The Betrothed (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Lorenzo, a young Italian peasant whose wedding is interrupted by the whim of a wicked nobleman, Don Rodrigo. Lorenzo and his betrothed seek safety by separating temporarily. He goes to Milan but is banished from the city for taking part in a famine riot. After a year, he returns to Milan and there finds Lucia ill of the plague. At last she recovers, and they are married.

Lucia (lew-CHEE-ah), Lorenzo’s betrothed. the object of Don Rodrigo’s lust, she is kidnapped by his henchmen. She vows to enter a convent if rescued from her kidnappers. Fra Cristoforo tells her that her betrothal vow takes precedence over her vow to the Church, and so Don Abbondio marries her to Lorenzo.

Don Rodrigo (rohd-REE-goh), an arrogant nobleman who, on a bet, plans to seduce Lucia. He dies of the plague while searching for her.

Don Abbondio (ah-bohn-DEE-oh), the cowardly parish priest ordered by Don Rodrigo not to marry Lorenzo and Lucia.

Fra Cristoforo (krihs-toh-ROH- roh), a saintly Capuchin who provides sanctuary for Lucia.

A nun, who is blackmailed into sending Lucia out of the sanctuary.

The Un-named, a powerful outlaw nobleman indebted to Don Rodrigo. His men kidnap Lucia, but her innocence persuades the noble outlaw to protect her from Don Rodrigo.

Cardinal Federigo (feh-deh- REE-goh), another protector of Lucia.

Bibliography:

“Alessandro Manzoni.” In Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Vol. 29, edited by Laurie DiMauro. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Contains a brief biography, an overview of The Betrothed, and excerpts form the criticism of numerous Manzoni critics. Includes bibliographic citations. An excellent starting place.

Barricelli, Gian Piero. Alessandro Manzoni. Boston: Twayne, 1976. The most thorough introduction to Manzoni in English. Provides a biography that focuses more on his life after his conversion to Catholicism in 1810 than on his life preceding the conversion. Examines his poetry and essays. Analysis of The Betrothed: its characters, styles, and themes.

Chandler, S. B. Alessandro Manzoni: The Story of a Spiritual Quest. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1974. An insightful investigation of Manzoni’s works, showing how the works demonstrate Manzoni’s spiritual development and his movement toward a spiritual view of life.

Matteo, Sante, and Larry Peer, eds. The Reasonable Romantic: Essays on Alessandro Manzoni. New York: Peter Lang, 1986. A collection of critical essays on the range of Manzoni’s works. Some of the essays are excerpted in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism.

Wall, Bernard. Alessandro Manzoni. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1954. Provides an overview of the life of Manzoni and his role as poet and dramatist before examining The Betrothed, its place in literature, and the controversies of Manzoni’s religion, of his use of the Italian language, and of the novel’s relationship to Romanticism. Sometimes criticized for its brevity.