‘QUESTO MATRIMONIO NON S'HA DA FARE’

Abstract

The opening of Manzoni's I promessi sposi is substantially the same in all three versions of the novel, the 1821–23 draft known by the title Fermo e Lucia, the 1827 edition with the definitive title, commonly called ‘la ventisettana’ by the critics, and the final 1840–42 version. One fine evening in early November 1628 Don Abbondio, the parish priest of a village on Lake Como, is waylaid by two bravi, a word which Manzoni used, possibly inaccurately, to identify thugs, hit-men and bodyguards in the service of wealthy and powerful noblemen. Don Abbondio was due to marry the following day two young people from the village, Renzo Tramaglino and Lucia Mondella, but he is told in no uncertain terms that ‘Questo matrimonio non s'ha da fare, né domani né mai’. Behind this prohibition lies the fact that Don Rodrigo, the local potentate, has made a bet with his cousin Conte Attilio. What the wager exactly consists in is not known, but the circumstantial evidence points to a boast on Don Rodrigo's part that, no later than St Martin's day (II November), he will seduce Lucia, whom he has made the object of his desires and of what today would be defined as sexual harassment at her workplace. The motivations of what Renzo surmises is a ‘brutale’ and ‘infame’ passion are not clear, since Lucia is a girl of ‘modesta bellezza’. The very first draft describes her as having ‘due occhi neri e vivi, e modesti, e un volto di una regolare e non comune bellezza’, where ‘non comune’ should be interpreted not as ‘rare’ or ‘unusual’ but as ‘not ordinary or vulgar’. In other words, without being exceptionally beautiful Lucia was more attractive than ordinary girls; but the rest of the novel makes it plain that Lucia's appeal was mostly due to the outward reflection of her inner virtues, and not to the beauties that usually inflame the infamous passions of wealthy playboys.