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Chapter 6: The End of the Meal
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Marriage Portrait, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Art, Voyeurism, and Control
Duality and Identity
Gender Roles, Male Violence, and Female Solidarity
Primal Freedom vs. Civilized Imprisonment
Destiny vs. Chance
Summary
Analysis
By 1557, Lucrezia’s older siblings have their futures mapped out for them. Maria is betrothed to Alfonso, who will one day be Duke of Ferrara, and Isabella is betrothed to a Roman nobleman. They and the two eldest brothers are given their own rooms. Lucrezia is left alone in the nursery with the youngest boys, Sofia, and the other Neapolitan nurses. Rumors abound about how lavish Maria’s wedding will be. One day, though, Maria contracts a respiratory illness and suddenly dies. Lucrezia hears Eleonora’s wailing sobs before Sofia finds her, pulling her back to the nursery to pray for Maria’s departed soul.
Although Lucrezia is most frequently excluded by her family, her siblings are also trapped in the paths their parents have laid out for them. In particular, Lucrezia’s sisters’ betrothals are arranged to expand the Medici family’s political power, an example of how patriarchal society treats women as commodities. Maria’s random illness derails this plan, demonstrating the terrible power of chance.
Active
Themes
A month after Maria’s death, Cosimo receives a letter from Alfonso’s father (the late Duke of Ferrara). Listening in the passage outside her father’s rooms, Lucrezia hears Vitelli remark that the Duke is open to marrying his son, Alfonso, to one of Cosimo’s other daughters—Lucrezia. Cosimo protests that she is only 12, still a child, but Vitelli reminds him of how politically advantageous their union would be. Hearing Sofia calling for her, Lucrezia scurries away, shocked. She cannot focus on lunch, thinking only of how she may take her dead sister’s place. She feels as if something dreadful has snuck up on her from behind: her own demise.
Maria’s death shows how a chance event can change the course of a person’s life, in this case Lucrezia’s. The sisters are essentially interchangeable to the men in charge, again demonstrating how the patriarchy views women as objects rather than people. Cosimo’s decision to give away his young daughter for power is reminiscent of the story in Greek mythology of Agamemnon sacrificing Iphigenia while telling her she is getting married. As if remembering this story, Lucrezia intuitively senses that marrying Alfonso will fatefully lead to her death.
Active
Themes
Fearing the imagined specter behind her, Lucrezia dashes from the room before collapsing. She wakes to Sofia and the other nurses crowded around her. Sofia sends the rest away and asks what’s the matter. Haltingly, Lucrezia tells the nurse what she overheard: that she will take Maria’s place and marry Alfonso. Sofia remarks on the 12-year age gap between them before saying that she and Lucrezia will need to be clever as foxes. They will not be able to stop the marriage but can perhaps delay it. Sofia says that Vitelli will want to interview her and Lucrezia soon, and the girl should follow her lead, saying nothing and telling no one about this.
Active
Themes
As Sofia predicted, Vitelli seeks an audience with her and Lucrezia the next evening in the nursery. He delivers the news that Alfonso, who was betrothed to Maria, now requests Lucrezia’s hand in marriage, indicating his great esteem for her family and for Lucrezia herself. Sofia remarks that Lucrezia is very honored, but wonders whether the Duke of Ferrara and his son know that Lucrezia is still a child. She seems to be saying something indirectly, and after some hesitation, Vitelli asks if Lucrezia has begun her “monthly bleedings.” Crossing her fingers behind her back, Sofia replies that she has not.
Active
Themes
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Listening to this conversation silently, Lucrezia paints a dead starling for her art tutor. She found it on the mezzanine, and thinking of the trapped and frightened bird overwhelms her. Vitelli says the marriage negotiations will continue, but nothing will progress until Lucrezia begins her monthly bleedings. Sofia has lied: Lucrezia has already bled twice, and Sofia showed her how to manage it. Though Lucrezia does not understand the reason behind lie, she keeps silent. Vitelli approaches and examines her painting, dismissing the claim that Lucrezia painted it. He slips it into his pocket before departing.
