The Political Context of Punishment in Three Operas

• In Event: Alternative Texts and Processes to Assess Punishment, the Police, and the Reentry Experience

Abstract

The imposition of punishment as the consequence of a clash between the individual and the political context in which the crime occurs is a recurrent theme explored in opera over the centuries. Using the critical criminology framework, this presentation explores how the treatment by the criminal justice system, specifically the punishment imposed for a crime, may reflect not only the crime but its political context. To do so, questions of punishment, specifically the context for imposing the death penalty, raised in three operas from different periods and countries will be considered. The operas include: (1) Fidelio (1804/14, German)--corrupt political ends, (2) Fedora (1898, Italian)--motive--political offense versus honor killing, and (3) Dead Man Walking (2000, U.S.)--the political status of the offender. The presentation is part of ongoing research, the purpose of which is to contribute to our understanding of perceptions of crime, punishment, and justice communicated through opera.

Author

• Barbara Ann Stolz, Georgetown University