Bewilderment and Familiarity: The Barber of Seville

Today, Rossini’s Barber of Seville remains one of the most performed operas in the world.  What was your reaction to our second act performance in the Vienna Staatsoper?  How do you think the opera remains so popular?

Bewilderment and familiarity of the Barber of Seville.

Why do I feel like I've heard this story many times before?

Another damsel in distress waiting to be saved by a man.

Treated as a commodity rather than a human being.

Such stereotypes have never ceased,

They have only been modernized.

This photo was taken at the very end of the Barber of Seville while people were exiting the Vienna Staatsoper. Unfortunately, I was unable to take photos of the performance as they are not allowed and disrupt the performance. However, this depiction of a woman on the curtains made me realize that the Barber of Seville is very similar to Disney fairytales I watched while growing up. In the second act of the opera, I noticed that Rosina was portrayed as a damsel in distress waiting for a man to come and free her from another who has kept her captive. This is very similar to the story of Rapunzel in which a young woman is held captive and longs for the day that a man comes along to free her. The similarity between the Barber of Seville and Rapunzel made me realize that female stereotypes have never ceased, they have only modernized. This rings true, especially in the Vienna Staatsoper's performance of the Barber of Seville. Even though the Vienna opera house modernized the opera by adding comedic modern outfits, sets, and dialogue, it still conveys a story in which a damsel in distress is waiting to be saved by a man. Personally, I believe that the opera remains so popular despite its inherent stereotypes of women because it has been modernized just enough to the point that the prejudice against women is hidden beneath a layer of jokes and colorful set designs. I believe that the opera will remain popular in the future as the damsel in distress storyline has always been popular even in modern Disney movies. 

This photo was taken from Google and the proper citation is below. Unfortunately, I was unable to take a photo of this scene depicting Rosina and Dr. Bartolo during the opera of the Barber of Seville as photos were not allowed. This photo depicts Rosina, a young woman who is being held captive by her mentor, and Dr. Bartolo, who plans on marrying Rosina to obtain her dowry. The fact that Rosina is being held captive by her mentor in order for him to marry her and obtain her handsome dowry represents the stereotype of women being regarded as commodities rather than human beings. I was bewildered noticing this during the second act of the opera at the Vienna Staatsoper and by the fact that it is still performed in such a manner in today's world.

Citation: "Maurizio Muraro as Dr. Bartolo and Isabel Leonard as his ward, Rosina, in Bartlett Sher's Metropolitan Opera production of II Barbiere di Siviglia" by Beth Bergman, https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2012/12/Departments/Metropolitan_Opera_Broadcast__The_Barber_of_Seville.html.