The Carmagnola: characters

Manzoni wrote his first tragedy, Il Conte di Carmagnola, in stages, between 1816 and 1820, when it was published by the Milanese company Ferrario under the supervision of his friend Ermes Visconti, and dedicated to Claude Fauriel. Besides the Prefazione, it includes a section of historical notes (Notizie storiche) in which the author – as also in the Adelchi – painstakingly presents the historical facts on which the tragedy was based. Out of historiographic meticulousness, Manzoni divides the characters into historical characters, such as the Count, his wife, several condottieri, the Doge Antonio Foscari, and ideal characters, such as the Senators Marino and Marco. These ideal characters embody the themes and values at the centre of the dramatic conflict: Marino represents bleak and ambiguous political power, which uses deception and violence in the name of the ragion di stato (“reasons of state”) and oppresses purer and weaker souls. Marco represents the profound and painful sentiment of brotherly love (for the Count) that is forced to capitulate to the intrigues of the powerful. One of the highest moments in the tragedy is the monologue (Act IV, lines 270-350) in which Marco the cowardice of his betrayal and accepts the harsh punishment of remorse. The Count of Carmagnola is a highly idealized character. Unlike other historians, Manzoni was convinced that the Count was the innocent victim of political intrigue, and turns him into a typically Romantic hero: courageous, loyal, ingenuous, tender in the affection shown towards his loved ones, generous towards his defeated enemy. As the bearer of such high values, the Count is “sacrificed” on the altar of political power. He thus also has the features of a “Christian” hero, asking his wife and daughter at the end of Act V (one of the most effective, along with Act IV) to forgive those about to kill him. The drama offers viewers and readers an example of the tragic nature of human History, but with the condemnation by the Chorus in Act II of the fratricidal wars among Italians, Manzoni also turns it into a political drama, forcefully pointing out the issue of Italy’s unity and independence.