Humour can often be seen being used alongside serious subject matters to make the material more digestible. The opera “The Marriage of Figaro'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart uses comedy to discuss themes of both class and gender inequality with music to complement the emotional states the characters are in. Barbarina, one of the minor characters, exemplifies the struggle of both being low in status and being a female in an environment where males have more power and influence in a rigid hierarchy. Despite her infrequent appearance, Barbarina is seen being taken advantage of. Rather than invoking feelings of discontent and impetus for change, she views her situation as acceptable because of how deeply ingrained in her the position of being lesser in her society is -- she is oppressed, and that is the way of the world.
Barbarina is not at the forefront of the plot, but she has her own moment to shine during Number 23: “L’ho Perduta, me meschina!”. The event that occurs prior to Number 23 is necessary to keep in mind as it is relevant to the overall plotline of the opera. Susanna and the Countess, in a ploy to trick the Count, write him a letter addressed from Susanna asking him to meet. The letter is closed with a hairpin belonging to the Countess, with the letter containing instructions to have the pin returned to Susanna. During Susanna and Figaro’s wedding ceremony, Susanna gives the Count the letter. Upon reading and opening it, the Count pricks his finger on the pin and places it in his coat pocket -- this is the last time we see this particular pin. In Barbarina’s solo, she is distraught and sobbing over having lost the pin.
Considering that the pin in itself would not sensibly warrant such an extreme reaction of sadness and grief, it would not be farfetched to think it is analogous to something else Barbarina may have lost. The entire opera consists of both overt and covert sexual elements, so the pin functioning as a double entendre for Barbarina having lost her virginity would align with the themes of the opera. There are several elements of Number 23 that suggest that the pin is a placeholder for Barbarina’s virginity: 1) stage directions, 2) the music, 3) what previously and later occurs in the plot, and 4) the nature of the relationship between Barbarina and the Count.
First, it has to be established why the loss of the pin is unlikely to be the main cause of Barbarina’s despair. The key of the music in Number 23 matches the extent of sorrowfulness that Barbarina is seemingly experiencing. Adjectives and feelings that seem to be commonly associated with f minor consist of grief, loss, melancholy, and sorrow, all of which fit with how Barbarina appears to be feeling as she sings. She is clearly grieving and the libretto states it is over the loss of her pin. The loss of a pin, which is a rather minor event, does not warrant descriptions such as “harrowing” and “melancholic” and an extended expression of grief. The music is indicative that the subject of Babarina’s singing carries far more gravity than the loss of a simple pin. This position is further buttressed by the fact that the pin is easily replaceable -- it is not an heirloom or a charm, but indeed a common pin. In the Recitative that follows Number 23, Figaro gives Barbarina a pin from Marcellina’s hair which solves the issue of the lost pin. If the pin carried such significance, this replacement would not be a satisfying solution to the loss.
Now that it has been established that the pin, in its mundane form, is not the focal point of the scene, but rather representative of an even greater and deeper loss for Barbarina, support must be given to the argument that the described deep loss is that of her virginity, as opposed to anything else. The stage direction for Number 23 is not very complex, but there are two notable qualities of the set-up that are suggestive of there being more to uncover subtextually than what is plainly said in the libretto. The scene is rather motionless; Barbarina is sitting, in a dejected manner, indicating she has given up her search for the pin if she ever began looking for it in the first place. An interesting detail, which may or may not be unique to this particular rendition, is the presence of flower petals on the floor surrounding Barbarina. The scene previously was of the double wedding, with rose petals being thrown in celebration of the newlyweds. This stage direction, along with the time signature of 6/8, which is waltz-like, leaves a celebratory feeling in the air. This is juxtaposed with Barbarina’s mourning -- contrasting, but not necessarily unrelated. Considering the other societal standards shown in the opera that are in place, it can be deduced that sex before marriage, especially for a woman, is taboo, impious, and taints her marital value (which is reflective, supposedly, of her value as a whole). Having the remanence of marriage as Babarina weeps for the loss of something she may likely have been told by society to save for her husband seems fitting and tragic; an effective combination of the feelings evoked by the music, the social context, and visual clues. It almost functions as a window to what is on Barbarina’s mind, her focus isn’t truly on the pin, but rather on the wedding and lost celibacy.
The Count has been seen being quite proud -- he revels in the power he has both as an aristocrat and as a man, the apexes of the social hierarchy. The main plot is contingent upon his sense of entitlement to the women around him and his expectation of being respected by all, no matter his actions. Babarina, who is depicted as rather naive and young, puts him on the spot in front of a crowd of people when she exposes the nature of their romantic and intimate relationship as she requests that he allows her to marry Cherubino (it is worth pointing out before continuing that the details of how physical they have been are not described). The Count appears taken aback but agrees to permit the marriage between the two. How this interaction affected their relationship is unclear, however, as previously mentioned, the last time the original pin is seen is when the Count puts it in his coat pocket, we never see the Count give it to Babarina. The scene in which the Count gives Babarina instruction for the pin is not shown in the opera, suggesting there is a gap between the wedding and Babarina’s solo in Number 23. Considering the theory of the pin being representative of Barbarina’s virginity, it may have been lost during their unseen time together. If looking at this theorised occurrence from the lens that the Count was enraged by Babarina making their relationship public, it seems possible it was done by force, adding a layer of Barbarina feeling violated by someone who put on the front to care for her. In this sense, Barbarina, a woman, is seen as being taken advantage of by a man.
Barbarina is not just taken advantage of by the Count by him being a man and her a woman, but also her being born with a gardener as a father, a much lower status than the Count. She lives in a society that has a social hierarchy in which if you are of slow social standing it is beneficial to be on the good side of the aristocracy. If the Count initiated the relationship with Barbarina, she would not be in the ideal position to deny his advances. She appears to have been primed to care quite significantly about not only what others think about her, but mainly what the Count thinks of her. On two occasions, Babarina herself emphasises her concern with the Count’s perception of her. The first is the Recitative before Number 19 as she is helping Cherubino get dressed as a girl, she is concerned with what the Count will think if he finds out she has not left for Seville yet, whether or not the Count is the one sending her away for some reason, or she is leaving for some other reason is up for debate. The second time she expresses concern for what the Count will think of her is in Number 23 as the solo comes to an end she sings: “Cousin Susanna, and the Count— what will they say? What will they say?”.
Barbarina is, thereofre, a victim of society and of the Count, both in terms of being born lowly and a woman. The level of grief the minor f key creates may even be an indication of there being more loss than the pin or Barbarina’s virginity. Perhaps she is grieving the loss of her naiveness, the loss of the perception the Count cared for her, or even the loss of the notion that she ever had any power or control over her life to begin with.
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