Violetta vs. Carmen -- 2001-2002 Cultural Literacy Class Forum

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Date Posted: 08:00:26 11/21/01 Wed
Author: L. Renavitz
Subject:

Violetta vs. Carmen

Congratulations, you have found the secret post! The current assignment is to post an insightful comparison and contrast of Carmen and Violetta by Friday, 30 November 2001.

On a lighter note, I believe that comparing Violetta and Carmen is like comparing two diamonds because they are the same in essence yet have different facets composing them.

In the case of Violetta, she uses her sexual appeal as part of her job as a courtesan and is paid handsomely for it. However, her job does not interfere with her finding and pursuing true love in Alfredo. When she leaves Alfredo in the first scene of Act II, it is only because she truly loves him and does not wish to cause him hurt via scandal of his living with a courtesan. Disease claims her at the end, and she is happy to die in the presence (at the very feet of) Alfredo, the man she loves.

Carmen, on the other hand, is a cigarette maker by trade and uses her sexual appeal to get a "forbidden" man or things that she wants, like her seducing Don Jose to escape from jail. Because she is this calculating in matters of "love," it is safe to say that she is incapable of truly loving anyone. When she leaves a man, it is because he is no longer forbidden fruit or no longer serves a purpose to her. While she also dies in the presence of the man who loves her, she did not want this because she no longer loved him. In fact, she dies at the very hands of this lover, who wanted to see her dead out of jealousy.

Therefore, one can see that the diamonds are the same in general composition (use of sexual appeal and the fact that death finds them both) but different in facets (reasons for using sexual appeal, circumstances of death, and ability to feel true love.)

PS�Please forgive my horrible grammar as I am now in vacation mode.

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