Mozart's Women Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mozart's Women - Term Paper Example Don Juan changes with generations and the Magic Flute, part of the German folklore, has become a universal tale of striving through the trials and tribulations of life. Comparing the women of two operas has proven to be a false reality as most documentation has used fallacies which would be against the purpose of this paper. One example is shown is Kristi Brown's, Mozart's Women. She compared Donna Anna to a misfortunate Spanish maiden. She never once considered the social context whereas Mozart was writing an Italian opera only using the setting and subject matter of "Don Juan" with an 18th century interpretation as did Moliere use "Don Juan" in France in the precedent century. Social context were taken into account in both cases. During her lecture of Mozart's two operas, Mrs Brown never took mentioned the social context of the 18th century. It is the purpose of this paper to show how Mozart integrated the importance into his opera as a way to integrate his values and judgments as a form of communication as well as dissent. An opera buffa was the style of the period. (Grout 517) It was a light hearted opera which made the audience laugh and also to sell tickets. Mozart's Don Giovanni was opera buffa with much controversy. There was much discussion as the theme was thought to be too serious for a "funny" opera". People usually did not die nor were audiences frightened by stoned statues. Mozart's using three women characters was his own characteristic tool enabling to mix reality with storytelling. Gounoud wrote in the 19th century Don Giovanni was an "apogee of the lyrical drama, a wondrous example of truth, beauty of form, appropriateness of characterization, deep insight into the drama, purity of style, †¦.charm and tenderness in the love passages, and power in pathos." (Krehbiel 69) Don Giovanni "can be viewed as an archetype of every man or woman's alter ego, a man who faces that eternal conflict of the tension, desire and craving for love, and the st ruggle between emotion and reason, the spirit and the flesh, or the sacred and the profane". (Ballantine 19) In the 18th century period of Enlightenment, women were given intellectual and artistic liberties that the Don Juan of Moliere would never have had. These liberties were accepted as long as women adhered to the roles of the domestic life as well as appearing to support one's husband. Sexuality was open but behind the screen. Donna Anna, had she been scorned by Don Giovanni by our standards, she would have been considered as having been raped. Had she been scorned by the standards of the 18th century of Enlightenment, it would be possible to assume that he only shamed her future position as an aristocratic. Her role was to maintain the household and support her husband in appearance? Nowhere in the opera is it said why she is scorned, a 21rst century assumption is being made because of Don Giovanni's past histories with women. Much controversy has been made in literature to th e extent of the role women played in the period of Enlightenment. Needless to say, Mozart was highly touched by the dichotomy of the role of women. His wife would forgive him for his philander with servant girls but not with "educated or artistic"(Stafford 119) (Paumgartner, Mozart, 273). To the extent this showed the sexual freedom of 18th century Italy. It was quite common to have extra marital affairs for both men and women. In prenuptial agreements, women were allowed their cicisbeo or man