The most useful theme statements define the necessity for the presence of each major character and tie together the actions and feelings of the major charac- ters into a coherent vision. They concisely clarify what is unique about the piece. For instance, although Carmen and West Side Story both involve unfulfilled love and tragic deaths, useful theme statements, like those listed earlier, clarify how they are different.
When fashioning a theme statement for any piece that involves a love story, be careful to distinguish whether love is a thematic issue or simply a plot device, For instance, in Rigoletto love is used as a plot device to examine the misuse of power. The Duke’s manipulation of Gilda through her love for him demon- strates how he abuses his position. In Falstaff, Falstaff ’s self-serving actions in the name of love are used as a plot device to establish how far outside the norms of society he stands and, therefore, how crucial is his reintegration.
The Marriage of Figaro is an interesting case since, depending on your in-
terpretation, love may be central to the theme or it may be a device used to ex- amine other issues. If you focus on the Count’s philandering, his jealousy, and his desire to decide Marcellina’s lawsuit against Figaro, you might say the theme revolves around questions of power and control. However, if you focus on the amazing reunion between Figaro and his parents in the third act and on the extra- ordinary moment of forgiveness between the Count and Countess at the end of the opera, then you might say the theme revolves around reconciliation and the maturation of love.
Fashioning a Theme Statement
As previously mentioned, your theme statement will be useful only if you base it on all the materials in the score. The very best way to begin is to play and sing through the score several times yourself. If that is not practical, an efficient pro- cess is to listen to a recording of the entire piece a number of times while fol- lowing the score. Notice the orchestration, dynamic markings, and any stage directions. (Notice, too, what has been left out or changed to suit the interpre-
tation of the performers, such as cuts in recitatives or interpolated high notes.) You may want to enrich your sense of the piece by also watching a video.
Get to know the characters, the story, and the way it is told. Notice the ideas and interactions that stand out for you. Then, as you listen to the piece and fol- low the score again, ask yourself “What is the entire piece about?” Take note of any ideas, conflicts, or feelings that are emphasized by the melodies, rhythms, or orchestration. Jot down your thoughts. The next time through, stop after each scene. (For these purposes, consider a new scene to begin each time one of the main characters enters or exits.) Try making a list of the most important conflicts and the major issues that are raised in the scene. Ask yourself what theme the scene may be helping to develop.
When you have thoroughly familiarized yourself with the piece, review your list of conflicts and your notes on the issues. Apply your imagination to see if there seems to be a single idea that ties all the scenes together. Include in your considerations the kind of message you, as an artist, want to put out into the world. For instance, if in The Marriage of Figaro you focus on the Count’s need for power, you might see his reconciliation with the Countess as only a brief moment of peace in a deeply troubled relationship. Then your theme statement would emphasize how difficult it is for humans to change. If, on the other hand, you focus on the reconciliations, then your theme statement would emphasize love. Which message do you want to send? (In my mind, the joyful music in the Sextet that accompanies Figaro, Susanna, Marcellina, and Bartolo as they cele- brate Figaro’s reunion with his parents and the astonishing music to which the Count begs forgiveness of the Countess leaves no question of Mozart’s intended message.)
How to Use the Plot to Fashion a Theme Statement
The plot is not the theme; however, an analysis of the plot and the characters in it can help you to fashion a theme statement. After all, the conflicts in the plot are chosen to explore the central issue, and each of the main characters em- bodies a point of view toward it.
In the following sections I will explore two somewhat different techniques you can use to fashion a theme statement from the plot. Using Carmen, I will an- alyze a list of the actions and conflicts. Using West Side Story, I will analyze a plot summary that describes the characters in terms of their functions in the action.
Use the Actions and Conflicts of the Plot
Here is a list of actions and conflicts in Carmen, focusing on the interactions be- tween Carmen and José.
act i
Carmen throws a (magical) flower at José. (“Habanera”) José drags Carmen out of the factory for fighting. Carmen begs José to untie her.
Carmen seduces José—letting him know that she is available, interested, and where he can find her. (“Seguidilla”)
Carmen convinces José to let her go free.
act ii
Carmen welcomes José after he is released from prison, and dances for him. (Duet)
Carmen attempts to persuade José not to go back to the barracks for the night.
Carmen rescues José from a fight with his superior officer.
Carmen cajoles José into joining her and the other gypsies in the mountains.
act iii
José tries to hold on to Carmen; Carmen rejects him and predicts they will die together.
José leaves to see his dying mother but threatens to return. Carmen urges him to go.
act iv
José, determined to win Carmen back, grovels at her feet. Carmen spurns him.
José kills her and confesses (so his execution seems inevitable).
On the basis of this breakdown, you could conclude that a logical theme statement for Carmen is “The price of love is death.” However, to be really help- ful, a theme statement needs to take the actions of all the main characters into account.
Escamillo’s major actions are as follows.
act ii
Escamillo flirts with Carmen.
act iii
Escamillo seeks out Carmen in the mountains.
Escamillo fights with José; Escamillo allows José the victory but promises to
return for Carmen.
act iv
Escamillo parades Carmen on his arm before the bullfight (but does not in-
sist that she watch him fight.)
Once Escamillo wins Carmen, he does not seem wildly interested in her. Perhaps, as the “Toreador Song” suggests, he is too self-involved, or too needy of adulation, to devote himself to another person, but, whatever the cause, he appears to offer Carmen just what she seeks—passion without possession.
Micaëla’s major actions are as follows.
act i
Micaëla delivers a letter and a kiss from José’s mother.
She leaves, but only after she arouses José’s nostalgic feelings for the life he has left behind.
act iii
Micaëla searches for José in the mountains. She urges him to return to his dying mother.
Like Escamillo, Micaëla is not possessive; however, she is as self-deprecating as Escamillo is self-absorbed. For her, love involves obedience and self-sacrifice. She offers José the devoted love he needs, but, tragically for them both, without the passionate challenge he craves.
When you consider the actions of all four main characters, it is clear that “The price of love is death” is not sufficiently inclusive. At the same time, you can see that all the main characters could have found love if Carmen and José had been able to turn to the suitable person at the right time (Carmen to Es- camillo at the beginning of act II; José to Micaëla in act I or III.). Therefore, you might fashion as your theme statement “Mismatched needs in love lead to disaster.”
Use a Plot Summary Based on the Functions of the Characters
Identify the characters by the functions they serve in the action. In West Side
Story the roles include the Good Guy, the Girl, the Girl’s Brother, the Good
Guy’s Best Friend, the Authority Figure, and the Trusted Advisor. (Remember, terms like Good Guy, Bad Guy, or Authority Figure are convenient labels for purposes of analysis, not judgments.)
The action uses the love triangle plot. The Good Guy, Tony, is a young Polish-American, the Girl, Maria, is a teenaged recent Puerto Rican emigré, and
the Bad Guy is not a person but the force of hatred—personified by the rival American and Puerto Rican–American gangs.
At the Girl’s request, the Good Guy tries to stop a fight between the gangs. When the head of the Puerto Rican gang kills the Good Guy’s Best Friend, the Good Guy flies out of control and kills the killer—who turns out to be the Girl’s Brother.
The Good Guy confesses to the Girl what he has done. She forgives him, but the members of the Puerto Rican gang seek revenge. The Good Guy successfully evades the gang, but when he is told that the Girl is dead—a lie created out of the hatred between the gangs—the Good Guy seeks out death at the hands of his rivals. After he is killed, he is mourned by the members of both gangs.
Two different possible theme statements are suggested by this summary. If you focus on the love between the Good Guy and the Girl, you can interpret the theme as “The triumph of love over hate.” If you focus on the Good Guy’s death, you can fashion your theme statement as “West Side Story mourns the destruc- tion of love by hate.”
The music, words, and actions of the final scene are pivotal in helping to clarify which of these two possible themes will bring the piece to life most ef- fectively. The music, although somber, paints a picture of harmony and hope. It is, after all, the music for the song “Somewhere” and, indeed, those optimistic words are sung one final time. The action of the original production, in which the members of both gangs joined hands, reinforced that hope.
You may interpret the actions and their development in Carmen or West
Side Story differently, in which case you would fashion different theme state-
ments. As a result, you would end up with different portrayals of José, Carmen, Tony, and Maria. For instance, if you fashioned “Passion is punished” rather than “Mismatched needs in love lead to disaster” as the theme of Carmen, you would likely create a more reckless José, a yet more unpredictable Carmen, a more pathetic Micaëla, and a more narcissistic Escamillo. Since, as already dis- cussed, there is no such thing as a definitive interpretation of a work of art, these differences are to be expected and can offer varied, enriching insights into a piece.