EMILIA GALOTTI

Interview -  Francesca Burgoyne, The Countess Orsina

 

How do you interpret Lessing's Emilia Galotti?

I think it's a play about what happens when we forget that other people are people too - it’s a tragedy. For example, the Count Appiani is just something in the way of the Prince getting what he wants. Emilia is the pious, obedient daughter to her parents and an object of desire to the Prince. It doesn’t occur to the Prince that she might not want to be with him, or to her parents that she might have actually been attracted to him in the first place. They don’t notice that she is capable of having desires of her own.

 

And then there’s Marinelli, who seems to be playing a game of human chess. Badly.

 

How would you describe The Countess Orsina’s perspective in the play?
Orsina’s perspective is an interesting one - she ends up being the only person in the play with some perspective. She probably would have been much happier if she didn’t understand the situation but then she’s not the kind of person to shy away from the truth. She may well choose to ignore it if she doesn’t like it, but she knows what’s going on nonetheless.

 

Do you think Emilia Galotti has any resonance today?
Undoubtedly. We still grab what we want and forget that we might hurt other people when we do. We still mistake a higher social status for happiness. We still live in a world where not everyone is free to choose their partners. We still live in a world where people die for these things.