Luigi

1. Luigi Pirandello

2. His life

3. Pirandello wasborn at Agrigento on June 28, 1867. His family was a well off one, so hehad the possibilitytostudyboth in Italy and abroad and to devote towriting. Theseeventswillleadhiswifetobecomemad in 1919. Afterstudyingletters in Rome and aftergettinghisdegree in Bonn, Pirandello movesfromSicilytoRome, wherehelivestogetherwithhiswifedevotinghimselftowriting. In 1903 becauseof the floodingofhisfather’s mine, Pirandello ‘s family financial conditionshurled down. Hecouldn’t getanymorehisfather’s checkthatpermittedhimto devote onlytowritingneglectinghis work. … hewillhaveto start working. After some years the 1st World War burst out and oneofhissonshastofightforhishomeland…. A difficultperiodwillbringhimto a tragicviewof the world. A tragic nature fromwhichonlywritingcouldsaveone.

4. In 1924 hebecomes a memberof the Fascist party , fromwhichheobtainssupport and moneyfor the “Company of the Art Theatre”that, during Pirandello’s direction, takes Pirandello’s theatrearound the world forthreeyears ,until 1928. Hismostimportantactressis Marta Abba, towhom Pirandello wassentimentallylinked. In 1929 he’llreceive the qualificationof “State Academic”…

5. In 1934, Pirandello willreceive the Nobel PrizeforLiterature…

6. World View and Poetics … “OurSpiritconsistsoffragments … of separate elementsthat can break up and recompose … so thatyoumayhave a newpersonality …” The only way , accordingto Pirandello, torecoverone’s identityis MADNESS.

7. For the poetthereis a contrastbetween Life and “Forms” that man imposestohimselftogettoknowhimself and the others… Society is “ a machineof “puppets” thatblocks and traps man : the onlyremedytothisishidingeither in the IRRATIONAL or in MADNESS. In Pirandello’s storiesthereisoften a characterthat “hasunderstood the game” and thatisolates in orderto look at othermenclosed in the “trap” with a humoristicattitude.

8. We are all Masks, and thisisshown in the novel , One, no one and onehundredthousand”: Man wasborn free buthehas a “role” tofollowduringhislife….. Man can have relations withhimself, withother people, buthe’llneverunderstandeitherhimself or the others… Allofus wear a maskbehindwhichhideseveralpersonalities... 1Individual… 100 000 personalities… So no one…

9. Butifeveryonehashisownpersonality , how can therebe a univocalcommunication? Thisis cause ofloneliness and social exclusion…

10. Men can reactto the masksthatthey wear in threeways: Acceptingit and living unhappily, unabletoreactto the rolegiventothem… Undertakingone’s role in an IRONIC and HUMORISTIC way, notresigning and alwaystryingtoobtain some advantagesfrom the mask…. Tryingto take it off and behavingthereforewith DESPAIR: the resultismadnessthatoftenleadsto the loss of life …

11. The art ofHumourismappliedto the theatreiscalled Humorism Pirandello writesanessayabouthumorism and hedistinguishesitfrom the comical. THE COMICAL isdefinedas “a warningof the contrary”: itimmediadelyfosters LAUGHTER becauseitshows a situation contraryto the reality… GROTESQUE HUMOURISM derivesfrom a Reflection: itdoesn’t judgeimmediatelybutitfosters a SMILE almostofpityforhisown and other people’s weaknesses.

12. Pirandello’s production consistsof 44 Comedies (or Dramas) and itisdividedintofourphases. Teatro The first phaseis the dialect and veristone(1910-1916) The secondoneis the oneof the Theatreof the Grotesque(1916-1936), In whichheconsiders the daily life. A thirdphaseisthatof “the theatre in the theatre”(1921-1930): Herehedevelops the themeof the lackofcommunicationbecauseof the differentpersonalities … hepoints out the factthat art can’t represent life sinceitis a mask The fourthphaseisthatof the TheatreofMyths Theseworkshavefantasticplots and they are set in a primitive and fantastic world.

13. “ Weallhave inside a world ofthings: eachonehashisown world ofthings! How can weunderstandeachother , if in the wordsthat I say I put the meaning and the valueof the thingsthat are inside me; thosewhohearthem , necessarily take themwith the meaning and valuethathaveforthem, accordingtotheir inside world? Wethinktounderstandeachother, butwe’llnever do it! (SixCharacterslookingforanauthor)

14. HENRY IV “Henry IV” belongs to the cycle of the theatre within the theatre that is different from the grotesque for the setting as a tragedy. In this work the author resumes the typical features of the IX century tragedy , but he devepols themes that are dear to him that is the falsehood that imprisons men in their daily life. The only escape is represented by madness, in which the protagonist finds refuge. This way the hero can cut himself off from life and look from above the misery of the wordly comedy.

15. …the PLOT… A young man ,that represents the Emperor, Henry IV, during a masked party, falls from a horse, hurts his head and becomes mad. For 12 years with his family ‘s compliance he believes to be the Emperor, he lives in his villa as if he were in a castle , surrounded by characters that imitate the XI century life.. When the protagonist recovers his health, he finds out that Matilde Spina, the woman he loved, had become Tito Belcredi’s lover. He was the person that had caused his fall from the horse. Therefore he decides to continue pretending to be mad for other eight years thus avoiding to face the troubled reality.

16. ENRICO IV… Now the dramastarts. Twentyyearshadpassedsince the accident, whenBelcredi, Matilde and theirdaughter Frida , togetherwith a psychiatrist, go tovisit the pseudo Henry IV in his villa. Theirattempttomake the protagonistrecoverhisreasonfails so the balancebetweenmadness and falsehoodbreaks. As iftimehadstoppedtwentyyears ago. The pseudo Henry IV mistakes Frida for Matilde. Butwhenhetriestokiss the girl, Belcrediattackshim and Henry overwhelmedbyrevenge, killshim. The imaginary Henry IV willfallintomadnessagain or hewill continue topretendtobemad and will live forever in hisvilla-castle , surroundedby a groupof false courtiers.