The Betrothed – Analysis Chapter 1: historical framework in which the events are inserted and psychological connotation of the characters introduced in the first chapter.
The Betrothed – First Chapter Analysis
Analysis of Chapter 1 of The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
The first chapter of The Betrothed introduces the novel and presents its main characteristics, which on a thematic level focus mainly on the relationship between the historical-social situation in seventeenth-century Lombardy, while on a narrative level they provide the coordinates of the story (space, time and main characters).
The chapter can be divided into six macrosequences, which alternate pauses and scenes in perfect balance:
- Description of the historical space and time of the story – pause
- Don Abbondio’s Walk – Scene
- Digression on the good guys – break
- Meeting and dialogue between Don Abbondio and the bravos – scene
- Digression on the social situation in Lombardy – break
- Conversation between Don Abbondio and Perpetua – scene
This alternation of pauses and scenes creates rhythm in the story, which begins with the calm description of the places and time in which the story will take place.
The description therefore travels through the places where the story is set with a “shot” made from above by a hypothetical observer who gradually moves his gaze over the various elements of the landscape: as on a geographical map, the gaze goes from North to South following the direction of the river and widening towards the mountains, until it descends to the top of the walls of Milan, from which the hypothetical observer can now look, in the distance, at the Resegone. The observation point has now descended, so much so that now the coast rises with a slope: it is therefore a point of view in continuous movement.
The choice to describe the places from above is not accidental, but is an indication of Manzoni’s desire to place himself above the narrated world to simply let the reader intuit the affection he has for those places where he spent his childhood.
The framing of the space “tightens” more and more: now we see streets and alleys, on which hypothetical spectators suddenly find themselves walking, who become the readers themselves to whom the narrator directly addresses himself with a metalepsis (appeal to the reader): the very place from where you contemplate those various spectacles…. the mountain whose slopes you walk along…[…].
Finally the narrator’s gaze focuses on just one of these streets, framing a walking individual, who is clutching his breviary in his hand, holding the index finger of his right hand inside it: the point of view now becomes that of the character himself, through whose eyes the sunset is described.
The carefully determined time places the imaginary story in a precise historical moment, a few days before that 11 November 1628 when the riots in Milan took place; November 7th in itself is not the date of any historical event, but for Manzoni history is not only that of great events, but that of ordinary people, for which this date, which is fundamental to the story, is precisely indicated.
The first character of the novel is introduced at this point in the scene and his name is made known first of all, Abbondio , chosen not only because he is the patron saint of Como, but because the name itself conveys the image of abundance and the reader is led to imagine him as rotund and peaceful, also due to the first character clues that are given: the fact that he calmly recites prayers on the usual route home, that he idly looks at the landscape raising his eyes to where he usually does, are all indicators of a character of habit, a lover of idleness and tranquility.
The tranquility of the sunset, however, suggests that something is coming to disturb the scene: the two new extras give a specific picture of the century chosen as the protagonist, because in their portrait the two essential poles of the historical period converge, that is, violence and pomp. The attitude with which they appear on the scene is threatening and the uniform identifies them as bravos , hired by the lords for personal defense, but at the same time the threatening objects are worn as a sign of elegance, the moustaches are long and curled at the tip, the horn hangs on the chest like a necklace, the leather belt is shiny…
This is followed by a historical digression on the bravoes , in which the narrator’s few ironic interventions are enough to transform the ineffectiveness of the decrees issued to destroy this category into an indictment: the bombast of the form of the proclamations is in contrast with their substantial ineffectiveness and this discrepancy between form and substance, typical of the seventeenth century, acquires a moral value and is therefore denounced several times in the novel.
The passage of Don Abbondio’s conversation with the bravoes is conducted with an alternation of points of view, first an internal focus of the curate, who observing the bravoes’ gestures realizes that they were waiting for him, then a “zero” focus of the omniscient narrator, who describes the character’s gestures and thoughts and reports a hint of an internal monologue.
The syntax of short and simple sentences, separated by frequent punctuation, increases the suspense and leads the narrator to laugh at Don Abbondio for his extreme cowardice and fear.
The passage continues with the presentation of the key characters of the novel who, absent from the scene and still unknown to the reader, are presented according to the distorting opinion of the characters on stage and the comic impression given by Don Abbondio in showing so much cowardice in front of the thugs is heightened. As often happens with other significant characters in the novel, the narrator begins to provide information on the life of the ecclesiastic with a narrative digression, a portrait with which Manzoni wants to highlight the image of a corrupt, badly governed society, in which the proclamations were numerous, indeed they flooded, but they only served to reveal the impotence of their authors.
The executive power was entrusted to people who belonged by birth to the privileged part, or depended on it by clientele, but in reality such executors were generally among the most abject and rebellious subjects of their time.
This is followed by a historical digression on the bravoes , in which the narrator’s few ironic interventions are enough to transform the ineffectiveness of the decrees issued to destroy this category into an indictment: the bombast of the form of the proclamations is in contrast with their substantial ineffectiveness and this discrepancy between form and substance, typical of the seventeenth century, acquires a moral value and is therefore denounced several times in the novel.
The passage of Don Abbondio’s conversation with the bravoes is conducted with an alternation of points of view, first an internal focus of the curate, who observing the bravoes’ gestures realizes that they were waiting for him, then a “zero” focus of the omniscient narrator, who describes the character’s gestures and thoughts and reports a hint of an internal monologue.
The syntax of short and simple sentences, separated by frequent punctuation, increases the suspense and leads the narrator to laugh at Don Abbondio for his extreme cowardice and fear.
The passage continues with the presentation of the key characters of the novel who, absent from the scene and still unknown to the reader, are presented according to the distorting opinion of the characters on stage and the comic impression given by Don Abbondio in showing so much cowardice in front of the thugs is heightened. As often happens with other significant characters in the novel, the narrator begins to provide information on the life of the ecclesiastic with a narrative digression, a portrait with which Manzoni wants to highlight the image of a corrupt, badly governed society, in which the proclamations were numerous, indeed they flooded, but they only served to reveal the impotence of their authors.
The executive power was entrusted to people who belonged by birth to the privileged part, or depended on it by clientele, but in reality such executors were generally among the most abject and rebellious subjects of their time.
Manzoni, however, does not intend to create an absolutely evil character, so he makes him realize that suggesting the thugs to directly threaten Renzo and Lucia would be too serious: there follows a summary of the insults addressed to Don Rodrigo and the presentation of Perpetua, whose name, due to the popularity achieved with The Betrothed, is used par excellence to indicate the governess of a priest. Her character is introduced before her entrance on the scene by the judgment of Don Abbondio who considers her a trustworthy companion, and by the omniscient narrator, who highlights her strengths and weaknesses: finally she introduces herself, declaring that she is single by choice, having refused all the matches that were offered to her.
The subsequent dialogue between Perpetua and Don Abbondio has all the characteristics of a comedy, not only for the words, but also for the attitudes of the characters, which confirm the “type” of the coward in the curate and of the servant-mistress in Perpetua, who is described by the narrator as possessing popular wisdom and a moral sense that pushes her to side with the victims of the powerful, without the cowardice of her master.
