Filled with death, fear, love, and sacrifice, Turandot is a whirlpool of emotions for its viewers. Though often to the extreme, this opera highlights certain aspects of humanity that can be seen in all individuals. We as humans can relate to the characters each in some way, or, at least identify the message they are meant to portray.
Liu is a big symbol in this story for loyalty. Committed to her master, as a slave, she first demonstrates this characteristic when she cries out for help as Timur falls to the ground. She is driven by her love for his son, Calaf. As a slave she knows that their love can never be, but she continues on anyway with the little hope she can have that something might become of her and her love. Once Calaf declares his love for Turandot and he is put in a dangerous situation, things take a turn for Liu. Put in a position where she or Timur will be killed if they do not tell comply with the guards and reveal Calaf’s name, Liu sacrifices herself for the ones she loves. To her, her love was worth more than her life. I find this an admirable tragedy.
In the opening scenes, Turandot orders for the execution of a young prince who failed to win her love over in riddles. She is introduced as seemingly cold and heartless. As the characters develop, we are able to see that Turandot masks behind her harsh actions a fear of her fate. She refuses to be forced into the hands of another man and has seen too many suitors die before her to have any hope left that she will find the right one. It isn’t until Calaf kisses her and takes away her fear that she finally accepts the feeling of love.
Calaf falls for Turandot through what most consider “love at first sight.” Determined to win her over, he answers the riddles correctly and passes the test that no other suitor has been able to complete. When the shock finally hits her and she refuses to marry him, Calaf gives Turandot the option of killing him if she can figure out what his name is by dawn. He, like Liu, is compelled by love and will do anything for it. But unlike Liu, he succeeds in winning over his love.
If we are not willing to risk and to sacrifice, no progress can be made. Unfortunately, Liu is an example of the danger that comes from the uncertainty of taking chances. She gave her all for her love and ended up dead. But, it does not always end this way. For both Calaf and Turandot, after their struggles, their lives end happily in love. I felt like these situations, although excessive, can pertain to ones in real life and that made me appreciate it more. I enjoyed reading this text and am excited to see it come alive on stage.
I felt very bad for Liu; the fact that she could never marry the man she loved because of her social situation was disheartening. She even committed suicide to save his life. But what does Calaf do after this ultimate sacrifice? He marries the girl that was the driving force behind Liu’s death. This is where I lost a tremendous amount of respect for Calaf. His own selfish motivations caused him to completely disregard Liu’s heroic actions.
I had the same feeling when I read this. Liu plays such a heartbreaking character. Her role emphasizes Calafs character and his selfishness and blindness for beauty. He felt no remorse and did not even think about Liu. Towards the end I had the same feeling and lack of respect for Calaf