La Talanta

La Talanta is a five-act comedy by Pietro Aretino that was composed, edited and performed during the Carnival of 1542.

content

Appropriation

Aretino dedicates his comedy to Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici (1519–1574), not, however, so that it might increase his infinite fame, but as a sign of his humility. He compares the comedy with the modest wood of which Cosimo's father's coffin is made and which surpasses the marble that forms Cosimo's palace in dignity and splendor, not least because of the admiration that Cosimo's father was bestowed with the rich decoration of the wood . Aretino appeals to the prince's gentleness. This should induce him to accept the comedy, because the comedy was not only the result of a humble spirit, as Aretino had mentioned at the beginning in the appropriation, but also the affection for the prince, which he increases immeasurably through a series of superlatives . The more the lot ensures that Cosimo Aretino withdraws his grace, the stronger Aretino's desire to adore him grows.

prolog

What the lecturer said at the beginning of the prologue is about the fact that the action that seems most consistent to achieve a certain goal is actually the closest to the goal. It turns out that these explanations have the purpose of silencing the audience in an ironic manner through the many speeches of the lecturer or to admonish them to do so. Furthermore, the lecturer explains, he prefers to tell a story rather than praising both the set and the comedy itself. On the evening of the previous day he had met a group of hollow heads whom the prince had brought to court because of their stupidity. In order not to suffer any harm from these hollow heads, the lecturer then fled to bed. He promptly fell asleep and had a dream. In a dream he rose to heaven. The stars had told him that since he was there, they wanted to transform him into a god or goddess of his choice. Similar to the prologue to Lo Ipocrito (1542), a list of gods follows. This time the enumeration is due to the fact that the lecturer gives reasons for each god and goddess individually why he does not want to be transformed into him or her. When it was suggested to him, the lecturer said, Cupid , d. H. He immediately consented to be the God of love. Since he had grown wings, among other things, he was able to watch people from the air in their various love affairs. These are also listed. After the list of love affairs, the speaker's tone changes to bitterness. There is talk of the bad character of women. These would be punished by the devil by giving them up to bad men. Then there is talk of the men from whom the stupidest would get the prettiest women and finally of the lovers who opened the letter of their loved ones in church and tore it up because of their wickedness. Such sissies, as he calls them, he, as the god of love, wanted to shoot love arrows at to instill in them courage, but in a dream he made up his mind better, since the weaker ones of his arrows were not worth it and so he wanted to whip them. During the whipping movement, he woke up and found that he had broken all of his fingers. Eventually the lecturer leaves because he has to see a doctor because of the broken fingers.

Argomento (plot)

Since the cast behind the scenes doubts that the audience will understand the plot, a (albeit extremely vague) summary of the plot will now be presented. After the prostitute Talanta, who had slammed the door in front of her nose, recovered from her anger, she took Orfinio as her husband. Talanta was also furious because she had run away from the slave and the Saracen , who had been given to her by Capitano Tinca from Naples and Messer Vergolo from Venice. Meanwhile, Armileo Romano or Armileo from Rome pretended to love Talanta in order to gain access to the slave who was actually his love. He then met a certain Blando. Blando had a young woman with him. This in turn caused Armileo to force both of them to live with him, especially since he believed that the young woman was his adored slave. After Blando told Armileo of the loss of two children who were triplets with the alleged slave, it turned out that the Saracen was actually a woman, while the slave was a man. The man disguised as a slave had meanwhile become Marmilia's husband, who in turn was the daughter of Capitano Tinca; the woman disguised as a Saracen is now Marchetto's wife, who is Vergolo's son. Since Armileo's daughter Blando, Oretta, who had served Blando disguised as a man, was similar to Antino, who had previously been disguised as a slave, he married her. While there was a celebration due to the recognition, the Capitano Tinca and Mr. Vergolo Talanta financially compensated for the loss of both the slave and the Saracen. In this way Orfinio was allowed to come into the possession of Talanta. The audience should now be silent to hear what Talanta had to say.

first act

• The action takes place in wintry Rome. The prostitute Talanta has four lovers, Armileo, Orfinio, Vergolo and the Capitano Tinca. However, she does not reciprocate their love because for her, she claims, love is nothing more than a business matter. In addition, the love of her suitors is an imagination. In reality, they would just consume it. Accordingly, she is temporarily not available for Orfinio, since Tinca, Vergolo and Armileo have priority with her, because Tinca promised her a slave, Vergolo a Saracen and Armileo a large sum of money. When Orfinio wants to enter her house, she has him sent away. Orfinio's heart is broken at this rejection. But Talanta did not write it off. She then openly explains her situation to him and asks for three (short, since winter) days, i.e. H. one day for one of the other three suitors. In return, she would like to spend ten long days exclusively with Orfinio in the summer. Since Orfinio now knows about the generous gifts from his rivals, he has her get a gold chain. He also vows to hold back against her for three days, as required.
• The Venetian Vergolo traveled to Rome to get his son Marchetto a job at the city's court. He bought the Saracen now destined for Talanta from the same dealer as the Capitano Tinca bought his slave, he tells his local companion Pizio. The Saracen had slept with his son so often that he grew fond of the Saracen. After a tour of the city, Vergolo, Pizio and Vergolo's servant Scrocca go to Talanta. While Vergolo and Pizio are in Talanta's house, Scrocca is waiting for them outside. As Scrocca falls asleep, the mule Vergolos is stolen by Branca, who can be endured by Tinca.
• Branca was supposed to deliver the news to Talanta that Talanta would be in the possession of the promised slave in a short time. Since he sees Scrocca sleeping in front of Talanta's house and wants to harm Tincas' competitor, he steals the mule from him. After Vergolo has left Talanta's house and noticed the theft of the mule, Branca Talanta delivers the message sent to him by his patron. The audience also learns that, similar to Vergolo's son, Tinca's daughter often slept with the slave, that she had grown fond of her in this way and that she was now deeply saddened by her impending gift.

Second act

• On the occasion of the upcoming Carnival, Costa, a servant of Orfinio and Fora, a servant of Vergolo, decide to play a prank. Both dream of their masters' table parties. The purpose of the prank is that both of them can soon stuff their stomachs with the longed-for delicacies.
• The gifts mentioned in the first act are given to Talanta; H. the Saracen, the slave, the large sum of money and the golden chain. It turns out that the Saracen and the slave girl are extremely similar. Armileo, as the audience learns elsewhere, does not love Talanta, but pretends to love her in order to gain access to the slave that Tinca gave her and who is actually his love.
• Absurdly, because of the rivalry for Talanta, a duel between Armileo and Orfinio occurs, which both survive.
• Vergolo, in turn, turns his son Marchetto against him through the gift of the Saracen.

Third act

• From a conversation Marmilias with her servant Stellina it emerges that the slave is in reality male. Marmilia and Stellina devise a plan with which they can wrest the slave from Talanta. For this purpose, Marmilia Stellina has a turquoise removed from her box. This should serve to bribe Talanta if necessary in order to facilitate access to the slave in this way. The plan succeeds: Talanta grants Stellina access to the supposed slave. Stellina uses this to remind the slave that she should flee Talanta. On this street, Stellina meets Fora, who has also devised a plan with Marchetto to wrest the Saracens from Talanta's hands. The slave and the Saracen beat Fora, however. They both use the absence of Talanta, who has gone to a baptism, to escape her. As if by chance they encounter Stellina and Fora, who bring them to safety. The slave and the Saracen tell Stellina and Fora their story on this occasion. They were captured by the Turks and then sold to a trader in Ancona, who brought them to Rome.
• The pious Blando arrives in Rome. He is looking for his children, i. H. after his son Antino and his daughter Lucilla. Initially, Blando devotes his time to visiting churches. One of his three children, Oretta, accompanies him disguised as a young man.
• Biffa submits a plan to his master, Armileo, by means of which he can come into possession of the slave girl. Armileo, according to Biffa, should disguise himself as a Talanta in the crowd of the city market. Armileo will be followed by Biffa, who will be disguised as Armileo. While Armileo, disguised as Talanta, disappears in the crowd, Biffa will hang out with the real Talanta. Armileo should then go to Talanta's house. Since he would be identical to her, Aldella would open it to him. Armileo should send Aldella away and meanwhile have fun with the slave. In order to be able to carry out the plan, however, Biffa had to commission a tailor to produce the cladding required for the plan. On the way to Schneider, Biffa sees Blando with his daughter, Oretta, disguised as a young man, and sees his plan thwarted because he concludes that Talanta had sold the slave and that she, disguised as a young man, is in the possession of Blando.

Fourth act

• Fora and Costa are playing the trick on a certain Messer Necessitas that they agreed on in the first act. Fora wants to ask the Necessitas, who is always near a certain picture of the Madonna, about the painter of the picture. If he had given him the name of the painter, Fora would praise the picture of the Madonna as a picture of Saint Christopher. Necessitas would probably contradict him, and Fora would bet him on whether the painting was a Madonna or Saint Christopher. Costa should come by casually, be called in as a referee and decide in favor of Foras. The plan works. Fora and Costa take their plan to extremes, however, by bringing in Branca, who happens to be nearby. That in turn should decide whether Costa and Fora or Messer Necessitas is right. Since Costa and Fora signal him to understand what his answer should be, he decides in favor of the two and, after Necessitas has gone, shares in the loot (i.e. the stake of Messer Necessitas).
• Armileo indicates that he is ready to buy his adored slave from her buyer. Peno, a tutor of Armileo, leads him to Blando, in whom he believes, like Biffa before, to see the slave's buyer. When Armileo confronts Blando, Tinca happens to appear and demands the slave for herself. Vergolo suddenly appears too. He is only interested in the slave because she can possibly know where his son is with the Saracen. But because Tinca and Vergolo first return home, because Vergolo wants to call in the judiciary to extract the truth about his son's whereabouts from the slave and Tinca because in his boastful delusion he wants to assemble an army to unbutton Blando with the help of this army.
• Stellina, who has since gone back to Marmilia, was sent back to Fora by the latter after Stellina informed her of the latest events. Since Marmilia intends to flee, i.e. H. to leave the city, she wants to persuade Marchetto through Stellina to take part in the plan. In the end, in addition to the slave and the Saracen, Marmilia and Marchetto, Stellina also participates in the plan. Marchetto has looted a chest of his father in order to secure himself financially for the time of his disappearance. Vergolo and Tinca notice that their children have escaped and that their children have stolen their money.

Fifth act

Blando's story

• Armileo and Blando are alone with their entourage, and Blando tells his story. He was once married to a kind woman who died giving birth to triplets, two girls and a boy. He raised his children up to the ninth year. Since the three were very similar, he dressed them in different clothes to distinguish them. One day he heard of the imminent siege of the city by Sultan Solimano. That's why he wanted to move to Venice, had sold all his belongings, but kept postponing his departure. When he finally wanted to leave, the Sultan took the city. In his desperation he had dyed himself and one of his daughters black in order to deceive the occupiers and to escape their violence. For the other two children, any help came too late because he was chained before he could dye them black. Together with his daughter, whom he had disguised as a man and who Armileo, Tinca and Vergolo believed to be the slave, he had served a man for four years who had declared her free for the time after his death. Blando did not lose his fortune through captivity and enslavement. Because his servant Fedele hid himself in a cave with the money, found his master after his imprisonment, in order to give him back all his property. Blando also learned that the Turks had sold his two other children to a dealer in Ancona. The person he has with him, Blando explains, is a woman, but not the slave Armileo, Vergolo and Tinca were looking for. Blando is heartbroken because he believes he will never see his lost children again. Armileo tells Blando that he considers the Saracen and the slave to be the lost children, because, according to the logic of the comedy, it is tacitly assumed that since they are triplets, they must look "identical". Vergolo and Tinca gave them to a whore who sold them on. Peno objects, however, that Talanta claimed that the Saracen and the slave had fled. Armileo sends Fedele out to find the slave and the Saracen. During the search, Fedele encounters Fora, who reveals the whereabouts of the two, on condition that neither of the participants be punished. A white powder will later transform the Saracen back into a white Christian. The slave and the Saracen are also brought to Armileo.

The rest of the storylines

• A duel ensues between Tinca and Vergolo, as Tinca rides up with the mule that Vergolo had stolen with his consent. Tinca is defeated in the duel. Armileo separates the two of them and persuades them to come to an agreement peacefully. The two later reconcile with each other, since Fora, after revealing the whereabouts of the slave and the Saracen to Fedele, gave them back the money their children stole from them and their joy made them forget any animosity. Another reason for the reconciliation may be that now that the true identity of the Saracen and the slave has become apparent, both will soon be related by marriage, especially since the spouses of their children are siblings.
• In this act, too, Costa, Fora and Branca, who this time is privy to it from the beginning, play a trick. Again, the goal, as announced in the first act, is that all three can stuff themselves with the delicacies reserved for the rich at Carnival time. The trick is that the disguised Fora orders a whole range of delicacies from a sausage and cheese dealer. Since the amount of food involved is very large, a porter is required to carry it home fora. As if by chance, the also disguised Costa is nearby and can be hired as a porter and leaves with the ordered goods. When payment is due later, Fora makes off. The sausage and cheese dealer chases him. Fora turns the corner, swaps his disguise for another in seconds with the help of Branca and finally turns around as a lame and one-eyed man. When he is asked by the sausage and cheese dealer for the way of the thief, Fora succeeds in convincing him not to pursue the hunted any further, since his suffering is far less than his cripples. The delicacies were, however, entrusted to an unspecified person. Costa, Fora and Branca finally agree to meet for the evening of the following day to enjoy the delicacies together.
• In the end everything dissolves in favor. In addition to the already mentioned reconciliation between Tinca and Vergolo, Talanta decides to marry Orfinio. After the true identity of the slave and the Saracen has been revealed and the suspicion that the slave is in reality Antino and the Saracen is in reality Lucilla - both children of Blando - has been confirmed, preparations for the wedding of Marchettos and Lucillas as well as Antinos and Marmilias. Since Armileo realizes that his love for the slave is due to a misunderstanding, it is suggested that he marry the triplet sister Oretta, who is very similar to the supposed slave, as a consolation. Marchetto and Marmilia apologize to their fathers for their offenses. Blando faints with joy when he sees his children. Tinca suggests that Talanta be compensated for the loss of the "slave" and the "Saracen". Orfinio is reconciled with Armileo.
• At the end Pizio remarks ironically, alluding to Aristotle 's poetics , that after such a happy ending of the love story one could legitimately speak of a comedy and Blando wishes his sons-in-law God's blessing and the audience an eternal life, eternal praise and eternal fame.

Second assignment

The second assignment is dedicated to Alessandro Piccolomini . In the assignment, Aretino claims that he had to work a total of two nights to write Lo Ipocrito and La Talanta . He sent La Talanta to Piccolomini, while he sent Lo Ipocrito to the Duke of Florence. If Piccolomini should not find anything (good) in the comedy, he should attribute this to Aretino's poor knowledge and the limited time he was allowed to do. He is currently working on a tragedy for Christ, in which he intends to demonstrate all his skills.

people

• Talanta , courtesan
• Aldella , maid
• Orfinio , in love with Talanta
• Pizio , his companion
• Costa , servant of Orfinio
• Messer Vergolo (Mr. Vergolo), Venetian
• Fora , servant
• Marchetto , son of Messer Vergolos
• Scrocca , farmer
• Armileo pretending to love Talanta
• Peno , Head of House Armileo
• Biffa , servant of Armileo
• Raspa , servant of Armileo
• Tinca , soldier
• Branca , parasite
• Marmilia , daughter of the soldier
• Stellina , servant
• Blando , father of Lucillas, Orettas and Antinos
• Lucilla disguised and colored as a Saracen
• Oretta disguised as a man
• Antino disguised as a slave
• Fedele , servant of Blando
• Messer Necessitas (Mr. Necessitas), scholar
• Pizzicagnolo (sausage and cheese merchant)

Other Information

• For the decor of the first performance of La Talanta was Giorgio Vasari responsible.
• Scene 5 of the second act begins with an allusion to Lo Ipocrito (1542). The parasite Branca complains that the parasites have recently become pious hypocrites who have tried to tie everything under their noses to their patrons. Branca sees himself at a disadvantage or even in existential danger through the behavior of the pious hypocrites. That's why he wants to become one of them. In scene 7 of the first act of Lo Ipocrito , the matchmaker Gemma recommends someone who would like to use her services to Ipocrito (whose name means hypocrite in German ). He was a friar who was far more cunning than she was. She'd ruined this sort of friar. Similar to Branca, Gemma has decided to make a more profitable change in her life so as not to miss the boat like this one. Once she was an abbess, recognized pimping and pimping as a lucrative business and in this way became a matchmaker.
• Similar to Liseo in Lo Ipocrito , who sees his wife Maja as the reason for all the evil that happens to him, Vergolo blames his wife's excessive piety for Marchetto having fled home with his money. Otherwise she would have been in the house and not in the church (see fourth act, scene 19)
• Another person who behaves similarly to Liseo is Blando, who in his piety constantly believes that his luck or bad luck depends on the favor or disfavor of God. Liseo, on the other hand, is obsessed with the thought of fate, which he likes or dislikes.
• Like Porfiria, who in Lo Ipocrito proposes her unhappily in love Prelio to marry her sister Sveva instead of her (see fifth act, scene 9), Peno proposes Armileo, instead of the slave who has revealed herself as Antino, Oretta to marry, especially since she is very similar to Antino (cf. fifth act, scene 20).
• The story of Antino, Lucilla and Oretta recalls that of Lidio and Samia in Bibbiena's La Calandria (1513). Lidio and Samia are also separated from each other by an incursion by the Turks. In the Argomento , the summary of the plot of La Calandria , a possible answer can also be found as to why Oretta is disguised as a man all the time and why Lucilla pretends to be Saracen: Samia pretends to be Lidio because she is alone women are completely disenfranchised. Why Antino pretended to be a slave is also not explained and is not apparent from the context of the plot. In La Calandria , Lidio poses as Samia in order to be able to visit his beloved without arousing suspicion in her husband.
• In the first prank, Costa gets the lion's share, provided that he believes Fora's deceitful abilities (cf. fourth act, scene 4). This is reminiscent of Ariostus La Cassaria (1508) and Ruzante's La Piovana (1532). In the first-mentioned comedy, the servant Fulcio attaches importance to being a trickster and intriguer, in the latter, it is the servant Garbinello who fears for his reputation as an arch-deceiver when he fails a prank.
• In scene 13 of the fifth act, when she decides to marry Orfinio, Talanta continues to view the marriage ironically, if not with aversion. In Il Marescalco (1533), too , the pros and cons of marriage are examined from an ironic point of view (see first act, scene 6; second act, scene 5 and fourth act, scene 5).
• Despite the obvious borrowings from ancient Roman comedy, there is ample evidence that comedy is set in the Renaissance. So Messer Vergolo came to Rome to find a position at court for his son Marchetto. Another indication is that the ancient Roman monuments are now sights.
• Douglas Radcliff-Umstead accordingly sees Tinca as a model for the characters Matamoros and Vallinferno in the Commedia dell'arte , since it was more likely a product of the unstable political situation on the Apennine peninsula than a mere borrowing from the ancient Roman comedy.
• Talanta is possibly an allegory for the court of Rome, which is visited and courted by people from all over the peninsula in order to obtain favorable positions there.

Literary influences

• According to Radcliff-Umstead, the classic, i.e. H. Ancient Roman influence on La Talanta comedy far greater than in Aretino's previous work.
• There is a very great similarity between La Talanta and Terenz ' Eunuchus , insofar as in Eunuchus the prostitute Thais has two lovers: the young Phaedria and the boastful Thraso. In scene 14 of the first act of La Talanta there is even a direct allusion to Terence's comedy: the relatively young Orfinio claims in it that he is not the young Phaedria, even if it may seem so. Similar to Tinca in La Talanta , Thraso Thais gives a slave as a present.
• In Plautus ' Truculentus , three suitors compete for the prostitute Phronesium: the rampant Athenian Dinarchus, the country boy Strabax and Stratophanes, an officer in the Babylonian army. The relationship between Talanta and Orfinio is similar to that between Phronesium and Dinarchus. Talanta or Phronesium continues to maintain the relationship with Orfinio and Dinarchus, although both are relatively poor, as they compensate for their poverty with wit and dashing.
• The mix-up comedy about Lucilla, Antino and Oretta shows parallels to Plautu's mix-up comedy Menaechmi .

literature

Text output

• Pietro Aretino: La Talanta. iIn: Pietro Aretino: Tutte le commedie . Mursia, Milano (Milan) 1968.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cf. Manfred Brauneck : The world as a stage. History of European Theater. First volume (1993). Stuttgart / Weimar: JW Metzler: 425.
2. ↑ Cf. Nino Borsellino: La memoria teatrale di Pietro Aretino: i prologhi della "Cortigiana". In: Maristella de Panizza Lorch (ed.): Il teatro italiano del Rinascimento (1980). Milano: Edizioni di Comunità: 227.
3. ↑ See also Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 176
4. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 176
5. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 180
6. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 182
7. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 175.
8. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 175-176.
9. ↑ See Douglas Radcliff-Umstead: The Birth of Modern Comedy in Renaissance Italy (1969). Chicago / London: The University of Chicago Press: 176