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Henry IV
In this meeting of two of the twentieth century's greatest playwrights, Tom Stoppard has reinvigorated Luigi Pirandello's masterpiece of madness and sanity. After a fall from his horse, an Italian aristocrat believes he is the obscure medieval German emperor Henry IV. After twenty years of living this royal illusion, his beloved appears with a noted psychiatrist to shock the madman back to sanity. Their efforts expose that for the past twelve years the nobleman has in fact been sane. With his mask of madness removed, the aristocrat launches an offensive to deflect their unwanted attention. While Pirandello's characters race linguistically about in Stoppardian dervishes, battling for the upper hand-and the greatest laughs-one question What constitutes sanity?
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
About the author
Luigi Pirandello
1,238 books1,321 followersLuigi Pirandello; Agrigento (28 June 1867 – Rome 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays.
He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre.
Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre.
Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 19, 2017
A tema c’è il complesso e inestricabile rapporto tra finzione e verità, persona e personaggio, realtà e fuga da essa. Enrico IV è vittima non solo della pazzia (dapprima autentica e poi consapevolmente simulata), ma anche della propria incapacità/impossibilità di adeguarsi ad una realtà che non gli si confà più.
Ma nel gioco tragicomico tra identità e finzione, in cui niente sembra vero, è implicato il desiderio di un possibile (impossibile?) istante di verità affermata e vissuta senza maschere. Ho “sentito” il testo pirandelliano impregnato di questo struggimento.
“Tutta la vita è schiacciata così dal peso delle parole! Il peso dei morti! – Eccomi qua: potete credere sul serio che Enrico IV sia ancora vivo? Eppure, ecco, parlo e comando a voi vivi. Vi voglio così! – Vi sembra una burla anche questa, che seguitano a farla i morti la vita? – Sì, qua è una burla: ma uscite di qua, nel mondo vivo. Spunta il giorno. Il tempo è davanti a voi. Un’alba. Questo giorno che ci sta davanti – voi dite – lo faremo noi! – Sì? Voi? E salutatemi tutte le tradizioni! Salutatemi tutti i costumi! Mettetevi a parlare! Ripetete tutte le parole che si sono sempre dette! Credete di vivere? Rimasticate la vita dei morti!”.
Ma nel gioco tragicomico tra identità e finzione, in cui niente sembra vero, è implicato il desiderio di un possibile (impossibile?) istante di verità affermata e vissuta senza maschere. Ho “sentito” il testo pirandelliano impregnato di questo struggimento.
“Tutta la vita è schiacciata così dal peso delle parole! Il peso dei morti! – Eccomi qua: potete credere sul serio che Enrico IV sia ancora vivo? Eppure, ecco, parlo e comando a voi vivi. Vi voglio così! – Vi sembra una burla anche questa, che seguitano a farla i morti la vita? – Sì, qua è una burla: ma uscite di qua, nel mondo vivo. Spunta il giorno. Il tempo è davanti a voi. Un’alba. Questo giorno che ci sta davanti – voi dite – lo faremo noi! – Sì? Voi? E salutatemi tutte le tradizioni! Salutatemi tutti i costumi! Mettetevi a parlare! Ripetete tutte le parole che si sono sempre dette! Credete di vivere? Rimasticate la vita dei morti!”.
April 14, 2011
Pirandello was a complex and bizarre man when it came to penning down personality narrations. His works on theatrical post-modern genres are not only mesmerizing but quite baffling at times.
Henry IV is an engrossing masquerade about an actor/protagonist of a play who goes crazy after being knocked off his horse. The actor then wanders in a deluded world owing to the persona of Henry IV (a character he used to play before the ill-fated mishap) spanning over twelve years after the fall. Thus he then prefers to reside in his castle with his private counselors similar to the Henry IV of Germany. The entirety of the play consists of other characters trying to unmask the assumed persona to reveal the reality of a calamity.
**Actors in session**
Who are we? Why are we afraid of madmen? (To be noted that the term “madmen” restricts to exposing the genuineness of a character and not those preposterous junkies who play Nostradamus on street corners). When do authenticity of an individual halts and a façade is established which we perceive as reality? These questions are synonymous with Pirandello and his idea of existential artistry. Henry IV screams that he is not mad and argues as to why the world is afraid of “madmen”? Madness speaks the truth, exposes veracity that a conscious mind veils under the folds of obligatory societal façade; so asserts Pirandello. I do not know how legitimate the actor portraying Henry IV is in his actions, nevertheless I agree with Pirandello. As rational folks we premeditate our measures meticulously supervising our words and actions limiting inadvertent buffoonery. The slightest example would be people calling me a crazy bitch when my guttermouth precedes my mannerism. And that happens a lot. So am I a mad woman or is just that my courteous mask decides to shove up where it hurts the most. Am I reading way too much into this book? An interim story recounted by Henry about a priest justifies my quandary.
The priest who for couple of minutes had forgotten his “mask” dreamed blissfully until his conscious self took charge and resumed his duly disposition.
At first, the book was pretty puzzling before I got the gist of the camouflaged dramatics, as his previous work Six Characters in Search of an Author and Other Plays relayed the same sentiments of illusionary realism of theatre but later contradicted on the notion of immutability of characters. Here, Pirandello tries to let the audience understand the fact that stage “reality” can be more authentic in real world. Whereas in 'Six Characters.... 'he talks about the illusion of emotive reality for its validity is corrupted by monotonous rehearsals. Nonetheless, both of them confront the essence of reality encumbered by metaphoric chimeras giving madness a therapeutic denotation.
Henry IV is an engrossing masquerade about an actor/protagonist of a play who goes crazy after being knocked off his horse. The actor then wanders in a deluded world owing to the persona of Henry IV (a character he used to play before the ill-fated mishap) spanning over twelve years after the fall. Thus he then prefers to reside in his castle with his private counselors similar to the Henry IV of Germany. The entirety of the play consists of other characters trying to unmask the assumed persona to reveal the reality of a calamity.
**Actors in session**
Who are we? Why are we afraid of madmen? (To be noted that the term “madmen” restricts to exposing the genuineness of a character and not those preposterous junkies who play Nostradamus on street corners). When do authenticity of an individual halts and a façade is established which we perceive as reality? These questions are synonymous with Pirandello and his idea of existential artistry. Henry IV screams that he is not mad and argues as to why the world is afraid of “madmen”? Madness speaks the truth, exposes veracity that a conscious mind veils under the folds of obligatory societal façade; so asserts Pirandello. I do not know how legitimate the actor portraying Henry IV is in his actions, nevertheless I agree with Pirandello. As rational folks we premeditate our measures meticulously supervising our words and actions limiting inadvertent buffoonery. The slightest example would be people calling me a crazy bitch when my guttermouth precedes my mannerism. And that happens a lot. So am I a mad woman or is just that my courteous mask decides to shove up where it hurts the most. Am I reading way too much into this book? An interim story recounted by Henry about a priest justifies my quandary.
An Irish priest who fell asleep in the sun one day on a park bench. He was dreaming, and when a young boy walked by and brushed his cheeks with a flower, the priest woke up, but still looked happy and forgetful around him. Suddenly he straightened up and the look of seriousness returned to his face.
The priest who for couple of minutes had forgotten his “mask” dreamed blissfully until his conscious self took charge and resumed his duly disposition.
At first, the book was pretty puzzling before I got the gist of the camouflaged dramatics, as his previous work Six Characters in Search of an Author and Other Plays relayed the same sentiments of illusionary realism of theatre but later contradicted on the notion of immutability of characters. Here, Pirandello tries to let the audience understand the fact that stage “reality” can be more authentic in real world. Whereas in 'Six Characters.... 'he talks about the illusion of emotive reality for its validity is corrupted by monotonous rehearsals. Nonetheless, both of them confront the essence of reality encumbered by metaphoric chimeras giving madness a therapeutic denotation.
Read
February 14, 2018[Visto al teatro Carignano di Torino il 13 febbraio 2018, con Carlo Cecchi che fa adattamento, regia e protagonista; Angelica Ippolito (la marchesa Matilde Spina), Chiara Mancuso (sua figlia Frida), Remo Stella (il marchese Carlo Di Nolli), Roberto Trifirò (il barone Tito Belcredi), Gigio Morra (il dottor Dionisio Genoni), Federico Brugnone, Matteo Lai, Dario Iubatti e Davide Giordano (i quattro servitori-finti consiglieri segreti di Enrico IV)].
Quasi un secolo dopo il grande successo teatrale di Pirandello (nel 1921 prima dei Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore, nel 1922 dell’Enrico IV, a Milano, con Ruggiero Ruggeri), Carlo Cecchi mette in scena un suo Enrico IV che in un certo senso è anche un Sei personaggi, aggiungendo al dramma dell’identità, della maschera, del confine sottile tra follia vera o presunta e normalità sociale, anche un forte senso di teatro nel teatro e di teatro sul teatro, sull’attore in particolare. Insomma dalla “commozione cerebrale” alla “vocazione teatrale” come Enrico IV-Cecchi dice chiaramente a un certo punto.
La dichiarata volontà di “tradurre” la lingua di Pirandello in una lingua teatrale più vicina a noi, però, funziona solo a metà: a volte il testo viene quasi “televisizzato”, con battute facili e ammiccamenti scontati. Sempre bello, comunque, vedere Cecchi, anche quando spinge l’incontro tra farsa e tragedia fino a mettere in scena quasi una parodia di sé stesso.
Quasi un secolo dopo il grande successo teatrale di Pirandello (nel 1921 prima dei Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore, nel 1922 dell’Enrico IV, a Milano, con Ruggiero Ruggeri), Carlo Cecchi mette in scena un suo Enrico IV che in un certo senso è anche un Sei personaggi, aggiungendo al dramma dell’identità, della maschera, del confine sottile tra follia vera o presunta e normalità sociale, anche un forte senso di teatro nel teatro e di teatro sul teatro, sull’attore in particolare. Insomma dalla “commozione cerebrale” alla “vocazione teatrale” come Enrico IV-Cecchi dice chiaramente a un certo punto.
La dichiarata volontà di “tradurre” la lingua di Pirandello in una lingua teatrale più vicina a noi, però, funziona solo a metà: a volte il testo viene quasi “televisizzato”, con battute facili e ammiccamenti scontati. Sempre bello, comunque, vedere Cecchi, anche quando spinge l’incontro tra farsa e tragedia fino a mettere in scena quasi una parodia di sé stesso.
March 9, 2018
"Trovarsi davanti a un pazzo sapete che significa? Trovarsi davanti a uno che vi scrolla dalle fondamenta tutto quanto avete costruito in voi, attorno a voi, la logica, la logica di tutte le vostre costruzioni!"
L'Enrico IV, scritto nel 1921 e messo in scena per la prima volta nel 1922 al Teatro Manzoni di Milano, è un'opera incentrata sulla tematica della finzione e della realtà. Un nobile, di cui non ci verrà mai svelato il nome, prende parte a una cavalcata in costume mascherato da Enrico IV di Franconia, imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero, disarcionato da cavallo, in seguito a un trauma cranico si sveglierà convinto di essere davvero Enrico IV. Vent'anni dopo riceverà la visita di Matilde, la donna amata, Belcredi, suo rivale in amore e colui che l'aveva disarcionato, Frida, loro figlia, il fidanzato Carlo Di Nolli e uno psichiatra che propone di mettere in scena il momento precedente alla caduta nel tentativo di "risvegliarlo". Le conseguenze saranno molteplici perchè Enrico IV, in realtà, è già "sveglio": "Questo, questo che è per me la caricatura evidente e volontaria, di quest'altra mascherata, continua, d'ogni minuto, di cui siamo i pagliacci involontari quando senza saperlo ci mascheriamo di ciò che ci par d'essere. [...]Sono guarito, signori: perchè so perfettamente di fare il pazzo, qua; e lo faccio, quieto! Il guaio è per voi che la vivete agitatamente, senza saperla e senza vederla la vostra pazzia."
L'Enrico IV è la storia di un uomo che ha preferito nascondersi nella sua pazzia per non vivere in una società mascherata, in una realtà che lui non riconosce più: "La mia vita è questa! Non è la vostra! La vostra, in cui siete invecchiati, io non l'ho vissuta!"
L'Enrico IV, scritto nel 1921 e messo in scena per la prima volta nel 1922 al Teatro Manzoni di Milano, è un'opera incentrata sulla tematica della finzione e della realtà. Un nobile, di cui non ci verrà mai svelato il nome, prende parte a una cavalcata in costume mascherato da Enrico IV di Franconia, imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero, disarcionato da cavallo, in seguito a un trauma cranico si sveglierà convinto di essere davvero Enrico IV. Vent'anni dopo riceverà la visita di Matilde, la donna amata, Belcredi, suo rivale in amore e colui che l'aveva disarcionato, Frida, loro figlia, il fidanzato Carlo Di Nolli e uno psichiatra che propone di mettere in scena il momento precedente alla caduta nel tentativo di "risvegliarlo". Le conseguenze saranno molteplici perchè Enrico IV, in realtà, è già "sveglio": "Questo, questo che è per me la caricatura evidente e volontaria, di quest'altra mascherata, continua, d'ogni minuto, di cui siamo i pagliacci involontari quando senza saperlo ci mascheriamo di ciò che ci par d'essere. [...]Sono guarito, signori: perchè so perfettamente di fare il pazzo, qua; e lo faccio, quieto! Il guaio è per voi che la vivete agitatamente, senza saperla e senza vederla la vostra pazzia."
L'Enrico IV è la storia di un uomo che ha preferito nascondersi nella sua pazzia per non vivere in una società mascherata, in una realtà che lui non riconosce più: "La mia vita è questa! Non è la vostra! La vostra, in cui siete invecchiati, io non l'ho vissuta!"
September 3, 2019
Enrico IV è un'opera metateatrale dove le sovrapposizioni fra realtà e finzione sono molteplici. Il punto focale del testo è la maschera; il ruolo interpretato dagli attori si sovrappone alla loro identità reale per assecondare un uomo che crede di essere o si finge Enrico IV. Ma qual è la vera maschera? Quella che si indossa su un palcoscenico o quella che portiamo tutti i giorni per apparire in un certo modo o per farci apprezzare dagli altri? Enrico IV sembra conoscere il suo vero stato molto di più di quanto non possa apparire. Ma qual è la sua vera follia? Fingersi un altro o non riuscire ad adeguarsi a una società a cui sente di non appartenere?
Follia, alienazione, mal di vivere, contrapposizione fra realtà e finzione, scomposizione della rappresentazione teatrale... Sono tantissimi gli elementi di questo lavoro di Pirandello che ci vorrebbe un saggio per analizzarli tutti.
Semplicemente un capolavoro.
Follia, alienazione, mal di vivere, contrapposizione fra realtà e finzione, scomposizione della rappresentazione teatrale... Sono tantissimi gli elementi di questo lavoro di Pirandello che ci vorrebbe un saggio per analizzarli tutti.
Semplicemente un capolavoro.
May 26, 2024
Ontem assisti a versão do Marco Bellocchio para a peça Enrico IV do Pirandello, como é curtinha resolvi ler a atualização do Stoppard para o século XXI. Continua bem engraçada, mas peça a gente tem que ver encenada, seja no teatro ou no cinema, né, é o Mastroianni na versão do Bellocchio estava soberbo.
December 4, 2023
ITALIANO: Un pazzo che crede di essere l'imperatore Enrico IV del Sacro Romano Impero, e con cui tutti giocano al gioco, si rivela non così pazzo come se pensava.
ESPAÑOL: Un loco que se cree el emperador Enrique IV del Sacro Romano Imperio, y al que todo el mundo le sigue la corriente, resulta que no está tan loco como se pensaba.
ENGLISH: A madman who believes himself to be Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire, and who everyone plays along with, turns out to be not as mad as they thought.
ESPAÑOL: Un loco que se cree el emperador Enrique IV del Sacro Romano Imperio, y al que todo el mundo le sigue la corriente, resulta que no está tan loco como se pensaba.
ENGLISH: A madman who believes himself to be Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire, and who everyone plays along with, turns out to be not as mad as they thought.
November 23, 2017
Madness is bae! :P
Hamlet. Haider. Joker. Shakespeare. Pirandello.
I love madness and the way it plays on people. The way it is used to send a message.
A mad man is free. In the masquerade of human life where everyone has more than one face, a mad man needs no mask.
Hamlet. Haider. Joker. Shakespeare. Pirandello.
I love madness and the way it plays on people. The way it is used to send a message.
A mad man is free. In the masquerade of human life where everyone has more than one face, a mad man needs no mask.
October 10, 2019
Una commedia in tipico stile Pirandelliano, che tocca tutti i suoi temi chiave quali la follia come fuga dalla realtà e l'idea della vita come maschera. Maschera reale e non metaforica in questo caso, perché il protagonista (di cui intenzionalmente non ci viene mai detto il nome per aumentare il senso di straniamento), vive da vent'anni sotto le spoglie del re Enrico IV di Germania, prima per necessità e poi per scelta; ma si tratta davvero di una scelta, o forse l'unico modo per affrontare un'esistenza in cui non si riconosce più è continuare la farsa? La commedia è tutta giocata su questo equilibrio sottile tra verità e finzione, in cui di volta in volta l'una sembra prendere il sopravvento sull'altra.
L'azione si svolge interamente nella stessa stanza nel giro di poche ore ed il ritmo è piuttosto serrato, in un crescendo di di concitazione che porterà ad un finale inaspettato e ricco di pathos. Peccato solo che vista l'estrema brevità le atmosfere non siano così suggestive come in altre opere, l'ambientazione è un po' asettica.
Nonostante questa piccola pecca anche stavolta Pirandello non mi ha deluso, è una commedia che riesce a coinvolgere e spiazzare il lettore grazie alla profondità delle riflessioni e alla maestria con cui sono tratteggiati i personaggi.
L'azione si svolge interamente nella stessa stanza nel giro di poche ore ed il ritmo è piuttosto serrato, in un crescendo di di concitazione che porterà ad un finale inaspettato e ricco di pathos. Peccato solo che vista l'estrema brevità le atmosfere non siano così suggestive come in altre opere, l'ambientazione è un po' asettica.
Nonostante questa piccola pecca anche stavolta Pirandello non mi ha deluso, è una commedia che riesce a coinvolgere e spiazzare il lettore grazie alla profondità delle riflessioni e alla maestria con cui sono tratteggiati i personaggi.
April 10, 2024
3 ⭐️ Ho un rapporto strano con Pirandello, mi piace ciò che scrive, gli argomenti che tratta, come intreccia le vicende. C'è sempre un MA che non mi so spiegare però.
Comunque, il finale è sicuramente emblematico: un uomo che decide di rifugiarsi nella pazzia piuttosto che avere a che fare con la realtà che lo circonda.
Comunque, il finale è sicuramente emblematico: un uomo che decide di rifugiarsi nella pazzia piuttosto che avere a che fare con la realtà che lo circonda.
October 26, 2022
dacă man is a fly, why did i, a silly little fly, have to go through this #muscainjustice
November 12, 2017
I don't know what to think about this play...
September 9, 2024
“io so bene che quello non può esser me, perché Enrico IV sono io: io, qua, da venti anni, capite? Fisso in questa eternità di maschera! Li ha vissuti lei, se li è goduti lei, questi venti anni, per diventare come io non posso riconoscerla più”
luigi spiegami la vita, ti amo
luigi spiegami la vita, ti amo
February 22, 2019
This is one of my favourite plays - so, five stars. However, as a version, for me, it lacks some of the elegance of the play, but still has some fun Stoppard verbal moments.
December 14, 2020
مسرحية هنري الرابع للكاتب الايطالي لويجي بيرانديللو.
نرى في هذه المسرحية أن بيرانديللو يعرض فيها أفكاره عن الجنون والوعي، والإحساس بالحياة فيهما من خلال الأحداث التي بها، وبأسلوب درامي لا ينفصل النقاش الفكري عن الدراما فيها.
وتحكي هذه المسرحية عن مجموعة رفاق من علية المجتمع في إيطاليا كانوا قد اتفقوا على أن يعملوا حفلة تنكرية، واستعدوا لها جيدا، واتفقوا على أن يمثل كل شخص فيها شخصية من الشخصيات التي كانت في عهد هنري الرابع إمبراطور ألمانيا في القرن الحادي عشر.
وخلال قيام هذه المجموعة بذلك الكرنفال يسقط الشخص الذي يقوم بدور هنري الرابع عن حصانه، ويصاب بالجنون على إثر هذه الحادثة، ويظن أنه هنري الرابع بالفعل، وتشفق عليه أخته، فتعد له فيلا على هيئة قصر هنري الرابع، وتستأجر بعض الأشخاص الذين يقومون بأدوار بطانة هنري الرابع وحراسه وخدمه.
وبعد سنوات من جنون ذلك الشخص يفيق من جنونه، ويدرك أنه عاش سنوات طويلة بهذه الحالة، ويرى أنه من الأسلم له أن يبقى الأمر على حاله ويستمر في تمثيل شخصية هنري الرابع؛ لأنه يخشى أن يواجه المجتمع، ويشار إليه بالجنون، وقد دفعه لهذا الأمر أيضا ما رَآه من خيانة الأصدقاء له، وارتماء المرأة التي أحبها، وهي ماتيلدا سكينا في أحضان منافسه في حبها، وهو تيتو بيلكريدي الذي كان سببا في سقوطه عن حصانه خلال ذلك الكرنفال التنكري؛ لأنه وخز حصانه من خلفه، فانقلب به، وسقط من فوقه.
وكانت أخت ذلك الشخص قد أوصت ابنها كارلو دينولي بأن يرعى خاله بعد موتها؛ ولهذا استمر في الإنفاق عليه وعلى الأشخاص الذين يمثلون عنده أدوار بطانة هنري الرابع وحراسه وخدمه.
ولرغبة كارلو دينولي في شفاء خاله من جنونه- ولم يكن يعلم أنه قد شفي بالفعل، وأنه يواصل أداء شخصية هنري الرابع عن رضا منه - يحضر إلى قصره ومعه طبيب وحبيبته القديمة ماتيلدا سكينا وعشيقها بيلكريدي، وفريدا ابنة ماتيلدا، والتي هي خطيبة كارلو دينولي في الوقت نفسه.
ويمثلون أمامه وهم في ملابس قديمة تناسب عصر هنري الرابع شخصيات من ذلك العصر، ويجاريهم ذلك الشخص المتقمص شخصية هنري الرابع في التمثيل، وينال منهم ببعض تعليقاته التي تكشف الأقنعة عنهم وتظهر حقيقتهم، خاصة صديقه الخائن تيتو بيلكريدي وحبيبته القديمة ماتيلدا.
وخلال تنفيذ الخطة التي نصحهم بها الطبيب، وفيها تظهر فريدا التي تشبه أمها في صغرها على انها زوجة هنري الرابع - يكشف ذلك الشخص القناع الذي كان يتوارى خلفه، ويعرفهم أنه شفي من جنونه، ويواجه بيلكريدي بخيانته له.
ثم يتلبث ذلك الشخص قناع الجنون متعمدا مرة أخرى، ويهجم على فريدا ويقول: إنها ملكه؛ تعويضا له عن السنوات التي عاشها منعزلا عن العالم في ذلك القصر، ويحاول الموجودون حماية فريدا منه، ويجرح ذلك الشخص تيتو بيلكريدي خلال ذلك، ويرى الجميع أنه ما زال مجنونا عدا بيلكريدي الذي يصمم على أنه ليس مجنونا، ويعي كل فعل يقوم به.
نرى في هذه المسرحية أن بيرانديللو يعرض فيها أفكاره عن الجنون والوعي، والإحساس بالحياة فيهما من خلال الأحداث التي بها، وبأسلوب درامي لا ينفصل النقاش الفكري عن الدراما فيها.
وتحكي هذه المسرحية عن مجموعة رفاق من علية المجتمع في إيطاليا كانوا قد اتفقوا على أن يعملوا حفلة تنكرية، واستعدوا لها جيدا، واتفقوا على أن يمثل كل شخص فيها شخصية من الشخصيات التي كانت في عهد هنري الرابع إمبراطور ألمانيا في القرن الحادي عشر.
وخلال قيام هذه المجموعة بذلك الكرنفال يسقط الشخص الذي يقوم بدور هنري الرابع عن حصانه، ويصاب بالجنون على إثر هذه الحادثة، ويظن أنه هنري الرابع بالفعل، وتشفق عليه أخته، فتعد له فيلا على هيئة قصر هنري الرابع، وتستأجر بعض الأشخاص الذين يقومون بأدوار بطانة هنري الرابع وحراسه وخدمه.
وبعد سنوات من جنون ذلك الشخص يفيق من جنونه، ويدرك أنه عاش سنوات طويلة بهذه الحالة، ويرى أنه من الأسلم له أن يبقى الأمر على حاله ويستمر في تمثيل شخصية هنري الرابع؛ لأنه يخشى أن يواجه المجتمع، ويشار إليه بالجنون، وقد دفعه لهذا الأمر أيضا ما رَآه من خيانة الأصدقاء له، وارتماء المرأة التي أحبها، وهي ماتيلدا سكينا في أحضان منافسه في حبها، وهو تيتو بيلكريدي الذي كان سببا في سقوطه عن حصانه خلال ذلك الكرنفال التنكري؛ لأنه وخز حصانه من خلفه، فانقلب به، وسقط من فوقه.
وكانت أخت ذلك الشخص قد أوصت ابنها كارلو دينولي بأن يرعى خاله بعد موتها؛ ولهذا استمر في الإنفاق عليه وعلى الأشخاص الذين يمثلون عنده أدوار بطانة هنري الرابع وحراسه وخدمه.
ولرغبة كارلو دينولي في شفاء خاله من جنونه- ولم يكن يعلم أنه قد شفي بالفعل، وأنه يواصل أداء شخصية هنري الرابع عن رضا منه - يحضر إلى قصره ومعه طبيب وحبيبته القديمة ماتيلدا سكينا وعشيقها بيلكريدي، وفريدا ابنة ماتيلدا، والتي هي خطيبة كارلو دينولي في الوقت نفسه.
ويمثلون أمامه وهم في ملابس قديمة تناسب عصر هنري الرابع شخصيات من ذلك العصر، ويجاريهم ذلك الشخص المتقمص شخصية هنري الرابع في التمثيل، وينال منهم ببعض تعليقاته التي تكشف الأقنعة عنهم وتظهر حقيقتهم، خاصة صديقه الخائن تيتو بيلكريدي وحبيبته القديمة ماتيلدا.
وخلال تنفيذ الخطة التي نصحهم بها الطبيب، وفيها تظهر فريدا التي تشبه أمها في صغرها على انها زوجة هنري الرابع - يكشف ذلك الشخص القناع الذي كان يتوارى خلفه، ويعرفهم أنه شفي من جنونه، ويواجه بيلكريدي بخيانته له.
ثم يتلبث ذلك الشخص قناع الجنون متعمدا مرة أخرى، ويهجم على فريدا ويقول: إنها ملكه؛ تعويضا له عن السنوات التي عاشها منعزلا عن العالم في ذلك القصر، ويحاول الموجودون حماية فريدا منه، ويجرح ذلك الشخص تيتو بيلكريدي خلال ذلك، ويرى الجميع أنه ما زال مجنونا عدا بيلكريدي الذي يصمم على أنه ليس مجنونا، ويعي كل فعل يقوم به.
March 5, 2019
ان تهرب من الماضي وخيباته وتعزل نفسك مدعياً الجنون هرباً من واقع مرير بغدر صديق وخذلان حبيب. وبعد اكثر من عشرين سنة يعود الماضي برجليه ليواجهك ويخرج اشباحك ومخاوفك... فيتحقق الثأر ويصبح الاستمرار بالجنون وسيلة ودرباً للهرب من العقاب على الجريمة...
عاش البطل مرتديا شخصية الملك هنري الرابع وأصر اصدقاؤه ومقربيه على علاجه من جنونه بالصدمات لانعاش ذاكرته واستعادتها... ليكتشفوا انه طوال هذه السنوات كان يمثل عليهم دور المجنون ويكشف لهم انه ومنذ اكثر من عشرين سنة وعندما كانوا في مسيرة الكرنفال وهو يرتدي ملابس الملك هنري والى جانبه المراة التي احب وخلفهم صديقه ومنافسه على محبوبته وهم يركبون الخيول.. لكثرة وكز صديقه لحصان البطل مما جعل الحصان يسقطه ارضا فيفقد وعيه فلم يكن سقوطه حادثا عرضيا بل تدبيرا للتخلص منه.. وفي نهاية المسرحية يقتل البطل صديقة بسبب ابنة محبوبتهما...
عاش البطل مرتديا شخصية الملك هنري الرابع وأصر اصدقاؤه ومقربيه على علاجه من جنونه بالصدمات لانعاش ذاكرته واستعادتها... ليكتشفوا انه طوال هذه السنوات كان يمثل عليهم دور المجنون ويكشف لهم انه ومنذ اكثر من عشرين سنة وعندما كانوا في مسيرة الكرنفال وهو يرتدي ملابس الملك هنري والى جانبه المراة التي احب وخلفهم صديقه ومنافسه على محبوبته وهم يركبون الخيول.. لكثرة وكز صديقه لحصان البطل مما جعل الحصان يسقطه ارضا فيفقد وعيه فلم يكن سقوطه حادثا عرضيا بل تدبيرا للتخلص منه.. وفي نهاية المسرحية يقتل البطل صديقة بسبب ابنة محبوبتهما...
September 15, 2022
"Io so che a me, bambino, appariva vera la luna nel pozzo. E quante cose mi parevano vere! E credevo a tutte quelle che mi dicevano gli altri, ed ero beato! Perché guai, guai se non vi tenete più forte a ciò che vi par vero oggi, a ciò che vi parrà vero domani, anche se sia l'opposto di ciò che vi pareva vero jeri!
[...] Giova, a noi, giova, la luna. Io per me, ne sento il bisogno, e mi ci perdo spesso a guardarla dalla mia finestra. Chi può credere, a guardarla, che lo sappia che ottocent'anni siano passati e che io, seduto alla finestra non possa essere davvero Enrico IV che guarda la luna, come un pover'uomo qualunque?"
[...] Giova, a noi, giova, la luna. Io per me, ne sento il bisogno, e mi ci perdo spesso a guardarla dalla mia finestra. Chi può credere, a guardarla, che lo sappia che ottocent'anni siano passati e che io, seduto alla finestra non possa essere davvero Enrico IV che guarda la luna, come un pover'uomo qualunque?"
July 25, 2017
Un dramma travolgente, in cui la sofferenza del protagonista è tangibile. Sono riuscita ad immaginare ogni dettaglio, grazie alle accuratissime descrizioni.
January 13, 2017
It was so confusing I truly enjoyed it
December 16, 2015
The clothes make the man. And in this case it is the 11th century robes of the German Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. The plot in brief: At a costume party a man – whose real name is never told – falls from a horse and wakes up believing he is Henry IV. Twenty years later, his cousin and others come to his home to shock him out of his delusion.
Identity, self and madness are all called in question in this brief play. The wonderfully tight plot pulls all these elements together in strange yet revealing setting. It is at once humorous and tragic.
This is a great play – a true pleasure to read and I’m sure even better to watch. Stoppard’s version is extraordinary in catching the natural rhythms of speech. I have a few quibbles with him (lack of stage directions – who is talking to whom? – and some odd phrases like calling a woman a “skirt” – is it 1950?) but this is a fluid, fast moving translation.
It’s a great play, but I can’t help but feel it could have been even better. From what I've read, Stoppard cut a good amount of language from the original Pirandello. It’s been years since I read the original, so I’m not sure of the effect of those cuts.
While the overall theme – we are actors playing our part – is excellently and provocatively presented, it is a well-worn theme (all the world’s a stage, you know) and the play doesn’t seem to take the next step with it. The theme is to a great extent limited to these characters and this setting. All the world’s a stage and …?
But don’t let this rather small quibble deter you. I strongly encourage anyone to read this oddly beautiful, perversely funny play.
Identity, self and madness are all called in question in this brief play. The wonderfully tight plot pulls all these elements together in strange yet revealing setting. It is at once humorous and tragic.
This is a great play – a true pleasure to read and I’m sure even better to watch. Stoppard’s version is extraordinary in catching the natural rhythms of speech. I have a few quibbles with him (lack of stage directions – who is talking to whom? – and some odd phrases like calling a woman a “skirt” – is it 1950?) but this is a fluid, fast moving translation.
It’s a great play, but I can’t help but feel it could have been even better. From what I've read, Stoppard cut a good amount of language from the original Pirandello. It’s been years since I read the original, so I’m not sure of the effect of those cuts.
While the overall theme – we are actors playing our part – is excellently and provocatively presented, it is a well-worn theme (all the world’s a stage, you know) and the play doesn’t seem to take the next step with it. The theme is to a great extent limited to these characters and this setting. All the world’s a stage and …?
But don’t let this rather small quibble deter you. I strongly encourage anyone to read this oddly beautiful, perversely funny play.
May 31, 2007
One of the most progressive writers of 20th. century with a wonderful revolutionary look on human and history.
لوئیجی پیراندللو یکی از پیشروان نمایش نامه نویسی و ادبیات معاصر جهان معاصر است. در هر صفحه و صحنه از آثار او نگاه و حرف تازه ای ست که هنوز هم پس از هفتاد هشتاد سال، از اهمیت آن کاسته نشده است. متاسفانه بعد از بهمن محصص که چند کار پیرآندلو را در دهه ی چهل به فارسی برگردانده، چندان کار زیادی از او به فارسی در نیامده است. از میان داستان های کوتاهش، بیست داستان با ترجمه ی خانم زهرا خانلری کیا در 1335 توسط بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب منتشر شده، که "خانه ی افسون زده"، "دور"، "زن مرده و زن زنده"، "نمازخانه ی کوچک" و "بیچاره آن مرحوم" از جمله ی آنهاست. چند داستان کوتاهش نیز توسط پ. بهارلو ترجمه و در سال 1341 در کتاب هفته منتشر شده است. داستانی از او توسط احمد گلشیری ترجمه شده و در دو جلد "داستان و نقد داستان" منتشر شده است. نمایش نامه ی "امشب از خود می سازیم" نیز به فارسی برگردانده و اجرا شده است، اما بصورت کتاب، آن را در یاد ندارم.
لوئیجی پیراندللو یکی از پیشروان نمایش نامه نویسی و ادبیات معاصر جهان معاصر است. در هر صفحه و صحنه از آثار او نگاه و حرف تازه ای ست که هنوز هم پس از هفتاد هشتاد سال، از اهمیت آن کاسته نشده است. متاسفانه بعد از بهمن محصص که چند کار پیرآندلو را در دهه ی چهل به فارسی برگردانده، چندان کار زیادی از او به فارسی در نیامده است. از میان داستان های کوتاهش، بیست داستان با ترجمه ی خانم زهرا خانلری کیا در 1335 توسط بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب منتشر شده، که "خانه ی افسون زده"، "دور"، "زن مرده و زن زنده"، "نمازخانه ی کوچک" و "بیچاره آن مرحوم" از جمله ی آنهاست. چند داستان کوتاهش نیز توسط پ. بهارلو ترجمه و در سال 1341 در کتاب هفته منتشر شده است. داستانی از او توسط احمد گلشیری ترجمه شده و در دو جلد "داستان و نقد داستان" منتشر شده است. نمایش نامه ی "امشب از خود می سازیم" نیز به فارسی برگردانده و اجرا شده است، اما بصورت کتاب، آن را در یاد ندارم.
June 26, 2020
First time reading a Pirandello play, and I lost count of how many times I’ve read Stoppard, but I can understand the fascination the latter has for the former. Blending mental states on stage, sly commentary that points out the stagecraft and just enough insight to see beyond the illusion held for the audience. It really amounts to a soap opera literally dressed in medieval trappings. Admittedly I was in the same place as newcomer Bertold having studied the wrong Henry IV, but got enough of a history lesson during the play to know that it didn’t really matter since the twist revealed the length some people will go to avoid confronting their true selves. Or as the Archbishop from that other Henry proclaims:
“With grant of our most just and right desires,
And true obedience, of this madness cured,
Stoop tamely to the foot of majesty.” (2H4, IV.ii)
...just before chaos erupts again.
“With grant of our most just and right desires,
And true obedience, of this madness cured,
Stoop tamely to the foot of majesty.” (2H4, IV.ii)
...just before chaos erupts again.
June 8, 2019
You're a well-to-do Italian nobleman playing Henry IV in a historical pageant with your friends when all of a sudden a fall from your horse vaults you from the 20th century to the 11th century where you imagine yourself to be the real Henry, still feuding with Pope Gregory VII. For the next 20 years, your friends go along with your changed state by setting you up in suitable royal digs, including throne room, hiring actors to play your courtiers, and donning period clothing whenever they visit.
This rich premise allows Pirandello and, in this later remake, Stoppard, to ponder themes of time and change, identity, deceit, and that slippery thing we call sanity. Henry's plight leads us to see that we all don costumes to project a persona and how what we like to think of as an independent self can be the creation of the expectations others impose on us.
This rich premise allows Pirandello and, in this later remake, Stoppard, to ponder themes of time and change, identity, deceit, and that slippery thing we call sanity. Henry's plight leads us to see that we all don costumes to project a persona and how what we like to think of as an independent self can be the creation of the expectations others impose on us.
May 7, 2012
Pirandello is an absolute master. His "Six Characters in Search of an Author" is one of my favorite dramas of all time. "Enrico IV" falls in the same line - reality and illusion are not necessarily distinguishable from each other, and are subject to the human characters choosing to participate. He takes the act of drama itself as the catalyst for this exploration, to stunning effects. The story never seems strained, and the language flies off the page. I have too many favorite lines to list them here - fantastic.
Read
September 13, 2013 Well, ’tis no matter. Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honor prick me off when I come on? How then? Can honor set to a leg? no. Or an arm? no. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honor hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honor? A word. What is in that word “honor”? What is that “honor”? Air. A trim reckoning. Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. 'Tis insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore, I’ll none of it.
August 14, 2015
This, and not Six Characters, is my favorite play by Pirandello - hands down. I won't write at length about it, as the plot is tricky and must be related in some detail - but if you like the idea of truth vs illusion (George did, Martha didn't in a more recent play) you will be on the edge of your seat, whether at a performance (but it's a bitch to get right) or reading it (when you can imagine your own performance, often as much fun as seeing one!)
August 10, 2016
// 3.5 stars //
This was pleasantly good, and I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The plot was genius and, even if it was not very long, all the characters were well-developed, their feelings reliable.
Nonetheless, the beginning was a bit slow and I didn't quite get the ending; I think it was a little bit off tone compared to the rest. Still, this was a really nice read, and I would recommend it if you want to start getting into plays ;)
This was pleasantly good, and I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The plot was genius and, even if it was not very long, all the characters were well-developed, their feelings reliable.
Nonetheless, the beginning was a bit slow and I didn't quite get the ending; I think it was a little bit off tone compared to the rest. Still, this was a really nice read, and I would recommend it if you want to start getting into plays ;)
December 14, 2016
Oddly cute.
Not what I expected at all, because I thought I was going to read about Henry IV of England. Still, it was an unexpected delight. I read somewhere recently that what novelists really have to sell is omniscience. This play certainly fits that bill.
There was a whole lot of cliche, but I guess that's normal with classics. If it wasn't a cliche before it was written, it was after.
Not what I expected at all, because I thought I was going to read about Henry IV of England. Still, it was an unexpected delight. I read somewhere recently that what novelists really have to sell is omniscience. This play certainly fits that bill.
There was a whole lot of cliche, but I guess that's normal with classics. If it wasn't a cliche before it was written, it was after.
March 23, 2014
Read this. Technically a reread, because I've read Enrico IV in Italian, but this was the first time I'd read the Stoppard one, which has a nice modern tone to it while maintaining the feeling of the play.
December 21, 2022
Pirandello has a way of writing that feels as if the reader is intruding on his own personal turmoil -- sometimes the words on the page are so genuinely personal and true that Pirandello is Henry IV. Ends in one of the most intense tragic conclusions I've ever read.
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