Francesca da Rimini: historical facts, image in works of literature, painting and music. Francesca da Rimini: historical facts, image in works of literature, painting and music Francesca in illustrations and sculpture

Yesterday (already even, it turns out, the day before yesterday) I went to the Opera House to see "Francesca da Rimini" by Rachmaninoff. This opera is staged in the Small Hall, again in a semi-concert performance: with conditional costumes and a hint of scenery. The director-producer is still the same our most productive Vyacheslav Starodubtsev, whom Vadim Zhuravlev calls the most boring. As for The Queen of Spades, I can even agree, but he staged Francesca quite well, playing, as usual, with the balcony and the upper side galleries of the Small Hall in order to substantively show those internal distances that actually separate the characters.

This opera by Rachmaninov is difficult to stage, primarily because there are not so many vocals. Descriptions often indicate that it is closer in structure to a cantata. And the symphonic parts on the stage need to be filled with something. Starodubtsev filled with the walks of the choir (this should depict the flight of sinful souls carried by an infernal whirlwind), playing with antique masks (each character has his own mask. Masks, apparently, symbolize the archetypal, eternal in the characters of a particular story. Or maybe they hide the true essence of each) and plastic sketches. These are:

This is Paolo and Francesca, carried by an infernal whirlwind. And here they are (Paolo - Sergey Kuzmin, Francesca - Sofia Bachaeva) are going to make love:

And here are the masked characters in the final scene (on the left Sergey Kuzmin and Sofia Bachaeva):

To be honest, I'm not quite sure about the aesthetic height of plastic studies, but, in the end, if someone doesn't feel like watching, you can close your eyes and listen to music. Rachmaninov's music is grandiose, and maestro Dmitry Yurovsky, contrary to his usual practice, does not "smear" the orchestra, but gives it a powerful sound and does not drive the tempo (I listened to the finale on YouTube conducted by Mikhail Pletnev - it's just gop-galop, gop-galop"). In general, I love Rachmaninov, and especially this opera, and the day before yesterday I went to listen to it for the third time, which shocked the violinist girl from the orchestra, whom I informed of this fact (our Small Hall is arranged in such a way that the orchestra members go out together with the audience, and you can thank the musicians and spread a word).

For the third time, I went to listen to new performers of the parts of Paolo and Francesca - there were just Sergey Kuzmin and Sofia Bachaeva, and before that I had listened twice with Vladimir Kuchin and Anna Dattay. But all three times Aleksey Zelenkov sang the part of Lanciotto Malatesta, and I highly recommend both Novosibirsk and the guests of our city to go to this opera with us, primarily in order to hear Alexei, before he "sang" this role or until he was lured to the Bolshoi Theater (and they were invited, it is known for certain).

(Alexey Zelenkov as Lanciotto Malatesta)

No, my recommendation does not mean that the others sang badly. Even the small parts of Dante (Kirill Nifontov) and Virgil's Shadow (Maxim Golovachev) were done very expressively. Both Anna Dattay and Sofia Bachaeva are beautiful Francesca, and very different. Dattai has a kind of thing in itself, completely petrified in front of her unloved husband, while Bachaeva's is unable to hide her disgust and can barely stand the role of a submissive wife. The part of Francesca, of course, is difficult from a vocal point of view - Rachmaninov, in order to show how Francesca's feelings played like spring waters, wrote her aria ("Oh don't cry, my Paolo"), and the subsequent duet with Paolo in a fairly high tessitura, with the upper “si” of the soprano, but the singers coped with these difficulties. Kuchin's Paolo is more frivolous, Kuzmin's is more passionate. But the vocal and dramatic core of Rachmaninov's opera is precisely the part of Lanciotto. Zelenkov leads it with genuine drama, but without losing a sense of proportion and without crossing the boundaries of good taste. At the same time, his Lanciotto is always different. In a word, this is a wonderful vocal and acting work.

Well, a little educational program, no longer directly related to our theater.

Francesca da Rimini, nee da Polenta, lived in the 13th century. (estimated years of life - 1255 - 1285). Her father, Guido I da Polenta, was the Podesta (i.e. the head of the executive and judiciary) of the city of Ravenna. They say that Francesca Gvidovna was distinguished by outstanding beauty, and dad decided to arrange an advantageous dynastic marriage, giving her to the son of Ravenna's pvesta, for the same Gianciotto Malatesta. With Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who composed the libretto for Rachmaninov's opera and whom my late Teacher affectionately called Modeya or Modinka, Giovanni apparently turned into Lanfranco or even into Launcelot, hence Lanciotto.

It is known that the marriage took place in 1275. So, the newlywed was then about twenty years old. So, before her death, she lived with her unloved husband for about ten years. At the same time, she loved her brother-in-law, her husband's younger brother, Paolo. There is a persistent legend, which either started or was recorded by Giovanni Boccaccio in the comments to Dante's "Divine Comedy", that Guido da Polenta tricked his daughter into marriage through the so-called marriage with a representative (remember "Angelica, Marquise of the Angels" - remember, there instead of lame de Peyrac, the beautiful and elegant Marquis d "Andijos arrives as a representative of the count? Here is the same story). And the representative was allegedly Paolo, who was given out as the girl's real fiance. However, such a representation was hardly possible, because Paolo by that time was married.

Therefore, the question remains open at what point in these approximately ten years of marriage, Francesca fell in love with Paolo. It is only known that Paolo lived separately with his lawful wife for several years: she was on the estate, and he was pushing in Rimini, where he not only went in for politics, but also probably messed around in the house of his older brother. Whether there was love on his part - God knows. You can’t get into the head of a long-killed hero-lover, but, unfortunately, it could also be that he just went to spend ... copulating with his daughter-in-law. The husband, as usual, was the last to know about everything, but he found out. And so, according to one version (Jacopo della Lana, commentary on the Divine Comedy of 1320), he crept into the bedroom where the lovers were frolicking, caught them in coitu and pierced them with a sword through and through, planting both on the blade, like quails on a skewer ("he shot both of them with one bullet and wandered along the shore in anguish" - from the same series). According to another, more plausible, Paolo escaped through the back door / secret passage while Francesca detained her husband, who suddenly fell on his head, "unlocking" the door, but his clothes got caught on a hook and thus was captured by his brother.

Here is an artistic masterpiece of a modern artist, showing "how everything happened" (do not go under the spoiler aesthetically vulnerable!) In the last version:

(Vladimir Kapustin. Paolo Malatesta, caught on a hook by a hem made of very high quality manufactory fabric that did not tear!)

Until now, no one knows exactly where this mournful event took place: either in Rimini, or in Pesaro, or in Santarcangelo di Romagna, or in Gradara Castle. Castle Gradara, meanwhile, show tourists exactly how "the very place." The incident, of course, is tragic, it very quickly turned into gossip, which was passed from mouth to mouth with ahas, sighs and shaking of the head, but it would have been safely forgotten if it had not been included in the Divine Comedy (Hell, V) by Dante Alighieri who personally knew the brother of the murdered Francesca. In other words, the young lady became famous, in fact, only for the fact that she committed adultery very scandalously and with extremely grave consequences, but Dante himself immortalized her!

By the time the harsh Dante wrote "Hell", the story of Francesca was still on everyone's lips, so he only slightly hints at the background of the relationship of the sinful couple. Yes, and the story of Francesca in Dante is very short, but he so shocked his poetic double that he "fell like a dead man falls." Those who wish to read Dante's text can do so, and in the original language too.

If you want to read briefly about the historical basis of the Dante fragment, then you are here. The magazine "Vokrug sveta", of course, is not a scientific source, but it is not the worst of the popular ones.

Information about Rachmaninov's opera and its brief content -.

By the way, the libretto of Modest Ilyich was based on the translation of Dmitry Merezhkovsky, and according to the link that I gave above - the translation, of course, of Mikhail Lozinsky.

Well, musical illustrations - for those who have no idea how Rachmaninov's "Francesca da Rimini" sounds.

1. Lanciotto's monologue, scene and aria. Alexander Vinogradov And Gelena Gaskarova. This is from a 2015 production in Nancy. She is a little funny, as is often the case with a director, but they sing well. (You can see it in full). Lanciotto is going on a campaign against the Ghibellines (who are the Guelphs and Ghibellines, google for yourself. The Guelphs were still white and black, hee hee), at the same time he is tormented by jealous thoughts. Pay attention to how intonationally poor Francesca's remarks are. She will intotone with Paolo, and she speaks with her husband in such wooden phrases - this is how the composer showed Francesca's true attitude towards her husband.

2. You can't do without old school. Alexander Pirogov, Symphony Orchestra of the All-Union Radio (who is the conductor - not specified). Only an aria ("I want your love"). Pay attention to the pace here. I would say that the pace is imposing - in the first half of the 20th century they sang noticeably slower than now, and not only in Russia / the USSR, but all over the world.

3. Francesca's aria ("Oh don't cry, my Paolo"). Gelena Gaskarova.

4. And, looking for good performances of this aria, I came across an Argentine singer Mercedes Arcuri. Now she is 40 years old (she was born in 1979). She has a pretty good Russian language, and she does a good job with high notes.

So how did you like it? If so, now you need to listen to a live production. We follow the poster. If I manage to infect at least one person with opera, I will know that I did not scribble my posts in vain.

Ah, yes - what happened to the historical Gianni Malatesta? Yes, he married later, was much more prosperous in his second marriage, gave birth to either five or six children. And there was nothing for him for his murder! On the contrary, he died. True, there was a reason for immortality, umm ... I wouldn’t want that for myself.

PS: photos taken from the official website of NOVAT.

The story of Paolo and Francesca: Paolo and Francesca, a love story, an excerpt from the divine comedy

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In 1200, two families, the Da Polenta of Ravenna and the Malatesta of Rimini, were the most influential in the political life of the Romagna region. In 1239, the ruler of Rimini was Malatesta from Verucchio (Malatesta da Verucchio), who had four children: Giovanni (Giovanni), nicknamed Gianciotto the Lame, as he was ugly and had birth defects, Malatestino (Malatestino), Paolo the Beautiful ( Paolo Il Bello) and Maddalena (Maddalena).

From a young age, the Malatesta children were politically educated and always accompanied their father in various negotiations. Gianciotto and Paolo were especially distinguished in this. Both, in 1265, fought against Guido of Montefeltro (Guido da Montefeltro) and Traversari (Traversari) with the support of Da Polenta. In 1275, having decided to celebrate the victory and consolidate the alliance, the heads of the families agreed to intermarry: the first-born of Malatesta, Gianciotto, was supposed to marry Da Polenta's daughter, Francesca. Intuitively, Francesca's parents understood that their daughter would never want to marry a cripple, and then it was decided to mislead her daughter: the young and beautiful Paolo had to marry Francesca by proxy from her older brother, and suggest that he is her real husband.

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Seeing a young and energetic young man from the window, the girl was fascinated and immediately agreed to the marriage. The next morning she realized that she was lying next to an unpleasant and ugly old man, it was Gianciotto. It is also known that since 1269, Paolo was already married by calculation to the last heiress of the castle of Giaggiolo (Ghiaggiòlo) in the Forli Appanines, Orabile Beatrice.

Despite the disappointment and deceit, Francesca gave birth to a daughter for Gianciotto, Concordia, who, after the murder of her mother and the second marriage of her father, was sent to the monastery of Santarcangelo di Romagna (Santarcangelo di Romagna).

Some time later, in 1282, Paolo, thanks to his innate diplomacy, was appointed governor of Florence by Pope Martin IV, and Gianciotto at that time became mayor of the city of Pesaro. In 1283 Paolo returned to Romagna. And, having settled near Gradara, he became a frequent visitor to Gianciotto's castle, meeting also with his wife. During one of these meetings, the young were caught off guard by Malatestino dell'Occhio, Paolo's younger brother, and Gianchott. He told his older brother about what he saw. After which Gianciotto pretended to have gone to Pesaro. But suddenly returning to the castle, he found Francesca and Paolo together in a room.

Reading the love story of Lancelot and Guinevere, the young were filled with boundless passion and ... kissed. At this time, an enraged Gianciotto flew into the room and drew his sword. Paolo tried to escape through the trapdoor, but was caught by his clothes and was unable to complete his escape. At that moment, when Gianciotto decided to plunge his sword into his brother, Francesca stood between them and was killed along with Paolo. So, blinded by jealousy and anger, Gianciotto killed both.

There are no confirming sources about the events and the exact place of what happened, there are only legends and stories of people passed down from generation to generation. Numerous studies have been carried out regarding this exciting story. But many claims refer to the fact that the silence on the assassination may have been in the interest of maintaining relations between the ruling families or political jealousy, since Gianciotto felt intense envy of his brother for his brilliant career.

This love story has inspired many artists and poets of different times to create their masterpieces. The tragic love of Paolo and Francesca was sung by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy, Canto V, Inferno:

73	I started like this: "I would like an answer
	From these two, which together viet
	And this storm carries it away so easily.
76	And to me my leader: "Let the wind blow them down
	closer to us; and let him pray with love
	Their call is yours; they will abort the flight."
79	Seeing that their wind is captive to us:
	“O souls of sorrow! - I called. - Here!
	And respond, if He permits!”
82	Like doves to the sweet call of the nest,
	Supported by the will of the bearer,
	Spreading their wings, they rush without difficulty,
85	So they, hovering in the oppressive darkness,
	Dido left the mournful swarm
	To my exclamation, affably calling.
88	“O gentle and blissful living,
	You, who visited in the inexpressible darkness
	Us, who have stained the earthly world with blood;
91	Whenever the king of the universe would be our friend,
	We would pray that he would save you,
	Sympathetic to the innermost torment.
94	And if you have a conversation with us,
	We are happy to speak and listen ourselves,
	While the whirlwind is silent, as it is here now.
99	I was born over those shores
	Where are the waves, like a tired messenger,
	Meet Po with associated rivers.
100	Love burns tender hearts
	And he was captivated by an incomparable body,
	The ruined are so fearful at the hour of the end.
103	Love that commands loved ones to love,
	I was drawn to him so powerfully,
	That this captivity you see is indestructible.
106	Love together led us to destruction;
	In Cain there will be an extinguisher of our days.”
	Such speech flowed from their mouths.
109	A contrite spectator of mourning shadows,
	I bowed my head in anguish.
	"What are you thinking about?" the teacher asked.
112	I started like this: "Oh, did anyone know
	What bliss and what a dream
	They were led to this bitter path!”
115	Then, turning the word to the silent ones,
	Said: "Francesca, your complaint
	I will heed with tears, compassion.
118	But tell me: between the sighs of tender days,
	What was your love science,
	Revealed to hearing the secret call of passions?
121	And she told me: “He suffers from the highest torment,
	Who remembers joyful times
	in misfortune; your leader is your guarantee.
124	But if you know before the first grain
	Unfortunate love you are full of thirst,
	Words and tears will squander in full.
127	In our spare time, we once read
	A sweet story about Launcelot;
	We were alone, everyone was careless.
130	Eyes met over the book more than once,
	And we turned pale with a secret shudder;
	But then the story won us over.
133	We read a little about how he kissed
	Cling to the smile of an expensive mouth,
	The one with whom I am forever bound by torment,
136	Kissed, trembling, my lips.
	And the book became our Galeot!
	None of us finished reading the sheet.”
139	The spirit spoke, tormented by a terrible oppression,
	Another sobbed, and the anguish of their hearts
	She covered my brow with mortal sweat;
142	And I fell like a dead man falls.

On the border of the regions of Emilia-Romagna and the Marche, breaking the smooth line of the hills of Carpegna, stands the castle of Gradara. Classical travelers do not linger near the old walls, but only see off with admiring glances the harsh silhouette of a medieval fortress while the guide tells about the tragic love story of Francesca and Paolo. But the old castle irresistibly attracts explorers of Italy, scientists and romantics.

View of the castle in Gradara - The castle of Rocca di Gradara.

The construction of the castle began around the middle of the 12th century, when the two brothers Pietro and Ridolfo from the Grifo family took possession of the area that had previously belonged to Pesaro. Further, the fortress passed from hand to hand until the powerful Giovanni Malatesta da Verrucchio (the founder of the dynasty in Rimini) finally secured Gradara Castle. In 1299, Pope Boniface VIII granted him the right to perpetual possession of Gradara.

Paolo and Francesca (The Story of Rimini)__ Watts, George Frederick (1817-1904)

Of the four sons of old Giovanni, only one showed concern for the continuation of the construction of the castle - Pandolfo. In the courtyard of the fortress you can see the coat of arms of the Malatesta family with its initials. But not this passionate patriot of Gradara is dedicated to a romantic old legend that attracts fans of the Italian epic here, but to his two brothers: Giovanni, nicknamed "the cripple" and Paolo "beautiful".

Between the rulers of Rimini and Ravenna there was a long-standing enmity. Finally, the contention was settled, and in order to strengthen relations between the houses, they decided to marry the children. The eldest son of Malatesta, Giovanni (Gianciotto), was chosen as the groom. Guido da Polenta from Ravenna wanted to see him as an heir and a smart man as his son-in-law, but it is unlikely that the beautiful Francesca would have wanted to marry the lame, ugly Giovanni, who was also known for his ferocious temper.

Lajos Gulacsy __Paolo and Francesca 1903

In order not to upset the deal, the fathers resorted to a trick: to conclude a marriage contract, Giovanni's younger brother, the handsome Paolo, arrived in Ravenna. The young bride mistook him for her future husband and passionately fell in love. Unsuspecting, the unfortunate girl was taken to Rimini, where she found out about the deception. The bonds of marriage could not cool Francesca's passion for the brother of her lawful spouse, and the lovers began to meet in secret.

Aristide Croisy__Paolo and Francesca (1876)

Anselm Friedrich Feuerbach (1829 1880)__Paolo And Francesca_1864

Paolo and Francesca (from Dante's Inferno) reading about Lancelot and Guenivere. Inspired by this story, they kiss.Paolo and Francesca (from Dante's Divine Comedy) kiss, inspired by the story they read about Lancelot and Ginevra.

In our spare time, we once read
A sweet story about Lancelot;
We were alone, everyone was careless.

Eyes met over the book more than once,
And we turned pale with a secret shudder;
But then the story won us over.

We read a little about how he kissed
Cling to the smile of an expensive mouth,
The one with whom I am forever connected by torment,

Kissed, trembling, my lips.
And the book became our Galeot!
None of us have read the sheet
Translation by M.L. Lozinsky

Edward Charles Halle (1846-1914)__Paolo and Francesca

Paolo and Francesca 1894 - Sir Frank Dicksee (Frank Bernard Dicksee)(English 1853-1928)

Amos Cassioli__ Paolo e Francesca (1870)

William Dyce (1806-1864)__ Francesca da Rimini, exh. 1837.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)__Paolo and Francesca da Rimini_1867__Watercolours

Alexander Munro (1825-1871)__Paolo and Francesca_Marble_1852

Giovanni, being Lord Pesaro, had to live at his place of service, but according to the laws of that time, the family (wife and children) lived separately outside the city. Thus, the ancestral castle of Gradara, located 13 km from Pesaro, became for Francesca both a prison and a meeting place with her beloved Paolo.

The dream (Paolo and Francesca), 1909 by Umberto Boccioni

Having learned about secret meetings, Giovanni set surveillance for lovers. One day, pretending to leave on business, the treacherous husband unexpectedly returned and found the door to his wife's bedroom locked. The loud knocking and screams of the angry spouse took the lovers by surprise, but Paolo persuaded Francesca to open the door. There was another secret exit in the room, through which the unlucky lover hoped to escape.

Felice Giani__paolo_malatesta_e_francesca_da_polenta_1813

Gustave Dore: Dante Paolo and Francesca

Anonimo__Paolo and Francesca (1804)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)__Paolo and Francesca_1819

But a banal situation will never become a legend without a bloody denouement. Maybe the door was too small, or maybe Paolo's sword was too long, and Giovanni burst in and saw his younger brother in his wife's bedroom. In a fit of anger, Lord Pesaro rushed at the offender with a knife, but Francesca took the mortal blow. Without thinking, she threw herself between her lover and her husband, and the dagger intended by Paolo pierced her chest. Seeing his wife dead, Giovanni flew into a rage and stabbed his brother.

1805-10 _ Paolo and Francesca discovered by Gianciotto__ Joseph Anton Koch.

Sir Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901)__The Murder of Paolo and Francesca

Louis Boulanger__paolo_e_francesca_gli_amanti_trafitti_1840

Paolo and Francesca_1887__ Previati, Gaetano (1852-1920)

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) __Death of Francesca da Rimini and of Paolo Malatesta _ 1870

It happened in 1289. History is silent about what happened to Giovanni next.

Scientists have found a lot of evidence that the described events really took place in Gradara between 1285 and 1289. And of course, one must take into account the legend passed from father to son by the inhabitants of Gradara. A legend that tells about this terrible event and that the restless soul of an unfortunate woman still wanders around the castle on a full moon. Inside the palace, the atmosphere of the 13th century is lovingly recreated, including Francesca's bedroom, which became the scene of a bloody drama.

Bianchi Mose (Italia 1840-1904)__Paolo e Francesca 1877.

Souls of Paolo and Francesca (Dante, Inferno, Canto 5)__Dore (Paul-)Gustave (1832-1883)

Perhaps this sad love story would have remained outside the walls of the old fortress, if not for the contemporary of Francesca and Paolo - Dante Alighieri. Traveling with Virgil through the circles of Hell in the Divine Comedy, he saw a man and a woman who never opened their arms in the eternal whirlwind of the Devil's fire. The passion of love led them straight into the arms of death, and now they shared the sufferings of Hell, as they once shared love joys.

Gustave Dore*s illustration to Dante's Inferno. Plate XVIII: Canto V_1857

"So I got off, leaving the initial circle;
Down in the second; he is less than
But a sad groan is heard in him of great torment.

And I learned that this circle of torment
For those whom the earthly flesh called,
Who betrayed the mind to the power of lust."

With these words, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri begins the story of the tragic love of Francesca and Paolo in his great work The Divine Comedy (Divina Commedia, 1307-1321).

Paolo and Francesca da Rimini by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1855)

Paolo and Francesca - Divine Comedy - Hell - Gustave Doré

Jean Baptiste Hugues__Paolo e Francesca (1877)

Very concisely and extremely simply, on just a few pages, the poet tells how he met with unfortunate lovers, "who are twisted together and so easily carried away by a storm ...". Here, in the second circle of Hell, those who have known forbidden love endure endless suffering, and the very shadow of Francesca tells Dante and his guide, the poet Virgil, about the cruel fate that befell her and her beloved Paolo after their death. Now they are here, in hellish captivity, in oppressive darkness, forever remain prisoners of eternal torment and eternal sorrow.

Vitale Sala __dante Paolo e Francesca (1823)

"O affectionate and blissful living,
You, who visited in the inexpressible darkness
Us, who have stained the earthly world with blood;

Whenever the king of the universe would be our friend,
We would pray that he would save you,
Sympathetic to the innermost torment.

Dante, The Divine Comedy. Translation by M. L. Lozinsky

Despite the fact that "the one who remembers joyful times suffers the highest torment," Francesca again recalls her story and tells it to Dante, accompanying the words with bitter tears.

Ary Scheffer (1795-1858)__The Ghosts of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante and Virgil__ 1835
Appearance of the ghosts of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini before Dante and Virgil

She again sees how Paolo kisses her, and what a blissful feeling they experienced, confessing their love to each other, and how terribly they paid for it. She also knows that, contrary to what she has done, she will not stop loving Paolo for anything in the world, even here in Hell, and he, her lover, in spite of the wind squall and stormy downpour, will never let go of her beloved Francesca ...

"Love that commands loved ones to love,
I was drawn to him so powerfully,
That this captivity you see is indestructible."

Dante, The Divine Comedy. Translation by M. L. Lozinsky

Pity lovers... Dante is great, but the son of his era. He did not identify the murderer, Giovanni "the cripple" among the sinners.

Pierre Claude Francois Delorme __Paolo e Francesca (1830)

Dante's story about Paolo and Francesca is a very small, but bright and exciting episode of the main work of his life, the Divine Comedy. The poet himself could learn this mournful story from the lips of Francesca's nephew - Guido Novello da Polenta (Guido Novello da Polenta, d.1323), Signor Ravenna, who was a friend of Dante and in whom the poet found refuge in the last years of his life (in 1316? 1318-1321).

Castle Gradara, today

A powerful family owned the castle for two centuries. One of its valiant representatives was the ruler of Rimini: this is the famous condottiere Sigismondo Pandolfo, who was called the “Wolf of Romagna”. In 1464, representatives of another powerful family, the Sforza, attacked the Malatesta family nest. The siege of Gradara continued for 42 days, and as a result, the former owners were forced to yield and surrender the castle to the victors. In 1493, the main part of the decorations of the castle was completed. This order was given by the new owner, Giovanni Sforza.

Giovanni Paolo Sforza with the Sforza symbol

They were imbued with the spirit of romanticism, as the young seigneur really wanted to surprise his bride, the infamous Lucrezia Borgia.

My note: Lucrezia Borgia is a femme fatale of the Middle Ages.

The castle is currently owned by a private individual. He himself does not live there, but the castle staff will gladly introduce you to the sights of the medieval citadel. It will be possible to see the courtyard, the chambers of the former masters, the main halls and, of course, Francesca's bedroom with a secret passage through which her beloved Paolo did not have time to escape. Not only in the bedchamber of the deceased, but also in all the premises of the palace, the atmosphere corresponding to the distant 13th century was carefully recreated. The chapel has preserved a glossy altarpiece made of terracotta. Tourists show considerable interest in the torture chambers hidden behind the thick thick castle walls.

Antoine Etex__Paolo and Francesca (1864)

Kohl, mistress, in your hands I will die,
I rejoice: I do not want to have
Worthy of honor than to die,
Leaning towards you in the moment of a kiss."

Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585),

Perhaps this story would not have come down to us,
dissolving without a trace in the past, like many other similar stories, if
Dante Alighieri, expelled from Florence for political reasons, did not find shelter
in Ravenna with Guido da Polenta, nephew of Francesca da Rimini.
beautiful
beautiful Francesca dreamed of love. But who cares about the dreams of a young girl if
con put the honor and dignity of two noble families?

Rossetti_Dante_Gabriel_Paolo_And_Francesca_Da_Rimini

Between families
Rimini and Ravenna had a longstanding enmity. Settle discord in the medieval
Italy could have only one way - to intermarry. And fathers of noble families
decided to marry the children. Of the four sons of Rimini, Father Francesca chose
senior. Giovanni, nicknamed the Cripple, was distinguished by a ferocious disposition and a terrible
appearance, and it is unlikely that Francesca would willingly agree to marry him
married. So that the deal would not be upset, it was decided to resort to tricks. For
the conclusion of the marriage contract, the younger brother Giovanni was sent to Ravenna
handsome Paolo.

Paolo_and_Francesca__Edward_Charles_Hally

Francesca took a liking to the young man, and she gladly
left her father's house. And only when she arrived at the Rimini estate did she realize that she had been cruel
deceived, her husband was not a handsome and kind Paolo, but a cruel cripple
Giovanna. However, the love that broke out between Francesco and Paolo did not
went out.
According to the customs of the time, Giovanno, Lord of Pesaro, was obliged
to live at the place of his service, and his family had to be outside the city, in
family castle. This castle became for Francesca a prison and at the same time a place
secret meetings with loved ones.

Feuerbach_Anselm_Paolo_And_Francesca

Legend has it that one day Giovanno, suspecting
something was wrong, did not leave the castle, but waited for some time and burst into his wife's bedroom in
the moment when she secretly met with Paolo. There was a secret exit in the room
but Paolo did not have time to use it. Angry deceived husband snatching
dagger, rushed at his brother. Francesca stood between her husband and her beloved, accepting
fatal blow to himself. This did not save Paolo, he was killed by the next blow.
He.

Alexandre_Cabanel_The_Death_of_Francesca_de_Rimini_and_Paolo_Malatesta_1870

So says the legend. Historical facts testify to a slightly different story.
Francesca by that time was no longer a young beautiful maiden, from her first marriage she
raised a daughter. And there were no secret meetings between her and Paolo. Whilst away the time
reading books, she sometimes read them with her husband's younger brother. It is in such
the moment they were caught by Giovanno and, taking a friendly kiss for proof of treason,
Without hesitation, he killed both.
This did not stop Dante from placing the dead in hell, where
they, by the will of the author, circled, without opening their arms, in the eternal whirlwind of the diabolical
fire. The love passion that led to death united them forever after death.

Dore_Gustave_Paolo_And_Francesca_Da_Rimini

But even Dante, having prepared for them the torments of hell, did not say anything about a long relationship and
adultery. Details about the secret meetings in the room with a secret passage
appeared later, when the tragedy of Gabriele D'Annunzio "Francesca da
Rimini".

A. Schaefer. Appearance of the ghosts of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini before Dante and Virgil

The moral principles of the Middle Ages were such that all love
considered sinful. Dante did not look for and did not want to look for excuses for his beloved.
But his mention in the "Divine Comedy" about the torments of Francesca and Paolo in hell
allowed the emergence of a beautiful legend about love, the plot of which formed the basis of
works of many musicians, artists and writers.

George_Frederick_Watts_18171904_Paolo_i_Francheska

http://italy-guide.sitecity.ru/stext_2803223812.phtml

http://dnevnik.bigmir.net/groups/article/48475

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Characters:

Shadow of Virgil baritone
Dante tenor
Lanciotto Malatesta, Ruler of Rimini baritone
Francesca, his wife soprano
Paolo, his brother tenor
Cardinal facial expression
Ghosts of hell, retinue of Malatesta.

Time of action - XIII century.

Prologue

I

First Circle of Hell. Rocks. Darkness. Ledges leading down into the abyss. Everything is illuminated only by the red glow of rapidly rushing clouds. Hopeless sighs are heard. Enter Virgil's Shadow and Dante. Approaching the ledges, before descending, the Shadow of Virgil, as it were, cannot overcome the feeling of fear and stops.

Shadow of Virgil

Now we are entering a blind abyss.
I'll be ahead. Come after me!

Dante

How can I go when you yourself are afraid?
You have been my support so far...

Shadow of Virgil

The torment of those who languish down there,
They brought compassion to my face,
Not fear. Let's go, don't slow down...

(They go down the ledges. Black clouds cover everything. Complete darkness reigns.)

II

Darkness dissipates. Desert rocky area with a distant horizon illuminated by red light. To the right is an elevation with a cliff into the abyss. The distant roar of the storm and the approaching whirlwind of the afflicted. At the top of the hill, near the cliff, Virgil's Shadow and Dante appear. At the edge of the abyss, they stop.

Shadow of Virgil

My son, now we are where the light goes numb.
Here is an eternal whirlwind, in a relentless pursuit,
Brings suffering souls with it
And he writhes them, and torments them, and beats them...
From all sides they seek him
And, without a ray of hope for salvation,
In boundless sorrow they groan and rage.

Dante

Whom does the black air torture?

Shadow of Virgil

People who subordinated the mind to passion
Love...

The approaching vortex drowns out Virgil's Shadow. The ghosts rush with fearful speed. Moans, screams, cries of despair. Dante, terrified, presses against the rock. The shadow of Virgil, as it were, names the shadows flying by. Gradually, the whirlwind, moving away, subsides; the crowd of sufferers is thinning. The ghosts of Francesca and Paolo appear.

Dante

Who are these two that are so easy on the wind?
Oh, I would like to talk to them.

Shadow of Virgil

In the name of the love that attracts them,
Ask them to do your will.

Dante

(to ghosts)
Sad, tormented shadows;
Whenever possible for you, move closer. Who you are?
Your suffering brings tears...
Tell me while the evil wind is silent
Where are you from and how did you get here?

(The ghosts of Paolo and Francesca fly up to Dante. Clouds cover the stage.)

Voices of Paolo and Francesca

There is no greater sorrow in the world
How to remember happy times
In misfortune...

(The clouds are dissipating little by little. The curtain is slowly letting go.)

PICTURE I

Rimini. Palace of Malatesta.

Scene I

Lanciotto Malatesta, Cardinal and retinue of both.

Lanciotto

My answer is simple. Lanciotto Malatesta,
Without wasting words, he will fulfill the command of the Pope.
You won't be back in Rome yet when
The enemies of the Holy See will fall.

(to retinue)
Tonight we will move to Forli.
Get ready for the hike! Death to the enemies
Infallible lord!

choir

Death to the enemies, Ghibellines!

Lanciotto

(to Cardinal)
Bless in the name of the Lord
Me, my sword and my army.

(He falls on his knees. The cardinal blesses and slowly leaves with his retinue.)

Lanciotto

(to his retinue)
Get ready to perform!

(Retinue is removed.)

(to servant)
Call my wife.

Scene II

(Fanfare of performance and gathering is heard offstage.)

Lanciotto

(in deep thought)
Nothing will drown out the jealous thoughts...
The call of the trumpet woke up, it happened,
Fire in the blood. War is like a feast
Filled my soul with joy...
I challenged the whole world!
And now ... Where are you, former ardor?
Francesca!
Francesca, what have you done to me?

(thinks.)

Your father, yes, father, to blame for everything! —
Damn Guido! —
He deceived you!.. He hid the truth! —
I sent Paolo to openly
Like a knight, call you mine
Wife at the altar - and he, child,
Succumbing to the cunning persuasion of Guido
And he hid that I was not Paolo, but your husband.
And you believed!.. And you swore
Be faithful to the Lord...
Not for me!.. Here is the root of evil...
Oh, if you knew that not a brother,
She called me husband
Before the Lord - you, meek,
I wouldn't even look at Brother Paolo!
Love for him would not know me,
I alone would remain faithful ...
You are terrible words: “why, alas, why
Have you deceived me?" I wouldn't say...
Humble, maybe you me
Then I would love ... And now? ..
There is no doubt, alas, you love your brother ...
And laugh at me with him!
Lame freak, can I equal him?
I am gloomy, rude, I am shy before a woman ...
And Paolo is handsome, tall and stately,
So gentle, so slyly insinuating with her ...
Damned! No, it needs to be allowed.
Terrible doubt and execution...

(thinks.)

And if ... if it's just nonsense
Sick soul?.. And you haven't changed?
Then exile will heal the wound...
Yes! Paolo will disappear forever
And I can still be happy with her...
But how do you know? Oh my God! How is she!..
Lanciotto, call on hell to help
To spread the net more cunningly!..

Scene III

Francesca enters.

Francesca

My master called me?

Lanciotto

Yes! Called...
Francesca, I'm going into the night tonight
On a campaign against the Ghibellines, you're alone
Stay... alone...

Francesca

As I command
My lord. Submissive to your will
I'm going to the monastery for a while...

Lanciotto

For what? Your protection will be
Brother Paolo...

Why don't you answer?

Francesca

My duty is to carry out your orders...

Lanciotto

Francesca! Oh Francesca! Really
I never hear from you
Not a word of affection and greetings? Tell,
Why is your gaze always so gloomy with me?

Francesca

Signor my husband, I have always been
And I will be your obedient wife.
I remember duty and obey holy
To him...

Lanciotto

No! Not subjugation, no! love
I want yours!.. Look at what
Now the formidable Malatesta has become like!
Before me everything trembled before,
With one hand
I have obeyed...
Now, with you, I'm timid,
I'm powerless...
Oh come down, come down from your heights
My star!
Leave the ethereal villages
Where he sleeps, not knowing lust,
Your beauty!
At least once, shining with a ray of sunset,
Embraced by the flame of love,
Get on your chest!
Warmed by the fire of earthly passions,
In the sparkle of joyful light
Let me drown!

(Francesca remains silent.)

Damn! You cannot love me.

Francesca

Forgive me, but I can't lie.

Lanciotto

Can't you lie?

(mastering his anger)
Well, God be with you!

(affectionately)
I believe you... We will say goodbye after...
Go and remember: I always love
I'm waiting for you!..

Francesca

When will my husband return?

Lanciotto

(looks at Francesca)
When the enemies fall... not before... stop!...
No... no... go...

(Francesca leaves.)

When will I return? Ha, ha, ha!
You will know soon!

(A curtain.)

PICTURE II

Rimini. Room in the palace.

Scene I

Francesca and Paolo. It's evening.

Paolo

(is reading)
“... The beautiful Guinevere, having removed the servants and pages, sat alone. Then Galego appeared, shining with weapons, and, kneeling down, said to her like this: “Let the servant of your heavenly beauty, queen, bring a hero. In your name, he accomplished a number of great feats. He is the son of King Genevis, his name is the fearless, invincible Lancelot, "Come from the Lake." He longs to fall at your feet!”
Do you think Francesca will allow
Guinevere stand before her Lancelot?

Francesca

Oh yeah! I wouldn't love her
If only she didn't pity him.

Paolo

And you yourself, cruel ...

Francesca

shut up
Unfaithful, you forgot that you swore to me
Do not remember what I do not dare
And shouldn't I listen?

Paolo

Oh Francesca!

(Francesca motions him to be silent. He reads.)

“As the early harbinger of morning paints the east with a shade of softly light roses, so the cheeks of the pale queen at the name “The Stranger from the Lake” suddenly began to play with a sweet blush. Barely nodding her head, Guinevere allowed the hero to come, and Galego brought in the one who was once his enemy, and now, fearful and trembling, did not dare to raise his eyes to the queen "...
Oh, how sweet and creepy they were ...
Happy!..

(thinks.)

Francesca

(thoughtfully)
Happy ... oh yes! ..

(Silence.)

Paolo

(is reading)
“And then a wonderful voice of the lady rang out:“ Fearless knight, what do you want? ”But the poor thing could not continue. The "Son of the Lake" looked straight into her eyes. Then she saw that there was no need to ask further that he wanted the same thing that she wanted: to look and sigh in rapturous silence ...

Francesca

Oh, don't look at me like that... Read on!

Paolo

(He falls on his knees before her and sobs.)

Francesca

Oh, don't cry, my Paolo, don't...
Let it not be given to us to know kisses,
Let us be separated here...
The term of earthly wanderings is short,
Flicker, like a moment, earthly dreams!
Do not cry, at the cost of earthly torment
Bliss awaits us with you there,
Where there are no shadows, where there are no hardships,
Where is the imperishable temple of love! —
Up there, on the edge of the world,
In your arms soaring
In the azure of light ether
I will be yours forever!