Early 20th century Italian dramaturgy followed new forms of expression thanks to Luigi Pirandello.

The author found a topic for narrative investigation in observing human behaviour from a psychological viewpoint, first in short stories, which reveal a natural inclination to the use of dialogue and scenes, and later in their theatrical transposition with the appearance of characters. Born in 1867 near Girgenti, today called Agrigento, in the Caos quarter, Pirandello was the son of a rich sulphur merchant. He spent his childhood in his native town where he was given his primary education at home and where he also heard the tales and legends typical of Sicily.
The latter’s influence is noticeable in his mature works. In 1880 the family moved to Palermo, where Luigi attended the Senior High School to later take up university studies in Rome and Bonn. He graduated here in 1891 in Romance philology discussing a thesis on the phonetics of the Agrigento dialect in German.
He held the post of language assistantship for Italian in Germany for a couple of years but in 1894 he decided to establish himself for good in Rome. The same year he married Antonietta Portulano, a young girl from a good Agrigento family, who gave him three children.
Besides he won the chair of Italian Language and Literature in the Istituto Superiore di Magistero [Higher Institute of Education], where he taught till he achieved international fame in 1922. Young Pirandello did not have good relations with his contemporary scholars and critics. He isolated himself from the cultural world because he was dissatisfied by the mediocre academicians and intellectuals of his time.
Luigi was moved by a deep disenchantment towards humanity and at the same time he was goaded into action by the desire to know. The politically corrupt Rome of Crispi’s early period was certainly not the best place to change the writer’s misanthropic attitude, which had already developed in the Sicilian town’s oppressive atmosphere.
On the contrary, Rome was the desperate confirmation of man’s social alienation and of a defeated society that was losing its moral values. Foreign to contemporary literary currents, Luigi began working on a theatrical art that was the total opposite of D’Annunzio’s, both in form and content. Suffocating, so to speak, the author and not giving his life any importance, Pirandello rather looked for the path to “impersonal” works, an ambition that coincided with naturalist tendencies. On the other hand the author from Girgenti kept a distance from these trends having perceived the dangerous limits of realism in literature. Hence Pirandello sailed alone in his drama as an intellectual and, like Leopardi, he ended up embracing historical pessimism. He noticed the temporary and inadequate nature of philosophy, science, history and poetry. Having noticed the emptiness of spiritualism and every religious expression, all he could bitterly taste was the failure of human beings, who could not escape from pain, distressing situations and death if not by resorting to madness.
Between the 19th and early 20th centuries Pirandello found his ideal genre in fiction, especially as author of short stories, which later gave him material and ideas for his plays. Meanwhile in 1903 Luigi’s father suffered from bankruptcy, also loosing his wife Antonietta’s dowry.

From that moment she gave signs of great mental derangement, which shortly revealed severe insanity. In 1910, following his friend Nino Martoglio’s advice, he wrote the single act play Lumie di Sicilia (Sicilian limes), where he shows how time and changes in social status can alter people’s feelings and actions. The protagonist is Micuccio, naively bound to the ideal figure of young Teresina. Having left the town, she becomes a famous singer. In love with Teresina, Micuccio comes to the north to meet her and finds quite a different wealthy and self-confident woman, who has forgotten and betrayed him. She is unworthy of their land’s lumie, a fruit similar to lemon and a metaphor of fidelity.

The vice dates back to the same period. Its main theme is Giulia’s adultery towards her husband Andrea. Here we can see an accomplished detailed psychological study of the characters: Giulia has spontaneous and passionate feelings while Andrea is a detached, cold man. His attitude makes it easy for his wife to betray him with Antonio, an advocate, a spineless shy person. The fear of being found out by the husband does not allow the lovers to enjoy their passion peacefully and closes on them in a mortal vice. Giulia is the victim of both men. In the final dialogue between husband and wife, Andrea verbally attacks the woman, whose betrayal he is aware of, and turns her into the street without letting her see her children one last time before leaving, hence leading her to commit suicide.

Pirandellian dramaturgy reached its peak between 1915 and 1920. When writing the works in dialect at an early age the author was backed by Angelo Musco, a Sicilian actor of genius. Hence he conceived his first texts, which reached great fame in a very short time - among these is Think it over, Giacomino! (1916).
This play in three acts speaks of seventy year old professor Agostino Toti, who decides to marry Lillina, the caretaker’s young daughter, only to perform a good deed by leaving her his pension and property for the future. In fact Lillina is already pregnant and her family turns her out into the street, finding her with Giacomino, her lover.
The marriage with the professor solves the problem: Lillina will live with him as a daughter, she may still meet Giacomino and the child to be born will have a family and a future. However Giacomino’s frequent visits to the Toti home are noticed by the whole town and are considered scandalous.
His sister Rosaria, having agreed with the priest, Father Landolina, wants her brother to marry a good girl and remove himself from this embarrassing situation. Professor Toti’s timely intervention changes this plan and Lillina gives birth to Ninì. The old man takes the little child in his arms and goes to Giacomino’s house, where he scolds the latter with very clear argumentations concerning his duties as father and lover. At the sight of his son, the young man finally understands that his life is indissolubly bound to Lillina and their child.

Translated by interpres sas