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Mario Azzopardi: Verġni Sagri, Demonji u Boloħ għal Alla. Horizons, 2013. 287 pp.

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players…”

Thus wrote Shakespeare, in his play As You Like It... and in these two lines the Bard embodied the essential concepts of humanity and the reason behind man’s existence on this planet.

For even before his evolution from homo sapiens, man had felt the need to act a part, if he were to survive. And the need for a mask, although understandably very primitive at the time, eventually became an indispensable necessity.

In time, man realised that there was something beyond him which was as powerful as it was mysterious, something which ruled the very earth, the seasons and the other phenomena. A god who invariably instilled awe and wonder, and eventually paved the way for the first cults and religions, which in turn metamorphoses into veritable theatrical institutions.

As soon as primitive man implicitly believed that whatever deity ruled over him could be pleased or angered, humanity resorted to rituals and sacrifices that were not only tragic in their form and intent, but also pure theatricals.

As man evolved, a multitude of religions were established, each contending to be the right one, and each promising heaven at the end of this short stay on earth.

Needless to say, the greatest weapon each religion wielded was that of fear, mostly of eternal damnation; and the hurling of brimstone and fire became the order of the day on every religious stage and agenda.

There is no need to mention the atrocities that followed, for they have left a very dark and shameful stain on all of these religions, the irony being that all these atrocities were committed in the name of God.

Mario Azzopardi, whose expertise vis-a-vis theatre is unquestionable, has come up with an awesome collection of essays in which he has welded together the psychological and physiological concepts of both the theatre and religion.

The latter is intrinsically welded to the dramatic ritual, resulting in an objective overview of what the ecclesiastical milieu meant across the ages.

At times, the author mercilessly hits out, as is his wont, at those instances where the purely physical, pathological and psychological was (intentionally) incorporated in the organisation of things religious.

Following an expansive introduction, the first article, entitled Alla Sessist u l-Kontaminazjoni Oxxena deals with the controversial figure of woman in the various social and religious strata. There is particular stress on the harsh opposition of the Catholic Church to (among other things) women appearing on stage, which was back then considered as decidedly obscene.

In the second article, In-Natura tal-Mistiċi: Xjaten u Flaġellazzjoni, Azzopardi again hits out at the melodrama that the Church had abjectly resorted to, to inspire fear in its faithful, thus ensuring that what they saw they believed and implicitly upheld.

The greatest weapon each religion wielded was that of fear

The devil was given further complementary horrific dimensions, and was widely projected as the ultimate deterrent from eternal damnation. Dante: Bejn Beatrice u Bonifaċju (Id-Dnubiet tal-Poeta) highlights to a degree what the great Commedia stands for... man’s eternal search for God and the ultimate redemption. Beatrice forever clings strongly to her role as the saving grace, with the perfidious Pope Boniface, offering contrast to the whole drama.

The next chapter, Il-Verġni ta’ Siena, deals with St Catherine of Siena (1347 -1380), and deeply analyses her as an intellectual woman. The essay delves deeply into her psyche, her intense mysticism and her eventual dramatic, spiritual marriage to Christ.

Milton: Seħer Falliku, Kastità u l-Waqgħa Satanika follows, in which the writer disects Milton’s highly dramatic Paradise Lost and Satan’s ultimate downfall.

Perversità Sagra, Xorb mill-Feriti u Estasi Erotika is appalling and controversial, yet it exposes the pathological disorders of an unnatural religious zeal. This zeal is further perpetrated not only by fear and an obsessive quest for holiness, but also by sheer fanaticism.

The Globe Theatre in Elizabethan London was the right venue for Shakespeare’s morality plays, which were mostly adapted from various Italian stage productions.

This, as well as other, darker sides to the Bard, is expertly treated in Shakespeare: Ewkvoċi Politiko-Reliġjużi u Amorużi.

In the next article, Dostojevski: Il-Profezija, l-Inkwiżizzjoni u l-Karnival, Azzopardi romps into the very ego of the great Russian writer, via both his famous novels as well as his unique approach to theatrical expression.

In Boloh Qaddisa: il-Komiċità u s-Sovverżjoni, the spotlight is mainly on courtroom drama, once again putting man between God and satan, between wisdom and sheer folly.

It finally brings to the fore the theatricality in the life and death of Christ, with a contrasting reference to the comicality of Benigni and Dario Fo.

In Don Bosco: Il-Ħalliem u l-Pedagogu tal-Emarġinat, Azzo-pardi analyses the priest from Turin with particular attention to his persona, departing from his vision of the two columns to the eventual establishment of what could be described as educational theatre.

Follows Il-Kodiċi tar-Ritwal, with the emphasis lying on rituals and the assertion that all rituals are somehow of an intense theatrical nature, whatever their form and scope. Of particular interest is the section on exorcism.

In conclusion, the author regales us with another three very interesting and controversial contributions: Iż-Żifna: Mill-Leġġenda għall-Ġest tar-Ruħ, Il-Ġiżwiti u l-Każ Polizzi, to then conclude with an extensive appenidix and bibliography.

This is indeed a book to reckon with, a monumental work that is both challenging as a read and an eye-opener for all those who have long sought to discover certain truths. Reading this beautiful, profusely illustrated, hardbound tome, they will not be disappointed.

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