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Gaetano Donizetti: British Royal Queens in Competition

Essay

Gaetano Donizetti was a prolific writer of operas. His subjects were taken from many sources but throughout his life he returned again and again to stories drawn from the British royal family.
British Kings and Queens are used in various Donizetti opera’s: Elizabeth I, makes her first appearance in Il Castello di Kenilworth in 1829. Henry II is the tenor in Rosamonda d’Inghilterra of 1834 and Edward III with Queen Isabella make an appearance in L’Aassedio di Calais of 1830. There are three operas however, that embody a fascination with the British royal bloods above all others.
The three operas are Anna Bolena (1830), Maria Stuarda (1834) and Roberto Devereux (1837).
The purpose of this essay is to fully examine the main character in each opera. All these operas are based on actual historical figures. More specifically it will discuss and compare the three queens that are portrayed in these operas. The three queens that ...

Posted by: Garrick Christian

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