Malatesta (play)

Malatesta is a play by the French writer Henry de Montherlant, written in 1943–1944 and first published in 1946.^[1] It was first performed on stage in 1950.

Malatesta
Jean-Louis Barrault directed and starred in the first production of the play.
Written by	Henry de Montherlant
Date premiered	19 December 1950 (1950-12-19)
Place premiered	Théâtre Marigny, Paris
Original language	French

Plot

Sigismondo Malatesta, the 15th-century ruler of Rimini, is offered the cities Spoleto and Foligno if he gives up his own city to the troops of Pope Paul II. Malatesta is furious and goes to Rome to assassinate the Pope, but ends up accepting an honorary office in the Vatican. After falling ill, Malatesta is brought back to Rimini by his wife Isotta. Back in his home he is poisoned by the learned Porcellio and dies.

Themes

The play portrays the vulnerability of a man who is at once unsuspecting and immoral. The sacrilegious and immoral hero ties in with Henry de Montherlant's typically preferred protagonist.^[1] He exemplifies what Montherlant called alternance, which refers to the contrary aspects found within the same character: Malatesta is simultaneously able to kill casually and show tender human emotions, and simultaneously flirts with many women and is attached to his wife.^[2] The hero's demise ties in with Friedrich Nietzsche's writings about the superior man and his greater vulnerability when compared to the herd man, and the period setting correlates with Nietzsche's admiration for the Renaissance period.^[1]

Production history

The play was first performed on 19 December 1950 at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris. Jean-Louis Barrault directed the production and starred in the title role.^[3]

It was shown on BBC TV in December 1964 in the Wednesday Play series. https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/the-wednesday-play-malatesta-bbc-drama-patrick-wymark/

References

Citations

1. Gerrard 1968, p. 831.
2. Norrish 1988, p. 54.
3. Les Archives du Spectacle 1950.

Sources

• Gerrard, Charlotte Frankel (1968). "Montherlant's Malatesta: Pagan, Christian, or Nietzschean?". The French Review. 41 (6): 831–838. JSTOR 386170.
• Les Archives du Spectacle (19 December 1950). "Malatesta" (in French). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
• Norrish, Peter (1988). New Tragedy and Comedy in France, 1945–70. Basingstoke and London: The Macmillan Press. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-06780-0. hdl:2027/mdp.39015012433713. ISBN 978-1-349-06782-4.