Loyalty has many different meanings and associations for every single person. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of loyalty is a soldier. A soldier is one who believes in a cause he or she is fighting for, and is willing to risk their life for it. For some, loyalty may just seem like one who does not lie, cheat, or betray. Nevertheless, no matter how one defines loyalty, one must pledge complete allegiance to that person or that thing they declare loyalty towards.
After reading the Libretto of Turnadot, the character that struck a chord in me instantly was Liu. Liu was an inferior slave to Calaf, and despite their extreme class dissonance, Liu fell madly in love with him. Liu is willing to go to extreme lengths over her love for Calaf, and this is most notably shown when she gives up her life and does not reveal his name. Immediately this scene provided me with two new found respects. For one, I found a new degree of loyalty, for which Liu had to her heart. And secondly, I realized that it is only possible in such an artistic form like opera, for such dramatic scenes to take place.
The role of Liu is the new standard of real loyalty that I now hold to. Though Liu went to extreme measures, I now see that she had such dedication, commitment, and love towards something (her heart), or even someone(Calaf). I could not stop myself from thinking about the soldiers that risk their lives everyday for the safety of the country which we live in.
Liu’s loyalty is an even greater support for the “soldier” definition which I first associated loyalty with. After delving deeper into this matter, I realized how committed these people must feel towards this nation. I realized that I truly take for granted the life I live- especially in such an amazing country- and I start to think if there is anything which I hold so much loyalty towards; especially to a degree that is portrayed in this play. Liu, and her indirect association towards the soldiers that protect our country, has inspired me to bring about some type of awareness towards such commitment. Additionally, I learned that it is extremely crucial to take one’s loyal values into important considerations. At first glance, Lui must seem like some insignificant, inferior slave in a complex story; however, after she expresses such courageous and devoted qualities, my perception of her changed dramatically. One should always develop and maintain such reputable characteristics that both Liu and all soldiers have. It is needless to say that one does not have to go to the extremes that Liu went to—but one must still take the positive practical traits that Liu exemplified, and try to apply that to his or her own life.
Furthermore, to me, opera always resonated a long play of people singing in extremely loud voices, and with no real purpose. However, after reading through Turnadot, and watching the aria of “Nessun Dorma”, I realized that there is a “method to the madness” of this unique art form. Opera creates an environment containing such dramatic and expressive narratives. The music and the content in the play are usually types that could not survive, or fit, in other art forms; but opera seems as if it was made for it. Though I still have much more to explore in this art form which is so new to me, I have found a new lesson to be learned: when confronted with something that may seem unusual and convoluted, I have realized that one should always approach it with complete openness. Approaching Liu too, with complete openness, may have led me to learn more about the favorable and worthwhile character she truly proves to be.
Liu was the most honorable character that existed in the play. She has made me think about how many truthful and devoted people there are in the world. People may have looked down on her because she was slave, maybe money and royalty corrupts people’s personalities. Greed has made many people unreliable and selfish. Loyal people are really hard to find these days because a lot of people now have goal orientated mindsets and want to accomplish their goals. This opera definitely makes the audience reevaluate their mindset on life and morals.
Wow, that was insightful! I would’ve never viewed Liu as a symbol of loyalty, but now that you mentioned it, I can see a clear connection. It’s funny how I viewed her as so insignificant that I didn’t even mention her in my post. However, I don’t quite necessarily agree with you that Liu is made to demonstrate the loyalty of soldiers. Given the context of the play, it doesn’t seem to make too much sense to put them together. Secondly, I don’t see Opera any differently than I previously saw it. After viewing the videos, it is still a bunch of loud noises. However, I do enjoy the script of the Opera.
I completely echo everything you mentioned about Liu being loyal to Calaf despite the great disparity between their social classes. Liu has something in her that most people do not have. Her determination is parallel to the soldiers you mentioned. She not only risked her life to stay loyal to Calaf but she welcomed death by her own two hands to remain loyal to Calaf. I wish that Calaf could have known of her loyalty enough to save her from her eventual suicide; but he didn’t, he just carried on like nothing happened. Soldiers are also treated this way I think. After they come back from wars they are literally “kicked to the curb” ending up homeless. And the sad part is we do not even care about the people who are loyal enough to risk their lives for us.