Henry IV (Pirandello)

Henry IV (Italian original title: Enrico IV) is a drama in three acts by the Italian Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello. The premiere was in Milan on 24 February 1922.

Action

The play takes place on one day in the early 20th century in an Italian villa. The history is told the audience mostly in the first act but also in complementary fragments in the other files through the dialogues of the characters.

Background: An Italian nobleman, whose real name is never mentioned in the play, attended a masked parade 20 years ago. He was there dressed as the German Emperor Henry IV. He had chosen because the young woman he loved, had chosen the role of the Countess Matilda of Tuscany, and he wanted to lie at her feet as Henry IV in Canossa this role. When his horse shied, he fell on the road, hit his head and was unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he believed, to be truly Henry IV. Since this event, the people around him now confirm his delusion by meeting him in medieval costumes and treat as emperor.

In the first act, a group of visitors coming into the country who bring a neurologist, who will try to heal Henry IV. In the Group was the Marchesa Mathilde, who had participated at the time as Matilda of Tuscany in the parade, as well as a friend of her Baron Belcredi and her daughter Frida is. All have not seen in the last 20 years, Henry IV. They talk about the history and select a panel in which they want to meet Henry IV. Here Mathilde makes it clear that she does not want to have Belcredi present at the meeting, but this does not get rid of itself. When it comes to the meeting, Henry IV believed in him an enemy and is difficult to persuade of this conjecture. Henry IV says that one may help him that the Pope freed him from his role. When he once Mathilde looks deep into your eyes during his speeches, this is convinced that he has recognized them and speaks directly from her and not from her fictional daughter.

In the second act as Mathilde with the other is alone, she expresses her recovered in the first act convinced of the contrary to the other. When Henry IV appears again, he tries to prove the affection of his surroundings. It is now up to the spectator whether he wants to follow Mathilde ambiguous interpretation of the statements of Henry IV. After the visitors have left, explains Henry IV his servants that he is healthy for several years and the masquerade see through.

In the third act of Doctor Henry IV by a kind of shock therapy tries to heal. To this end, he lets Frida, who looks like her mother 20 years ago and is now disguised as Matilda of Tuscany, jump in the semi- dark of the night from a picture frame, which Henry IV actually feels a shock. Meanwhile, the servant had informed the others that Henry IV was healed. But this is outraged suffered shock and rises into such excitement that he takes a sword and stabs in the abdomen Belcredis. Belcredi is worn seriously injured out of the hall and a cry Mathilde suggests that he has succumbed to the injury. Then, says Henry the IV, that he is now forced to play its role on forever.

Film

The piece was filmed in 1984 under the same title by Marco Bellocchio.

Werkausgaben

• Luigi Pirandello: Six Characters in Search of an Author / Henry IV, 1st edition. . Fischer Library, Frankfurt / Hamburg 1964 ( translated by Georg Richert ) ( Paperback ).

• Drama
• Literature ( Italian)
• Literature ( Sicily)
• Literature ( 20th century)
• Henry IV ( HRR )
• Luigi Pirandello
• Literary work