Theoretical+Implications

Carlo Gozzi merges the highly physical aesthetic of commedia dell’arte with the epic language of fairy tales. Whether or not this combination was purposeful, the resulting texts appeal to our most primal appreciation for visual and oral storytelling. This particular play, //The Serpent Woman//, holds true to this sentiment by fully allowing an audience a sense of //wonder// within the theatrical experience. The meaning within //The Serpent Woman//, however, proves much richer than an ordinary fairytale: Perhaps the most congruent with my personal aesthetic, //The Serpent Woman// deals directly with the battle between who we are (or are in danger of becoming) and who we wish to be. Both mythic and mortal creatures are forced to reconcile the intersection of the earthly with the ethereal. This is a tale about desire for the Self more than a desire for an Other, however, as each character searches for his or her own fulfillment (often times exploiting one another). The myth of //The Serpent Woman// also touches on feminist qualities. The story revolves around a very powerful woman (Cherestani), an immortal entity who falls in love with a human King, Farruscad, and thus must abnegate her immortal status. She does so at the anger of a Fairy King who demands that Farruscad not discover Cherestani’s identity for 8 years and then watch his world crumble at Cherestani’s hands. If Farruscad can withstand the hell imposed on his life and not curse his wife, he will have Cherestani in all of her mortal glory. If not, Farruscad will lose her and Cherestani will become a Serpent Woman. Written in 1762, a powerful female character that forwards a tale and holds an insurmountable power over her husband is shockingly subversive. Cherestani inherently establishes a “clear reversal of the sexual roles considered proper in Gozzi’s idealized patriarchical order” (Bermel & Emery, 16). We watch King Farruscad go mad in search for his wife and children as he is slowly emasculated. After failing miserably and losing his wife, Farruscad only regains control and masculine power by fighting three demons in exchange for his wife (guided by an unseen woman’s voice). King Farruscad only exhibits power for and due to a woman. Beyond a feminist approach, this story, as many fairy tales do, acts as allegory for our own obstacles and demons. In the grand search of our own selves and desires we, too, must face our hurdles, handicaps and deterrents. //The Serpent Woman// casts these obstacles as heroic so that we, our own heroes in our own journeys, may leave our seats feeling vindicated and valiant.