Women, violence and art

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/04/2024 (716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last Saturday, the Manitoba Opera premièred Carmen, George Bizet’s final work which first debuted in 1875. The cast was brilliant; the staging gorgeous; the singing, goosebump-provoking. For those unfamiliar with the plot, Carmen, an infamous gypsy, captures the heart of Don José, an army corporal, but eventually their love turns sour, and he kills her in a fit of jealousy.

Despite the sheer pleasure of the opera and the delight of being surrounded by fellow theatre goers after the drought of COVID deprivation, there was still a sense of discomfort.

An opera depicting domestic violence cannot be staged in 2024 without at least addressing the bigger context of violence against women and the Manitoba Opera did that quite admirably. But it does make one wonder about why so many performances rely on the death of women for entertainment value.

First, kudos to the board of trustees’ chair, Judith Chambers who wrote in the opera program: “Amidst the drama of passion and jealousy depicted in Carmen, we must also reflect upon the broader themes it touches upon, including the complex dynamics of intimate partner violence. Through the character of Carmen, we are confronted with the harsh realities of such relationships, shedding light on the profound impact they have on individuals and communities.”

The program also wisely included an information page outlining that the content of Carmen may be triggering and provided resources for those experiencing trauma. Phone numbers to community resources and stress reduction tips were also provided, and patrons were told to review the subject matter of a performance ahead of time to make an informed decision before attending.

This is all laudable.

But there is so much violence against women in opera, patrons may have to sit many performances out. Puccini’s Madam Butterfly commits suicide. In La Bohème, Mimì dies in the arms of her jealous Rodolfo. Tosca kills herself after being duped by Scarpia and finding Cavaradossi dead. Canio kills Nedda, his wife and her lover Silvio onstage in Pagliacci.

It’s not just in opera. Statistically, men are more likely than women to be victims of homicide, yet in popular crime fiction, women are almost overwhelmingly the victims. At the same time, the readers of crime fiction also tend to be women. And increasingly, the writers of crime fiction are now women as well.

What’s going on?

Some researchers have suggested that by reading about fictionalized women victims, female readers can be reassured that justice is possible. Very often in the real world, for women who have been victimized this has not always been the case.

As the performance for Carmen started Saturday, news was just coming out that the man who had killed six people in a Sydney shopping mall had deliberately set out to target women. Five women were among the six people killed by the 40-year-old and police say it was obvious that women were the target as he went on a rampage through a busy shopping centre.

While the familiar strings of Toreador began, O.J. Simpson was once again being eulogized for his athleticism and his acting roles. His victims — ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman — mere footnotes in the “trial of the century” which brought the name Kardashian into popular culture lexicon. While Simpson was acquitted of murder in the 1995 criminal case, he was deemed liable for their deaths by a civil trial jury two years later.

As Carmen took her final breath on stage, Manitoba’s 24-hour domestic violence information and crisis line was handling on average 50 calls daily from women looking for assistance with shelters filled to capacity.

Women can be victims in literature in ways that can bring awareness and a sense of justice. Or they can be victims in ways that makes their death gratuitous entertainment, designed to titillate. Differentiating this is important in 2024.

Shannon Sampert is a lecturer at RRC Polytech and an instructor at the University of Manitoba. She was the politics and perspectives editor at the Free Press from 2014-17.

shannon@mediadiva.ca