Jane Eyre meets Cosi fan Tutte
- mabrue01
- Feb 26, 2019
- 4 min read
It’s surprising how characters from varying genres can be so similar in such opposite ways. Two characters that fit this bill are Despina from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Blanche Ingram from Jane Eyre: The Musical. These characters could not be more opposite in social status. In fact they are almost so opposite that they are the same. Their social class really limits what is “acceptable” for someone of their particular social stautus.
In Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte a witty maid, Despina has a such a sly way of saying the most straight forward but underhanded things to her dimwitted masters. Due to her status as a maid it would be completely inappropriate for her to contradict her employers and tell them what to do. Her arias translations are listed below.
Una donna quindici anni (English translation)
At fifteen a woman Should know the ways of the world, Where the devil keeps his tail, What's right and what is wrong. She should know the wiles That ensnare lovers, How to feign laughter or tears And to make up good excuses. At one and the same moment She must listen to a hundred But speak with her eyes To a thousand, Hold out hope to all, Be they handsome or plain, Know how to hide things Without getting flustered, Know how to tell lies Without ever blushing. And, like a queen On her lofty throne, Get her own way With „I can“ and „I will“ aside It seems they're taking To this doctrine; Long live Despina , who knows how to serve!
Wow! Telling your boss that they should command their men to obey them! That is a bold statement! She really doesn’t hold back in this piece. And I think we all know the double meaning behind when she says she knows how to serve…..
In uomini in soldati ( English Translation )
You look for fidelity In men, in soldiers? laughing Don't tell me that, for pity's sake! All of them Are made of the same stuff; The quivering leaves, The inconstant breezes Have more stability Than men. Crocodile tears, Lying looks, Deceiving words, False endearments Are the basis Of their tricks. In us they only prize Their own pleasure; Then they despise us, Deny us affection, And from such tyrants There's no mercy to be had. We woman should pay out This hurtful, Impudent breed In their own coin; Let's love them To suit our convenience and our vanity!
She is completely calling them out again! She is putting it simply that women shouldn’t rely on their men to be faithful but to use their girlish charms to keep men interested on their own terms. For the time and the circumstance of her status these are some very blunt and risqué things to be telling the people you work for.
Similarly, Blanche Ingram, being of elevated status must also choose her words wisely and might I say that she does. For those unfamiliar Jane Eyre, Blanche Ingram is of complete opposite social status as our lovely Despina mentioned before. In her piece “The Finer Things” she tells Edward exactly what she thinks of him and how he should choose a wife.
Lyrics:
You have such exquisite taste Chinese Chippendale Walls swathed in festoons of silk Such ornate detail But there's one thing that is not in this hall Edward - this house could use a wife! We're lucky to live In the great age of elegance Poetry, opera and art Sparing no expense Rembrandt and Breughel and Bosch In this room With a rug from Chen Chou That spent a thousand days on the loom These are the finer things And what is finer than a bride? Pleasure and luxury That only marriage can provide The innuendo is implied Chateau Lafitte twenty-eight Oh! The perfect drink! So much more drinkable now Than last year, I think Make no mistake Like the taste of the wine When it comes to a woman You must scrutinize the vine These are the finer things And she must have what is her due Priceless engagement rings A family jewel, or maybe two And, but of course, my darling - you! Mozart and Schumann and Bach Wrote the finest notes Every cadenza delights Every cadence floats Music is glorious But I declare When it comes to a woman Schumann just cannot compare These are the finer things That only beauty can supply These are the finer things And what's more beautiful than I? For not a soul could give you more Arpeggios and trills
Frolics and frills Soon you will see Of all your things The very finest thing Is me!
Again, straight forward to the point but in the most lady like of fashion. She has no problem telling him that she can provide the luxuries and pleasures of marriage and even further states that yes, she meant all of the things that implies. Then in a backhanded way of comparing women to fine wine, that her social status makes her inherently more delightful and that Edward must “scrutinize the vine”. What a statement to make when trying to win one’s affections!
It is clear that these women have an awful lot to say, and they manage to do so in ways that make something so blunt sound so graceful. Their polar opposite status’s almost make the characters more similar than different, both characters are equally witty and serve quite the sass.
Lyrics and translations from:
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