La più divertente opera di Pirandello. It presents a unique and engaging story that keeps the readers entertained.
Ingredienti. We have an avaricious and irritable olive owner, hated by all, convinced of always being right, who always runs to his trusted lawyer because he doesn't want to give in. Then there is an expert artisan, with many friends, very confident in his work (doing things by eye without checking the measurements), who doesn't want to reveal his secrets to anyone for the same reason. And an advocate who tries to conciliate the two parties. And in the middle, there is her, the fragile and precious jar.
Si potrebbe leggere quest'opera da un punto di vista solamente comico. Unlike other works like "Six Characters in Search of an Author", one doesn't necessarily have to understand this novella deeply. One can simply enjoy it for twenty carefree minutes. The ending is a surprise. It's not an enigmatic one as one might have imagined. One of the two contenders wins, the other loses. But there is more to it than meets the eye.
Sì possono invece guardare più seriamente le tematiche della novella. The famous Pirandellian theme (appearing is different from being, we seem in a hundred different ways depending on who looks at us) is slightly modified. The law, represented by the advocate, how does it appear? Can it itself change depending on the perspectives? Can it also have different masks? Or are only the men who try to hide behind a facade, then running the risk of not being able to take it down anymore? Another theme is surely represented by the owner's attachment to objects. However, this doesn't seem fundamental to me. If you're interested, Moliere and Verga treat this theme in a more profound way.
Con questo divertente testo ci si può concedere un po' di svago. We can note how, depending on the different points of view, a theft can be considered a kidnapping. Who is the artisan Zi Dima? The victim or the culprit? Is he a thief of jars or is he kidnapped by the owner? Even the "jar" itself, is it a victim or a culprit? Although it can't be compared from a theatrical point of view (in this opera there is no brilliant scenic device) nor thematically to "Six Characters", this ironic and simple piece deserves five stars!
Pirandello voleva alleggerire le atmosfere psicologicamente intense di altre sue opere, oppure nascondendosi lui stesso nella maschera dell'ironia voleva mostrare che la stessa legge può avere diverse facce? This leaves us with much to think about and explore.