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Turandot, Princess of China
The very affecting history of the cruel Princess Turandot and the handsome Prince Calaf may be read in those Persian tales which are known by the name of _The Thousand and One Nights._
132 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1762
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About the author
Carlo Gozzi
249 books7 followersCarlo Gozzi (Venezia, 1720 – Venezia, 1806) è stato un drammaturgo e scrittore italiano. Negli anni '60 del Settecento fu protagonista di una polemica sul teatro con il conterraneo Carlo Goldoni: Gozzi difendeva i vecchi artifici della Commedia dell'Arte contro le novità introdotte nel teatro da Goldoni.
Carlo, Count Gozzi (13 December 1720 – April 4, 1806) was an Italian playwright.
Born in Venice, he came from an old Venetian family from the Republic of Ragusa. His father's debts forced him to look for a means of supporting himself, and at the age of sixteen, he joined the army in Dalmatia; three years later he returned to Venice, where he soon made a reputation for himself as the wittiest member of the Granelleschi society, to which the publication of several satirical pieces had gained him admission. This society, nominally devoted to conviviality and wit, had serious literary aims, and was especially zealous to preserve Tuscan literature from foreign influence.
The displacement of the old Italian comedy by the dramas of Pietro Chiari and Carlo Goldoni's works, modelled on French examples, threatened to defeat the society's efforts; in 1757 Gozzi came to the rescue by publishing a satirical poem, La tartana degli influssi per l'anno 1756, and in 1761 by his comedy, The Love of Three Oranges or Analisi riflessiva della fiaba L'amore delle tre melarance, a parody of the manner of the other two poets, founded on a fairy tale. To perform it, he obtained the services of the Sacchi company of players, who, thanks to the popularity of the comedies of Chiari and Goldoni—which offered no scope for the display of their peculiar talents—had been left without employment. Their satirical powers thus sharpened by personal enmity, the play was an extraordinary success.
Struck by the effect produced on the audience by the introduction of the supernatural or mythical element, which he had merely used as a convenient medium for his satirical purposes, Gozzi produced a series of dramatic pieces based on fairy tales, which were briefly popular, but after the breaking up of the Sacchi company were completely disregarded. They were much praised by Goethe, Schlegel, Madame de Staël and Sismondi; and one of them, Turandot or Re Turandote, was translated by Friedrich Schiller.
In his later years Gozzi began to produce tragedies in which the comic element was largely introduced; as this innovation proved unacceptable to the critics he turned to the Spanish drama, from which he obtained models for various pieces; these had minor success.
His brother, Gasparo Gozzi, was also a well-known writer of the time.
His collected works were published under his own superintendence, at Venice, in 1792, in 10 volumes.
A number of twentieth-century stage works were inspired by Gozzi's plays. These include treatments of Turandot by Karl Vollmöller and Bertolt Brecht, operas based on the same story by Busoni and most famously Puccini and Prokofiev's The Love of Three Oranges.
Carlo, Count Gozzi (13 December 1720 – April 4, 1806) was an Italian playwright.
Born in Venice, he came from an old Venetian family from the Republic of Ragusa. His father's debts forced him to look for a means of supporting himself, and at the age of sixteen, he joined the army in Dalmatia; three years later he returned to Venice, where he soon made a reputation for himself as the wittiest member of the Granelleschi society, to which the publication of several satirical pieces had gained him admission. This society, nominally devoted to conviviality and wit, had serious literary aims, and was especially zealous to preserve Tuscan literature from foreign influence.
The displacement of the old Italian comedy by the dramas of Pietro Chiari and Carlo Goldoni's works, modelled on French examples, threatened to defeat the society's efforts; in 1757 Gozzi came to the rescue by publishing a satirical poem, La tartana degli influssi per l'anno 1756, and in 1761 by his comedy, The Love of Three Oranges or Analisi riflessiva della fiaba L'amore delle tre melarance, a parody of the manner of the other two poets, founded on a fairy tale. To perform it, he obtained the services of the Sacchi company of players, who, thanks to the popularity of the comedies of Chiari and Goldoni—which offered no scope for the display of their peculiar talents—had been left without employment. Their satirical powers thus sharpened by personal enmity, the play was an extraordinary success.
Struck by the effect produced on the audience by the introduction of the supernatural or mythical element, which he had merely used as a convenient medium for his satirical purposes, Gozzi produced a series of dramatic pieces based on fairy tales, which were briefly popular, but after the breaking up of the Sacchi company were completely disregarded. They were much praised by Goethe, Schlegel, Madame de Staël and Sismondi; and one of them, Turandot or Re Turandote, was translated by Friedrich Schiller.
In his later years Gozzi began to produce tragedies in which the comic element was largely introduced; as this innovation proved unacceptable to the critics he turned to the Spanish drama, from which he obtained models for various pieces; these had minor success.
His brother, Gasparo Gozzi, was also a well-known writer of the time.
His collected works were published under his own superintendence, at Venice, in 1792, in 10 volumes.
A number of twentieth-century stage works were inspired by Gozzi's plays. These include treatments of Turandot by Karl Vollmöller and Bertolt Brecht, operas based on the same story by Busoni and most famously Puccini and Prokofiev's The Love of Three Oranges.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2024
3.5⭐️/هشتمین نمایشنامهی ترم چهار/ خیلی لذت بردم و اولین تجربهم از نمایشنامهنویس اروپاییای بود که از یک داستان شرقی ایده گرفته. حتما بخونینش نثر روانی داره به طوری که خیلی هم متنش به فارسی و شرقی طور میزنه به طوری که آدم باورش نمیشه ترجمهس!
شباهت زیادی هم با تاجر ونیزیِ شکسپیر حس کردم که به احتمال خیلی زیاد مربوطن بهم، باز از استادمون میپرسم میگم.
شیلر هم یه اقتباس دیگه از رو همین توراندت گوتزی نوشته که اونو هفتهی بعد میخونیم.
داستان توراندخت به تقلید از داستانی ایرانی است از مجموعهٔ هزار و یک شب که شرقشناس فرانسوی فرانسوا پتی دلا کروا جمعآوری کرده است. داستان در چین باستان رخ میدهد و در مورد شاهزاده کالاف است که عاشق شاهزاده توراندخت میشود. وی برای گرفتن پاسخ مثبت از شاهزاده برای ازدواج، باید سه معما را حل کند و هر پاسخ نادرستی به مرگ وی میانجامد.
شباهت زیادی هم با تاجر ونیزیِ شکسپیر حس کردم که به احتمال خیلی زیاد مربوطن بهم، باز از استادمون میپرسم میگم.
شیلر هم یه اقتباس دیگه از رو همین توراندت گوتزی نوشته که اونو هفتهی بعد میخونیم.
داستان توراندخت به تقلید از داستانی ایرانی است از مجموعهٔ هزار و یک شب که شرقشناس فرانسوی فرانسوا پتی دلا کروا جمعآوری کرده است. داستان در چین باستان رخ میدهد و در مورد شاهزاده کالاف است که عاشق شاهزاده توراندخت میشود. وی برای گرفتن پاسخ مثبت از شاهزاده برای ازدواج، باید سه معما را حل کند و هر پاسخ نادرستی به مرگ وی میانجامد.
July 19, 2025
La "Turandot" è una celebre "fiaba teatrale", di Carlo Gozzi, un genere da lui stesso inventato per osteggiare il realismo della commedia goldoniana e riportare sulle scene l'elemento fantastico, con le maschere della Commedia dell'Arte. Infatti quest’opera unisce elementi tragici e comici, il fantastico e il quotidiano, ma anche un certo esotismo orientale rappresentato appunto dalle maschere veneziane che fungono da intermezzo e da commento buffonesco. Gozzi trasse ispirazione per questa sua opera da una novella persiana in cui la principessa cinese Turandot per evitare il matrimonio, impone ai suoi pretendenti di risolvere tre enigmi. Chi fallisce viene decapitato. Solo il principe Calaf affronta per amore la prova e vince. Se la trama fosse solo questa sarebbe però troppo semplice. Ci sono infatti nello svolgimento dell’azione varie complicazioni che potrebbero condurre ad un esito drammatico e solo nel finale si potrà vedere come la forza dell’amore trionferà. Il cuore dell’opera sta proprio nel contrasto tra l’orgoglio, la ragione (simboleggiata dagli enigmi) e la passione. La Turandot di Gozzi è ben diversa dalla Turandot pucciniana, è meno “nevrotica”, bensì è fredda e crudele per disprezzo verso gli uomini, la loro infedeltà e sensualità. Solo verso la fine l’amore di Calaf riuscirà ad ammorbidirla. Da sottolineare inoltre la presenza di due temi importanti che rendono l’opera molto più coinvolgente e cioè la fedeltà e la lealtà (come quella di Barach e Zelima verso Calaf e il padre). Le maschere tradizionali veneziane che sono presenti nell’opera non sono semplici personaggi di contorno, ma hanno un ruolo attivo e commentano spesso l'azione con la loro saggezza popolare, le loro paure e la loro comicità. Servono ad alleggerire la tensione drammatica dell’opera. È stata veramente una piacevole lettura.
December 7, 2024
Tựa Việt là Công Chúa Turanđốt (kịch)
September 6, 2023
Милая сказка, даже, скорее, для детей, чем для взрослых. И, конечно, немного юмора не помешало бы.
July 1, 2022
I forgot how much I enjoy reading plays (occasionally) and Gozzi showed me the delights of the matter once more.
I bought Turandot four years ago after seeing it at the opera, and never read it - but now, finally, in preparation for a showing at the Staatsoper Berlin I picked it up and read it on my commutes on the subway.
I did not necessary like Adelma (but then, I am not sure I liked anyone) but she raised some valid points. It is rather ridiculous that Kalaf falls in love with a picture and believes in the goodness of the princesses heart, her beauty evidently being the only charming thing about her. Her every sin being forgiven in the end by a minor show of emotion (for her own benefit I might add) does not make much sense to me.
In short, her father is a pushover, Kalaf is a superficial idiot, Turandot was probably lesbian, Adelma was correct and I still enjoyed this story greatly for whatever reason.
I bought Turandot four years ago after seeing it at the opera, and never read it - but now, finally, in preparation for a showing at the Staatsoper Berlin I picked it up and read it on my commutes on the subway.
I did not necessary like Adelma (but then, I am not sure I liked anyone) but she raised some valid points. It is rather ridiculous that Kalaf falls in love with a picture and believes in the goodness of the princesses heart, her beauty evidently being the only charming thing about her. Her every sin being forgiven in the end by a minor show of emotion (for her own benefit I might add) does not make much sense to me.
In short, her father is a pushover, Kalaf is a superficial idiot, Turandot was probably lesbian, Adelma was correct and I still enjoyed this story greatly for whatever reason.
August 7, 2025
Fiabesca. Tesa. Intensa.
April 20, 2014
The story of the princess Turandot is dramatic and enigmatic, yet with an abrupt ending.
She is a Chinese princess who will only marry the one that will guess three of her riddles. If they do not guess the riddles, then they will be beheaded. Despite her spectacular beauty everybody is terrified of Turandot, because her riddles are so hard and the gates of her castle are surrounded by the heads of men who did not prove themselves worthy enough. That is until the lost prince Calaf arrives in Pekin.
I believe this whole play would be more interesting on stage, theater or opera, than read on paper.
She is a Chinese princess who will only marry the one that will guess three of her riddles. If they do not guess the riddles, then they will be beheaded. Despite her spectacular beauty everybody is terrified of Turandot, because her riddles are so hard and the gates of her castle are surrounded by the heads of men who did not prove themselves worthy enough. That is until the lost prince Calaf arrives in Pekin.
I believe this whole play would be more interesting on stage, theater or opera, than read on paper.
May 22, 2016
Two stars because it's a good translation, but that's it because I frickin' HATE this play, Carlo!
February 6, 2023
Nessun dorma! Принцесса Китаю намагається довести залицяльника до межі нервового виснаження, аби не належати нікому.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews