Six Characters in Search of an Author: A Meta-Theatrical Masterpiece
1. Luigi Pirandello: A Biography
Luigi Pirandello (June 28, 1867 – December 10, 1936) was an Italian playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He won the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Agrigento, Sicily, to Caterina Ricci Gramita and Stefano Pirandello, a sulfur merchant, his family was actively involved in the Italian unification movement, Il Risorgimento. The disillusionment following unification influenced Pirandello’s writing, particularly in his novel Old and Young (1913). This sense of betrayal also permeates his essay on humor (1908).
Pirandello’s early education was at home, and he wrote his first tragedy at age twelve. He studied at a technical school and later pursued humanities. His childhood was split between Agrigento and Porto Empedocle, before the family moved to Palermo in 1880. There, he finished high school, immersed himself in 19th-century Italian poetry, and began writing. His relationship with his father strained, while his bond with his mother deepened, later inspiring his novel Colloquia con i personaggi (1915).
In 1886, Pirandello worked in the sulfur mines, an experience reflected in stories like Il Fumo and Ciàula scopre la luna. He studied Law and Literature at the University of Palermo and later at the University of Rome and Bonn, Germany, where he received his doctorate in 1891. He married Maria Antonietta Portulano in 1894 and published his first book of stories, Love Without Love.
From 1897, he taught Italian literature. Financial hardship following a sulfur mine collapse led to severe depression, inspiring his novel The Late Mattia Pascal (1904). In the 1920s, he aligned with the Fascist Party, becoming president of the Accademia d’Italia.
2. Six Characters in Search of an Author
2.1 Setting and Style
Written in Palermo in 1921, Six Characters in Search of an Author reflects the political turmoil of pre-Fascist Italy. It revolutionized Italian theater, rejecting naturalism and breaking space-time barriers. The play belongs to Pirandello’s “theater within the theater” trilogy, which includes Tonight We Improvise and Each in His Own Way. These plays blur the lines between stage and reality, reflecting the search for self.
The play lacks traditional acts and scenes, featuring three distinct parts with two interruptions. Two groups occupy the stage: the Characters (Father, Mother, Step-Daughter, Son, Boy, and Girl) and the Company (actors, director, stagehands).
2.2 Plot
A theater company rehearses a play when six Characters interrupt, seeking an author for their unfinished drama. The Father explains their story: He had a son with his wife (the Mother) and sent away his secretary, with whom he suspected an affair. The Mother, distraught, formed a new family with the secretary, having a Step-Daughter, Boy, and Girl. Years later, the Father unknowingly encounters the Step-Daughter in a brothel. The Mother discovers them, creating the central conflict. The Director, intrigued, agrees to stage their story.
The Characters insist on portraying themselves, believing they are more real than the actors. The scene at Madame Pace’s brothel requires her presence, causing distress to the Mother. The Characters’ performance clashes with the Director’s vision. The play continues with the family reunited at the Father’s house. The Son remains detached, while the Step-Daughter directs the drama with increasing intensity. The play culminates in tragedy, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
2.3 Characters
- Father: A remorseful figure seeking to atone for his past actions.
- Mother: Embodiment of pain and suffering.
- Step-Daughter: Driven by revenge against the Father.
- Son: Indifferent and aloof towards his family.
- Girl and Boy: Silent figures representing innocence and trauma.
3. Conclusion
Six Characters in Search of an Author defies traditional narrative structure. The Characters drive the action, blurring the boundaries between stage and reality. The play explores themes of remorse, pain, indifference, and revenge. The Characters’ intense emotions contrast with the actors’ superficiality, highlighting the nature of reality and identity. Pirandello’s innovative approach challenges the audience to question the nature of theater and life itself.