Acting out Zastrozzi

Portrayal of Zastrozzi

The first few lines of Zastrozzi’s opening monologue defines the rest of it.  Zastrozzi introduces himself, claims that he is a master criminal, and then assures the audience it is not a boast.  This line needs to be delivered convincingly, because it gives proper connotation to the rest of the scene—Everything that Zastrozzi is saying is pure honesty.  He is not trying to boast—he feels no need to—he is simply being open with the audience.  This allows the confession that follows to be genuinely accepted by the audience, creating sympathy for Zastrozzi right from the first scene.  This initial sympathy is essential because there is little else in the play to cause us to want to support Zastrozzi in his horrible plot.  It also is a valuable display of Zastrozzi’s character, since we see that he uses this early one on one time with the audience to manipulate us into being on his side.

Because of this importance, this monologue is needs to feel genuine.  It cannot, while remaining accurate to the play, become comedic or exaggerated.  For my performance, this means no complicated costume, no over-the-top make up, and no accent, which on first reading the monologue seems to call for.  While technically the accent would make the presentation more accurate, as Zastrozzi is very much European, I feel that a false one would be distracting from the lines and take away from the natural, truthful dialogue I’d like to convey.  While there has to be genuine emotion in Zastrozzi’s lines, he shouldn’t get too worked up at points where he describes his nightmares.  Through the play, Zastrozzi remains cool and confident, and his introduction is no different.  His is, however, still human, and although he has been desensitized by all his crime he needs to show that he is troubled.  His movements are all deliberate and smooth, and he moves like a man who has gotten to the point in his career where he can get others to do his dirty work for him.  

For a costume, it would be great to go totally authentic, with full Victorian garb, but that might not be plausible.  Besides, I don’t want Zastrozzi’s costume to distract from his character.  Being a master criminal, he can most likely afford to dress nice, as throughout the play money never seems to be a concern for him.  So probably a dress shirt and pants.  At first thought, black seems like the way to go for Zastrozzi, but I have to remember that I’m not dressing him, he dresses himself; and what would he wear? Zastrozzi doesn’t really consider himself evil.  He calls himself a criminal because that’s the label that civilization gives him.  As opposed to going all black, maybe something like a grey or brown jacket with a black turtleneck would fit him best.  As for make-up, it should be minimal.  Zastrozzi is, physically, a normal man, just one capable of being evil.  So maybe just some aging stuff, and some bags under my eyes for the man who never sleeps.  I’ll comb my hair nicely, and keep a handy arsenal of prop weapons on me in case of attack.  Making a complete “set” is a difficult creative decision, because I feel like in the play there would be an empty stage.  Zastrozzi has simply come on stage to speak to the audience, and he should not be preoccupied with anything else.  However, I suppose there could still be a one-on-one feel to the scene should Zastrozzi be in his cottage living room in an armchair with a glass of brandy.  No, I don’t think he drinks.  Maybe milk.  We’ll see. 

Summary and Theme of Absurdity

 The story of the Master of Discipline takes place in Italy in the late 19^th century.  The play begins with Zastrozzi, a sociopathic master criminal, kidnapping of his half-brother, the popular, compassionate, and religious Verezzi, towards whom he swears revenge for an unknown reason.  Zastrozzi and his servant take the sleeping Verezzi away and lock him up, miles away from the city.  The resourceful Verezzi, thanks to chance, finds a way to escape the Zastrozzi and heads for the town.  In the town, he encounters Matilda, an old friend who is infatuated with him, although he does not return the sentiments.  Verezzi cannot think of any other women but his love Julia.  Nevertheless, the two pass time in each other’s company while Verezzi hides from his half-brother, who searches the city extensively for him.

Unknown to Verezzi, Zastrozzi has already approached Matilda, claiming to seek vengeance on Verezzi’s lover, Julia.  Matilda agrees to join him in plotting Julia’s death, hoping that with Julia out of the way Verezzi will then turn to her.  As the first part of their plan, Matilda delivers the false news one day to Verezzi that Julia has died.  Verezzi is crushed and falls ill.  Matilda tends to him while he is bed-ridden, and slowly Verezzi warms up to her, although he can still not shake his feelings of love towards his supposedly deceased Julia.  Zastrozzi, still mysteriously not killing Verezzi, thinks up a plan to help Matilda win him over.  One evening, an “assassin” sent by Zastrozzi attacks Verezzi and Matilda, and Matilda, as planned, steps in the way of the dagger as is wounded in the arm.  Full of admiration and gratitude for Matilda, Verezzi finally agrees to marry her.  One night after their marriage, however, Verezzi sees Julia, very alive, on the road.  His sanity is broken, and he kills himself in horror of the situation he’s found himself in.  Matilda, devastated, then kills Julia.  Matilda, and later Zastrozzi, are brought to trial for the murders of the two lovers.  Matilda can only shudder in fear of death, but Zastrozzi takes the opportunity to calmly reveal his master plan.  Zastrozzi, wishing the ultimate revenge on Verezzi (in Percy Shelly’s novel, Zastrozzi: A Romance, Zastrozzi reveals that his mother was abandoned by his and Verezzi’s father, causing her to die at an early age, demanding that Zastrozzi avenge her), feels that simple murder is not punishment enough.  Therefore, Zastrozzi concocted a ploy to cause Verezzi, a deeply religious man, to kill himself.  According to Verezzi’s Catholic faith, the consequence of suicide is eternal damnation—vengeance that Zastrozzi feels is satisfactory.  Zastrozzi and Matilda are sentenced to death, which Zastrozzi approaches calmly while renouncing religion and morality.

The story of Zastrozzi is not just a simple fight between good and evil.  The play is absurdist, and Zastrozzi is an atheist who believes that actions on earth are meaningless, and thus makes up his own laws and values.  He creates his own idea of justice, in which a son must be killed for the offenses of his father.  This retribution viewpoint causes Zastrozzi’s obsession over Verezzi.  Verezzi is the master criminals sole purpose, and after Verezzi’s death Zastrozzi meets his own death peacefully, feeling that he has completed what he was on Earth to do.  This demonstrates the play’s existentialist theme: arguing that there is no God, and there is no other purpose for humans that to create their own reasons to live, which is exactly what Zastrozzi does.  Because of this, he is totally amoral—killing people without giving a second thought to it. 

            Zastrozzi, while being the main character, is not the protagonist of the play.  He does not change over the course of the play’s two acts; he finishes as the exact same character that began, only he has completed his goal of revenge.  In fact, Zastrozzi does not even appear all that often, and much of the play focuses on Matilda and Verezzi, who are the protagonists that change by the end of the play.  Zastrozzi is the puppeteer whose hand you can feel driving along the action from offstage.  Zastrozzi is an anti-hero.  He is the one with the goal that the audience is “rooting for”.  While it seems unusual to “root for” Zastrozzi when he is clearly an evil character and has the goal to destroy Verezzi, who is likable enough, it is also difficult not to.  Zastrozzi manipulates the audience as he does Matilda and Verezzi, demanding their affections, and leaves them feeling confused about their supporting Zastrozzi in a plot so horrible and, consequentially, absurd.