Sulla drammaturgia dell’antagonista. Verdi e l’empatia negativa

Abstract

Dramaturgical Functions of the Antagonist. Verdi’s Negative EmpathyQuite undervalued by contemporary theory, negative empathy is anaesthetic category, which plays an important role in the history oftheatre, usually displaying a strong cathartic function. In the musicaltheatre and especially in Italian opera, negative empathy is apervasive phenomenon, since the antagonist is a key structural element.This paper analyzes Verdi’s production from this perspective, and sketches out three basic types of negative empathy: a latent one,devoted to totally negative figures; a conflictual one, which depictscomplex, self-divided characters; and finally a full one, which deconstructsthe borders between positive and negative.