The Betrothed: Analysis of Setting
"The Betrothed: Analysis of Setting" delves into the critical role of various locations in shaping the narrative and themes of Alessandro Manzoni's novel. Set against the backdrop of 17th-century Northern Italy, the story unfolds primarily in Milan, a city marked by authoritarian rule and societal turmoil. The narrative highlights Milan's grim realities, including a devastating famine and plague, which not only create a hostile environment for the characters but also serve as a reflection of the broader societal struggles of the era.
In contrast, the unnamed village near Lake Como, where Lucia resides, represents a more intimate and pastoral life, yet it is fraught with its own challenges, particularly the oppressive presence of the local nobleman, Don Rodrigo. This village is significant as it embodies the emotional and social ties that bind Lucia and Lorenzo, while also illustrating the dangers of gossip and societal scrutiny that accompany rural life. Additionally, the city of Bergamo plays a pivotal role as a temporary refuge for Lorenzo, allowing him to navigate his circumstances under an alias while still seeking connection with Lucia. Together, these settings not only enhance the narrative's tension but also underscore the themes of love, separation, and societal injustice.
The Betrothed: Analysis of Setting
First published:I promessi sposi, 1827; revised, 1840-1842 (English translation, 1828; revised, 1951)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical
Time of work: Seventeenth century
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
*Milan
*Milan. Northern Italian city that was a place of authoritarian rule and Spanish and Austrian domination during the seventeenth century, in which this novel is set. Milan experiences one crisis after another. When the young peasant hero Lorenzo becomes separated from his betrothed, Lucia, he enters Milan, initially unaware that it is experiencing a devastating famine. Price-fixing and tariffs on bread provoke rioting and disorder. A gullible countryman, Lorenzo gets caught up in the rioting and is arrested. After escaping from the city, he later returns to look for Lucia and finds Milan looted, barren, death-ridden, almost like a ghost town, Moreover, plague has hit the city so hard that Lorenzo finds its streets littered with dead bodies. Manzoni’s grim description of Milan is an accurate picture of its condition during the seventeenth century.
Village
Village. Unnamed village, about one mile east of Lecco, near Lake Como, in which Lucia lives with her mother. In this village lies the source of all troubles that prevent Lucia and Lorenzo from marrying. They must first escape from the villainy of a local nobleman, Don Rodrigo. Lucia’s departure from her home village is painful to her because it contains all that she knows and loves in life. Don Rodrigo has Lucia captured and taken to a castle, where Lucia bemoans her separation from Lorenzo.
This village is a poignant locale because Lucia and Lorenzo are betrothed and are supposed to be married as planned, but the simple act of taking a marriage vow is thwarted and the lovers have to leave the place for safety elsewhere. This village is also a common theme concerning country people who are prone to gossip and rumors, as is often the nature of country and rustic ways of life. The lovers’ sudden departure in the middle of the night is a great cause for villagers to speculate and gossip from one ear to the other until the news reaches the nobleman. His wrath provokes an all-out scheme of capturing and separating Lorenzo and Lucia at all costs.
*Bergamo
*Bergamo. Italian city about nine or ten miles from the River Adda. Lorenzo comes here under a false name and takes a labor job after fleeing from Milan. Eventually, he finds a way to communicate with Lucia.
Bibliography
“Alessandro Manzoni.” In Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Vol. 29, edited by Laurie DiMauro. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Contains a brief biography, an overview of The Betrothed, and excerpts form the criticism of numerous Manzoni critics. Includes bibliographic citations. An excellent starting place.
Barricelli, Gian Piero. Alessandro Manzoni. Boston: Twayne, 1976. The most thorough introduction to Manzoni in English. Provides a biography that focuses more on his life after his conversion to Catholicism in 1810 than on his life preceding the conversion. Examines his poetry and essays. Analysis of The Betrothed: its characters, styles, and themes.
Chandler, S. B. Alessandro Manzoni: The Story of a Spiritual Quest. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1974. An insightful investigation of Manzoni’s works, showing how the works demonstrate Manzoni’s spiritual development and his movement toward a spiritual view of life.
Matteo, Sante, and Larry Peer, eds. The Reasonable Romantic: Essays on Alessandro Manzoni. New York: Peter Lang, 1986. A collection of critical essays on the range of Manzoni’s works. Some of the essays are excerpted in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism.
Wall, Bernard. Alessandro Manzoni. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1954. Provides an overview of the life of Manzoni and his role as poet and dramatist before examining The Betrothed, its place in literature, and the controversies of Manzoni’s religion, of his use of the Italian language, and of the novel’s relationship to Romanticism. Sometimes criticized for its brevity.