I still think that these factors considered, Ford intended to induce sympathy in both audiences. This is because of the way the other suitors for Annabella are presented, making him the most likeable at this point. For example, Grimaldi is described as a “lying coward and a fool”, Soranzo has committed the sin of adultery, and Bergetto is frequently referred to as an “idiot”. They all also have ulterior motives for wanting Annabella’s hand in marriage, mainly because her father is extremely rich and is at quite a high social status. Giovanni is the only one who genuinely loves her and values her as a person (although this is debateable in the scenes following) rather than a way to achieve respect and wealth.
There is no doubt in my mind that Annabella is ever intended to be condemned, especially at the beginning of this play. Before Giovanni declares his love for her, she claims that “life gives no content to [her]” but her mood lifts when Giovanni enters. Her own sadness is forgotten and her concentration is diverted to relieving him of his, saying “[Giovanni] will not deny me partage in his sadness”, and claiming that her “soul is full of heaviness and fear” denoting true love for him. The way that this incestuous relationship is presented mainly from the points of view of those directly involved, makes it hard to denounce them as we can effectively see the difficulty of the decision to act on these feelings and to some extent can relate to what they are experiencing. Annabella may have gained a degree of approval from both audiences, by saying “and not so much for that I love, as that I durst not say I loved, not scarcely think it” conveying an aspect of wanting to suppress it to conform with the expectations held of her and the morals she was brought up to have. This would also give the impression that it was not by her choice she fell in love with Giovanni, and so that she cannot control her feelings despite efforts to ignore them. Giovanni also plays on this idea and frequently talks about the fates and how he is destined to be with her. The modern audience may respond with happiness at how Annabella’s life now does give her content, and that she can begin a relationship with someone she has sincere feelings for, whereas the sex before marriage may sway a seventeenth centaury audience away from this view. It would have been unlikely that a marriage to someone outside the family would follow if it were known that the woman had been in a sexual relationship beforehand.
In the middle section of the play, Giovanni’s true character begins to emerge, and he becomes less likeable and more open to condemnation. He becomes increasingly jealous which in either time period is not a desired or readily tolerated trait. He reacts to Annabella’s playful banter with accusations of her being unfaithful to him by accepting a ring from a “lusty youth” who in reality is the father of Bergetto. As it is obvious Donaldo is neither lusty nor youthful, the audience will see that this over-possessive nature has been lying dormant rather than just appearing in this scene, as they may draw parallels with Scene II where he says to Annabella “Love me or kill me, sister”. This is because the same all-or-nothing attitude motivates both actions. This jealousy and mistrust continues during Soranzo’s attempted wooing of Annabella, where Ford gives Giovanni many ‘asides’ which go to give the atmosphere of secrecy and suspicion. He is also watching their conversation unseen, giving him a sinister presence on stage denoting underlying but currently dormant violence which is almost prophetic of the end of the play. His mistrust becomes especially evident in the aside “be not all woman”, showing that he doesn’t entirely believe that she won’t jump at the chance of leaving him for one of her suitors despite her vows to him.
More undesirable qualities emerge as the play continues, shown when Giovanni discovers Annabella’s pregnancy and he claims that he as a “world of business on my head”, without showing any regard for the trouble Annabella is in as now there is no way of denying their relationship. He fails to come see her, despite this being the time where she probably would need him the most making this selfishness overpower any sympathetic feelings the audience had for him during the first few scenes. He does, however bring the Friar to “absolve” her, but his true motivation for doing this is very unclear. He calls Annabella a “jewel” frequently throughout this section and the one following, which would create the notion that she is something he has “won”, not an equal or someone with their own opinions or beliefs.
While the audience loses faith in Giovanni, their compassion is diverted to the character of Annabella. Ford shows her as a much stronger character during the middle scenes, and has given her very modern views for the time. He challenges the conventional method of courtly love through her character, during Act 3 Scene II where she mocks Soranzo and rejects his advances with witty comebacks, saying that if she could see his heart, he would be dead. Just the fact that she is declining his proposal would be enough to shock a 17th centaury audience as this would not be the way a women would talk to a man in any circumstance. This shows how much she does indeed love Giovanni and how willing she is to stand up for her right to be with him, regardless of what she would have to achieve by marrying Soranzo. It is this scene that, in my opinion, confirms that Annabella is the better person of the two and makes the audience feel a more secure likeability in her. (I know this doesn’t make sense…I couldn’t think of how to phrase it)
Also, through her character the church is indirectly criticised in the way that as a way of consoling her the Friar calls her “miserably wretched” and the way that this follows the scene where the audience begin to the relate to her, makes them feel that this is unjust to call her that because not only was she only trying to do what made her happy, she was also mostly passive throughout the process. An example of this was before her and Giovanni slept together, when asked what to do next she merely answered “what you will” and it was he who made the decision to celebrate their love physically. She is then pushed into marrying Soranzo as she is told this is the only way to save both of their souls from an eternity in hell for which she is punished by Giovanni despite their being no reasonable alternative.
As the play draws closer to the end, Giovanni’s language becomes increasingly figurative, resembling more courtly love than the genuine expression of feelings he demonstrated in the earlier acts. He claims that watching Annabella get married was worse that “the horror of ten thousand deaths”, for example which contrasts with Annabella’s simple but intelligent dialogue.
Act IV Scene iii is another example of the strength in Annabella that is not found in, I believe, any of the other characters in this play. Her ‘lust belepered body’ is pulled on stage by Soranzo, and the violence intending to be portrayed to the audience in evident in the stage directions, stating that his sword is drawn and that that Annabella is physically “dragged”. She is confronted with a stream of insults from the man who’s ‘love’ she so rightly challenged, but does not weaken and her loyalty to Giovanni, remains. She calls him a “noble creature” which to the audience would seem ironic as his actions will be far from this, but denotes the true devotion which is reinforced by her apparent willingness to die to save his life. This would no doubt restore any faith lost by her agreeing to marry Soranzo, and her real motives for doing this are seen (i.e. to save hers and Giovanni’s soul, not to gain Soranzo’s fortune or status). Not only does this increase the sympathy for Annabella, but leaves Giovanni open for more criticism once his suspicions are proved unfounded. Responding to Soranzo’s threat of “I’ll hew thy flesh to shreds!” with singing in Italian ‘What death is sweeter than to die for love?” goes to emphasise Giovanni’s suspicions are nothing more than over-possessive paranoia which does nothing to make his losses felt by the audience. She risks her life by writing to warn him of Vasques’s plot to kill him, signifying her constant awareness of his safety. Giovanni on the other hand, refuses to think about hers, and decides to go to the banquet despite her advice and resolves to “strike as deep in slaughter as they all”. This would induce a more empathetic reaction to Annabella and an admiration for her allegiance to Giovanni, but the audience would be more likely to rebuke him for his selfishness.
It is this scene that the audience would become aware of his sanity indeed wavering as the sheer number of those against him would be enough to convince any other man of their end. His later dialogue and attitude to death show he believes he is almost invincible. Ford has achieved this impression by giving Giovanni self-aggrandising dialogue using apocalyptic metaphors, such as when he compares himself to an oak tree he claims “some under-shrubs shall in my weighty fall be crushed to splits”. The audience would respond to this by being surprised at the fact that he sees everyone else as merely ‘under-shrubs’ and would also be especially surprised by the violent tone in the next line: “with me they all shall perish”. This would make any repercussions from this violence dismissed as nothing more than his own doing and so from this point forward it would be hard for any audience member to show compassion about the consequences of this distorted self-image.
(I know I’ve missed out a bit here, but I think 4 pages is enough and I don’t think I could sit here for another ½ hour….)
In conclusion, at the beginning of the play sympathy is possible for both characters. Annabella earns more than this during the course of the play, and is likely to be admired by the audiences from both eras, though would probably have been seem as more promiscuous in the time of writing than would be perceived now. Giovanni on the other hand, through use of apocalyptic figurative language shows a too high opinion of himself and is presented as too self-absorbed to induce anything other than contempt. This is accentuated by the death of Annabella being caused by such traits and highlighted by the irony that she had remained to true to him just to die by his hand.
