“Sull’aria” from Le Nozze di Figaro and The Shawshank Redemption

In the film, The Shawshank Redemption, an inmate plays the “Sull’aria” from Le Nozze di Figaro to project throughout the Shawshank prison and catch the attention of every person there. After the aria was stopped the narrator of the film says, “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. The truth is I don’t want to know.” I can understand why he doesn’t want to know what the words they sang were, because at first I didn’t either. I listened through the Sull’aria a couple of times without having the translation shown because before reading the story those women were telling, I wanted to feel it.

In the film it is obvious to me that every inmate in that prison is feeling the opera to their core and after hearing it myself, I think that the way it made them all feel is free. The beauty of those women’s voices is probably the sort of beauty that these people don’t get to experience often in prison, so for even just a few moments it can remind them that life is full of beautiful things. This is one of the more uplifting arias that I have listened to because I could feel a lot of hope and maybe even happiness in their voices.

After reading the translation of the Sull’aria it is clear to me that Countess Almaviva is plotting something against her husband with her servant because she suspects he is cheating on her. I have seen the entire Shawshank Redemption film so I know that the reason the main character Andy was sent to prison was that he supposedly killed his wife along with the person he found her having an affair with. I think that the fact that Andy chose this aria to play at the Shawshank prison is quite ironic because these two women are finding joy in the fact that they can prove her husband has been unfaithful to her. I think Andy can relate to how it feels to find out that someone you love has cheated on you, but I also think it’s probably been difficult for him to fully process those feelings when his imprisonment was followed shortly after it. It’s ironic because Countess Almaviva gets to feel powerful and free in finding a way to expose her husband’s cheating, but Andy never got to feel free at all and I think maybe he’s finally feeling his freedom through Countess Almaviva’s freedom. I do believe the feelings of hope and liberation that are felt in the prison when Andy plays the aria are directly related to the feelings of hope and freedom that Countess Almaviva feels as I’d assume her next steps would be to expose her husband and get out of that relationship.

I think that these two very different forms of art, film and opera, are related in such a significant way mainly because the characters in both have felt the same thing. When Countess Almaviva started to suspect her husband’s infidelity, I would assume she went through a lot of days where she felt hopeless and worthless. There must have been days when she questioned if it would ever get better and felt imprisoned by her husband and her life. These prisoners in Shankshaw have felt the same way up until now, utterly hopeless and completely lost. They go day-to-day doing the same things with very little freedom to do what makes them happy. In the Sull’aria that Andy plays, Countess Almaviva seems to me to be excited and full of power. She has realized that she can prove her husband has been cheating on her and she ultimately feels hopeful again. I can feel in her voice that she feels strong and powerful because she knows that she can do something about it and in doing this behind his back, she gets a little taste of freedom. When the prisoners in Shankshaw hear this aria, they too can hear the joy and hopefulness in Countess Almaviva’s voice as she sings to her servant. I think that hearing this allows them to feel it even if it’s just for a moment. This beautiful aria allows them to feel free and returns to them the promise of a better future.