Death in Venice: Analysis of Major Characters
"Death in Venice: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex dynamics of key figures in Thomas Mann's novella. The protagonist, Gustave von Aschenbach, is portrayed as a middle-aged German writer whose disciplined pursuit of artistic fame has led to a solitary life. His physical description reflects his weary intellect and emotional detachment, as he struggles with an unfulfilled yearning for deeper connections. In contrast, Tadzio, a fourteen-year-old Polish boy, epitomizes youthful beauty and serves as the object of Aschenbach's infatuation, symbolizing both admiration and the destructive nature of obsessive desire. The narrative also introduces various secondary characters, such as a strikingly bold stranger and a flamboyant old man masquerading as a youth, each reflecting facets of Aschenbach's internal conflict. Their interactions enhance the themes of aging and unrequited longing, culminating in Aschenbach's tragic journey. Collectively, these characters embody the tension between artistic aspiration and the darker impulses that can accompany it, inviting readers to contemplate the cost of beauty and desire in the face of mortality.
Death in Venice: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Thomas Mann
First published: Der Tod in Venedig, 1912 (English translation, 1925)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Italy
Plot: Symbolic realism
Time: Early twentieth century
Gustave von Aschenbach (GEW-stahf fon AH-shehnbahch), a middle-aged German writer. Small, dark, his bushy gray hair, which is thinning on top, is brushed back on his overlarge head. His mouth is large, his cheeks lean and furrowed, and his prominent chin slightly cleft. He wears rimless gold glasses on his thick, aristocratically hooked nose, and his eyes are weary and sunken. A widower, he has one child, a married daughter. Precocious, Aschenbach early longed for fame, which he has achieved through several works acclaimed by the general public and the critics. He is not a born artist but has made himself one through rigorous discipline and unwavering dedication. A solitary man, he has only a superficial, limited knowledge of the real world. In cultivating his intellect, he has denied his feelings. His passion for Tadzio is symbolic of his narcissism, which first degrades and then destroys him. Aschenbach is a symbol of the artist in modern society.
Tadzio (TAHD-tsee-oh), a Polish boy of fourteen who possesses a classic beauty of face and form. To Aschenbach, his beautiful head seems that of Eros and the boy himself the essence of beauty. When Aschenbach almost touches Tadzio and then draws back in panic, the action symbolizes the artist's fear of giving way to an emotion. Sometimes the artist sees in Tadzio the youth Hyacinth, who died as the victim of the rivalry of two gods. When, after many days, Tadzio finally smiles at Aschenbach, the smile is that of Narcissus looking in the pool, and the artist whispers his love. Tadzio's is the last face the artist sees before he dies.
A Stranger, thin, beardless, snub-nosed, red-haired, freckled, and exotic-looking, he seems to Aschenbach to be bold, domineering, even ruthless.
Another Stranger, an old man masquerading as a youth on an old, dingy Italian ship. He is flashily dressed; his face and eyes are wrinkled, his cheeks rouged, his brown hair and yellow teeth false, and his turned-up mustaches and imperial are dyed. He becomes disgustingly drunk before the ship reaches Venice. When Aschenbach's desperate passion for Tadzio consumes him, he, like the painted stranger, tries foolishly to hide his age.
A Strolling Player, a pale, thin-faced, snub-nosed, red-haired man of slight build whose singing is entertaining but obscene and who carries with him an odor of carbolic acid.
A Gondolier, undersized and brutish-looking. An expert boatman, he is gruff and rude, and he disappears before Aschenbach returns with change to pay him. The gondolier represents Charon, and the artist's ride in the gondola portends his death in Venice.