MY TAKE ON THE OPERA MERMAID
State of the Seaworld VS Humankind (1901)
By E. Perryman 7.19.2025 #akintsucrooner
I believe Rusalka was human after all. She unknowingly held infinite power. This opera story is her coming of age tragic tale. Yes, she was naive regarding the fickleness of mortal love but she remained steadfast in her soulful belief of immortal love. She showed her inner strength throughout the journey of self discovery and ultimately found out that she was not alone in her despair. Rusalka stoically resigned herself to a life of doom after being rejected thus becoming a will o the wisp “bludička.” Her father clearly nurtured her imagination with human stories in her past but he clearly didn’t expect his daughter to give up everything to experience human life. Rusalka was no empty little worthless bubble aka “Bublinecko” as she was referred to by her bitter Aunt Ježibaba. She courageously refused the witch’s offer to win back her sea life by taking the Prince’s life. As much as Rusalka seemed to admire the elemental powers of Ježibaba, she was able to distinguish morality even in the midst of her Aunt’s malignancy. I am curious about the back story of Ježibaba and Dad. Perhaps Papa yearned for humanity which leads him to plant the yearning in his daughter with his stories. Rusalka explicitly leaves out no details when she explains her love for a mortal to Dad. Her passion is palatable. She was clearly a dramatically driven child as referenced musically in her romantic lyrical lines and frequent passionate outbursts above the staff. She often repeats herself (when she can speak) and chooses eternal suffering in exchange for having a few transcendent moments with the Prince. There are no tritones that Rusalka doesn’t adore as she often leads her emotional plea with this unsettling interval with text such as “I’m so sad I can’t breathe.” Rusalka seems to be firmly inhabiting the land of enneagram 4 as a sensitive individualist who deeply values uniqueness. She gives up her voice to experience love depicted musically with an unrelated yet satisfying harmonic change in one of her poignant vocal lines from G major to Db major. In the end, it was Rusalka who absolved the prince with her deadly kiss so he could find peace. She selflessly sacrificed material happiness which in my book makes the case that Rusalka proved her inherent humanity by the end of her tale. EAP #rusalka #littlemermaid
Favorite words:
Bludička: Will o the wisp
Vášeň: passion
Bůh: God
Odsouzený: condemned
Duše: soul
Hřích: sin
Polib mě: kiss me
Poskvrněný:defiled
Věčnost: eternity
Sladký: sweet
Miláček: sweetheart
Sestry: sisters
akintsucrooner 