I researched the Opera “Bluebeard’s
Castle” by first looking into the tale that inspired the story. The fable of
Bluebeard dates back to the late 1600s, when a French author, Charles Perrault,
wrote the story of a man who murdered his wives after they discovered the
bodies of the previous women. The supernatural element to this story is the key
that the final wife uses to enter the torture chamber; after dropping it on the
bloody floor, she finds that the blood reappears on the key no matter how much
she attempts to clean it. Because of this, Bluebeard learns of her discovery
and threatens to kill her and her sister. Just in time, she is rescued by her
brothers and Bluebeard is killed. The inspiration for this tale is not known
for sure, but many speculate that Bluebeard is based off of Gilles de Rais, a
French nobleman and serial killer who is said to have murdered many children,
or Conomor the Accursed, who legends state murdered his wives when they became
pregnant.
The Opera adaption was written by a
Hungarian composer named Béla
Bartók in 1911, and was performed in 1918. It is Bartók’s only Opera and was
written when he was thirty years old. There are many different interpretations
as to the symbolism and true meaning behind story; one interpretation states
that it is not meant to represent the tale of Bluebeard literally and that the
struggles are symbolic of the struggles of Bartók himself. Others state that
the Opera has a feminist message, where the woman tries to see past the man’s
emotional barriers. In opposition to this, others take a more misogynistic
point of view, seeing the wife as receiving punishment for meddling where she
does not belong. The music of the Opera
also contributes to this symbolic interpretation, with the two “primary keys”
representing darkness (F sharp) and light (C). The darkness is present at the
beginning and end of the Opera, while the light occurs in the middle.
I thought that the different aspects of the
mise-en-scene were well utilized in making an interesting performance. The
costume designs were very interesting and portrayed each character’s
personality without the need for words. Bluebeard is dressed in all black, with
a menacingly tall collar, flowing cape, and a thick beard and eyebrows. In
contrast, his wife is dressed in a much brighter ensemble. Her flowing purple
dress with wide sleeves, necklaces, and long, straight hair all contribute to a
more down-to-Earth appearance that hints at her hopeful and inquisitive
personality. She looks less like gaudy royalty and much more connected to
nature. The three past wives are dressed in highly decorated gowns with ornate
headpieces, exceptionally long capes, and intense makeup. This conveys to the
viewer their prized beauty and ethereal qualities, despite the fact that they
do not speak at all. When the current wife transforms, suddenly changing from
her natural appearance to a similarly ornate outfit, it effectively and
symbolically conveys the violence that is present in other retellings of the
Bluebeard myth without the need for any actual violence. Instead of being
actually beheaded, her appearance simply changes to match the dead wives, which
conveys the same idea to the viewer in a unique way. Another aspect of the
mise-en-scene that I noticed was the framing of each shot. The positioning of
the camera and the distance between the two primary characters conveyed their
emotional state at any given time during the Opera; when they were close
together or touching, Bluebeard’s wife was enamored with him, but when wider
shots were used, she usually revealed her disgust at what lied beyond one of
the seven doors of his castle. The lighting of each scene also played a large
role. Bluebeard’s wife comments on the lighting throughout the Opera, at first
lamenting the darkness of his castle and wishing to fix it. Throughout the
middle, she opens each door and is greeted by light, but the lighting turns a
violent red when she realizes the atrocities such as his torture chamber,
armory, treasures won through bloodshed, and the tears of his past wives. The Opera
ends again in darkness, signifying the grimness of the tale to the viewer.
Additionally, the props and scenery used add to the viewing experience. The
scenery of the rose garden, pool of water, treasure-filled room, and other
sets, are visually impressive and important to the story, because we (the
viewers) are discovering these areas at the same time as Bluebeard’s wife. Her reactions
mirror ours, as she goes from seeing the rooms as beautiful to sad and
horrifying.
Watching this Opera, I discovered
several things: One, that Hungarian is a very interesting language to hear an Opera
sung in. I haven’t heard Hungarian spoken very much so listening to it in Opera
form was a new experience. Secondly, that it is possible to make an Opera where
very little actually happens action-wise, yet still manages to tell a complete
and interesting story. The Opera definitely has much for symbolic meaning than
literal. I think the original audiences would probably have reacted with
interest and maybe confusion, because while it is a short one-act Opera, it
still leaves much open for interpretation. Some may have been confused because
of its differences from the original tale, especially the ending. I believe that
it is important to the chronology of Opera because it combines Opera with use
of heavy symbolism and nontraditional storytelling. Technology is used
throughout the Opera in various ways- fake flames erupt at certain points to
convey Bluebeard’s violence and bloodshed. Fog machines are used to add an air
of mystery and doubt. Multicolored lights are used to give each of the seven
doors a distinct feeling, ranging from red, to orange, to yellow, to green, and
then to bright white and finally darkness. While I do not the know the exact
techniques, it is clear a lot of technological knowledge went into the stage
construction in order to recreate the interior of a cavelike castle as well as
the unique aesthetic behind each door.
If
I were to make Bluebeard’s Castle into a video game, I would make it a
traditional sidescrolling platforming game like Castlevania or Metroid, where
the player plays as Bluebeard’s wife and must go through seven different
levels, one for each door of the castle. Each level contains a challenge that
relates to the specific room- for example, the first room is a torture chamber,
so the goal could be to use the torture devices as tools to escape while
fighting off the vengeful spirits of those killed there. The seventh room,
containing Bluebeard’s three past wives, would be the final boss battle. After
defeating them, the player would have to fight the true final enemy, Bluebeard
himself. Managing to defeat him would allow you to flee the castle and win the
game, while losing would leave you trapped in the seventh room forever.
Overall,
Bluebeard’s Castle is an interesting Opera that combines new ideas with classic
elements. The story of Bluebeard himself is shown to be a timeless one, and
this specific interpretation provides a lot of food for thought.
Citations
“A Summary and Analysis of the
'Bluebeard' Fairy Tale.” Interesting Literature, 13 May
2018,
interestingliterature.com/2018/05/13/a-summary-and-analysis-of-the-
bluebeard-fairy-tale/.
Ashley, Tim. “Bloody Chambers.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 Aug.
2004,
www.theguardian.com/music/2004/aug/28/classicalmusicandopera.stage.
Blaubarts Burg, Herzog. “Bluebeard's
Castle .” The Powell & Pressburger Pages,
www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/64_Bluebeard/Words.html.
Wagner, David Paul. “Duke
Bluebeard's Castle.” Music With Ease,
www.musicwithease.com/duke-bluebeards-castle.html.
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