Matrona (matron)
• Gentildonna (noblewoman)
• Knife Phebus (Mr. Phebus)
• Fantesca del Conte (maid of the count)
• Staffiere del Conte (Count's groom)

Further information

• As in Aretino's first comedy La Cortigiana (1525) (cf. fourth act, scenes 15 and 16), in Il Marescalco (cf. third act, scenes 1 and 2), a Jew is the subject of scorn and ridicule and becomes the subject of mockery towards the audience made contemptuous.
• The Marescalco cannot properly memorize the magic spell that his wet nurse taught him to distract the prince from the unloved wedding (cf. second act, scene 10) - neither can Calandro when he wrote in Bibbiena's La Calandria (1513) several pieces are to be divided without being damaged in order to fit into the chest provided for him, in which he is to be secretly brought to his beloved (cf. second act, scene 6).
• The scene in which the pedant tries to make Marescalco's wedding palatable by listing which famous personalities of the present the Marescalco's son will be similar to (cf. act five, scene 3), can be seen as a parody of the catalogs of persons of the Orlando Furioso can be understood by Ludovico Ariosto . In Ariosto's epic the function of the catalogs is diametrically opposed to that of the comedy: the legendary characters of Orlando furioso are attributed to the Estes, ie the patrons of Ludovico Ariostus, as ancestors (cf. third cant, verse 23-49).
• The love affair between the groom and the maid of Conte (cf. fifth act, scene 9) is reminiscent of the love affair between the servant Samia and the servant Lusco in La Calandria (cf. third act, scenes 8 and 10).
• The prologue makes it clear that Aretino equates Petrarkism with pedantry.

Literary influences

Roman literature

• The fact that a bride is being replaced by a young man is reminiscent of Plautus ' Casina .

Italian literature

• Another source of inspiration for Aretino, as far as the distinctly misogynous features of Il Marescalco are concerned, were Boccaccio's Corbaccio , but also the popular book Farsa contro il tôr moglie . In the latter, an old man tells a young person to want to get married.
• Francesco Belo's protagonist in the comedy Il Pedante (1529) could have served as a model for Aretino's Pedant in Il Marescalco . Since the Apennine peninsula was teeming with pedantic scholars at the time of Aretino, it is more likely that this person is taken from reality. A scholar in particular, Giambattista Pio, may have served the pedant as a model.
• Ambrogio's misogynous omissions are reminiscent of Plautus' Mostellaria and, inter alia, Ariostos La Cassaria (1508).

reception

Aretino's comedy forms the basis for the libretto for the opera Il Marescalco by Gian Francesco Malipiero , which premiered in 1960 at the Teatro communale in Treviso .

literature

Text output

• Pietro Aretino: "Il Marescalco", in: ders .: Tutte le commedie . Mursia, Milano (Milan) 1968.
• Pietro Aretino: The Marescalco = Il Marescalco . Translated, with introduction and notes by Leonard G. Sbrocchi and J. Douglas Campbell. Ottawa 1986.
• Quattro Commedie del Divino Pietro Aretino .: Il Marescalco; La Cortigiana; La Talanta; L'Hipocrito . Novellamente Ritornate, Per Mezzo Della Stampa, a Luce, a Richiesta de Conoscitori del Lor Valore. Nabu Press 2010. ISBN 9781149523834

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Il Marescalco may have been started in 1526. However, it is relatively certain that it was completed in 1533. See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 166.
2. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 166.
3. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 166.
4. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 166-167.
5. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 169.
6. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: 169-170.
7. ↑ Dizionario dell'opera  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

Web links

• Full text of the Venice 1539 edition