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Chapter 1. Introduction to the Prince
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Leopard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cultural Survival and Decline
The Inevitability of Change
Class Conflict and Revolution
Love vs. Sensuality
Summary
Analysis
In August, a parade of dusty carriages moves toward a line of eucalyptus trees; sweating inhabitants peer hopefully out the windows. The Salina family had set out early that morning and spent hours trudging through the blazing-hot hills. The trees are the sign that they’re within a few hours of their destination. They alight from the carriages and refresh themselves at the wells before lunch. The Prince is excited to be nearing Donnafugata, a place he loves. Tancredi is among the group, now sporting an eyepatch from a wound suffered at Palermo.
A few months after Garibaldi’s invasion, the setting shifts to rural Sicily, allowing another perspective of the revolution’s impact. For the Prince, the country estate of Donnafugata symbolizes the endurance of the best things in life, letting him escape the upheaval in Palermo. As elsewhere in the book, the events of the revolution are seen mainly through their effects, like Tancredi’s injury.
Themes
An hour later, as the family continues through familiar lands, the Prince is still beaming. He always enjoys spending three months at Donnafugata, but especially now, with Palermo in an excited uproar of welcoming Garibaldi. It all seems rather petty to the Prince now, as he believes that the economic and social situation in Sicily hasn’t changed, just as he’d predicted. The Piedmontese, or Garibaldini, had visited their Palermo estate in June, with enough warning from Tancredi to let him remove a portrait of King Ferdinand. The soldiers behaved with such courtesy that the Prince was reassured. They were even invited back for dinner, and the Piedmontese general arranged to get Father Pirrone an exemption from the expulsion of Jesuits and granted permits for the family’s annual trip. The three-day journey had been grueling. The roads were rutted and the inns filled with bugs. The Prince couldn’t help comparing the monotony of the journey to his own middle-aged position in life.
A few months after the initial invasion, the Prince persists in his belief that the revolution does not mean much—it’s just a lot of noise, with no real change having occurred. The revolutionary soldiers’ visit confirms the Prince’s belief, though it doesn’t occur to him that he’s actually seeing a carefully selected slice of the revolution. These soldiers know how to appeal to the nobility (behaving courteously, granting special privileges and permits) in order to appear nonthreatening to the status quo. In other words, nothing the Prince has seen has unsettled his belief that life will go on as before. Meanwhile, the Prince feels discontented with his everyday life, and Donnafugata ironically seems to offer the promise of desirable change.
Themes
At the entrance to the town, Donnafugata’s authorities and a group of peasants stand waiting. As the carriages appear, the band strikes up a song from one of Verdi’s operas, and church bells ring. Everything seems reassuringly typical. Among the dignitaries, the Prince is greeted by the new town mayor, Don Calogero Sedàra, who’s wearing a tricolor sash. The cathedral organist, Don Ciccio Tumeo, who is the Prince’s friend and hunting partner, has also brought the Prince’s favorite hunting dog, Teresina.
The Salinas’ arrival in the village of Donnafugata is a good example of how the Prince has been sheltered from societal change. The townspeople give their noble patrons the traditional festive welcome, which reassures the that, for the most part, his life will go on as before. This is in spite of reminders of the revolution (the red, green, and white sash) appearing here and there.
Themes
The Prince is in high spirits, and the crowd of peasants looks on without hostility—the Prince has always been kind to them, overlooking their small rents. Tancredi draws attention as well; everyone knows about his wounding in battle, and he charms the crowd with his jokes and approachability. Before entering the palace, the family proceeds to the cathedral for a Te Deum. On houses, fading slogans like “Viva Garibaldi” and “Death to the Bourbon King” are still visible.
To the people of Donnafugata, the Prince and Tancredi represent two different kinds of heroes: the Prince is a benefactor who’s not involved much in their everyday lives, while Tancredi is a brave rebel soldier, accessible and relatable. This contrast fits with the transitional moment in Sicily’s history, as do the faded slogans in the midst of an otherwise traditional setting.
Themes
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After the service, the Princess invites the Mayor and a couple of other dignitaries to dinner; everyone is amazed when the Mayor invites along his daughter Angelica. Before the family departs the town square, the Prince turns to the crowd and says that, after dinner, the family will be happy to see all their friends. For a long time, the people of Donnafugata discuss this remark. The Prince has never issued such an invitation before, and his prestige begins to decline from that moment forward.
The mayor inviting his daughter would be seen as a bold, ambitious, and even presumptuous gesture for someone who isn’t the Prince’s social peer. Yet his gesture is overshadowed by the Prince’s own: simply by inviting the crowd in general, the Prince strikes a more democratic note than the townspeople are used to hearing. The gesture, therefore, subtly undermines his status as an aloof, untouchable member of the nobility.
Themes
The Salina palace in Donnafugata is massive, located just off the square and composed of numerous buildings grouped around three big courtyards. Don Onofrio Rotolo, the steward, solemnly greets the family and welcomes them back to the estate, which is in the exact condition in which they had left it. (Don Onofrio is renowned for once having left the Princess’s liqueur sitting untouched for an entire year.) The Prince takes an approving tour of the palace, looking as it always has, and praises Don Onofrio, who is surprised and touched.
As the Prince gets reacquainted with his beloved estate, most things still seem unchanged—almost to the point of parody, like a congealed drink left sitting for a whole year. Such gestures demonstrate the steward’s almost worshipful regard for the Salina family. Yet the Prince’s warm praise suggests that his attitudes have softened, even if superficial things are the same.
Themes
Over tea, Don Onofrio catches the Prince up on local news—chiefly, Don Calogero’s rise in fortunes. Through land acquisitions and profitable grain sales, Don Calogero’s income has risen to rival the Prince’s. Through his activity in the liberal cause, he has also gained political influence. The family puts on airs, Don Onofrio complains, especially now that Angelica is back from school in Florence. The Prince acknowledges that, while some things have clearly changed in Donnafugata, this is the price that must be paid in order for things to stay the same.
The mayor, Don Calogero, is a member of the newly moneyed class that has been ascending in Sicily since the revolution, gaining both property and political clout. The change is so radical that someone like Don Calogero can rise from obscurity to great wealth within a generation—whereas it took the Salinas centuries to gain theirs. This shows how delusional the Prince is—Sicily’s social structure is clearly not staying the same, no matter what he tells himself.
Themes
The Prince proceeds upstairs for his bath, savoring the peace of the house. Just as he’s about to doze off in the tub, the Prince’s valet brings an urgent message from Father Pirrone; he must speak to the Prince at once. Trying to dress before the priest enters, the Prince emerges naked from the tub just as Father Pirrone walks in, to their mutual embarrassment. The Prince dries himself with as much dignity as he can muster. Father Pirrone hesitates over his news, but at the Prince’s impatience, admits that Concetta is in love and has asked the priest to tell her father. The Prince, though he is only 45, feels old at once.
The interruption of the Prince’s bath illustrates that he won’t be able to keep dozing in oblivion to the outside world—things are developing faster than he is aware of. Though the awkward scene with Father Pirrone has a comical touch, it also symbolizes how much the Prince is caught off guard by changes within his own family. Though he’d suspected Concetta’s feelings before, he didn’t believe it was serious—now, he realizes that life is getting away from him.
Themes
The Prince knows without being told that Concetta loves Tancredi, and he is annoyed that his arrival at Donnafugata will be ruined by this silliness. He asks Father Pirrone for advice, and the priest struggles; he has always found Tancredi charming, yet he dislikes the young man’s political allegiances. He explains that a proposal hasn’t yet come. The Prince is surprised when the idea of a proposal strikes him as a “danger.” The Prince loves and admires Tancredi and believes he’ll lead the nobility in a counterattack against the State someday, if he gets enough money. The Prince can’t picture Concetta accompanying an ambitious husband in a demanding political role. He tells Father Pirrone that they’ll discuss all this later. As the Prince gets dressed, he hears the church bell tolling a death knell, and he envies the deceased.
The Prince is uncomfortable with the idea of a marriage between Tancredi and Concetta, though he isn’t sure why. (For dynastic reasons, marriage between cousins wouldn’t have been considered strange at this time.) Implicitly, the Prince senses that Tancredi will be part of further political changes and can’t imagine his daughter participating in the decline of her own noble status. Furthermore, Tancredi isn’t rich, so the marriage wouldn’t suit Concetta’s status. With all this running through his mind, the reminder of death is a relief to the Prince. Perhaps on an unconscious level, death symbolizes his family’s decline—and in the midst of so much upheaval, it sounds like an appealing escape.
Themes
Later the Prince visits the garden, where Tancredi catches him gazing at a sensual-looking sculpture, lost in memories. Tancredi teases him about his interest in the statue; the Prince brushes off his annoyance and joins his nephew in admiring the succulent peaches that are ripening in the orchard. Tancredi jokingly contrasts decorous, fruitful love with illicit love, making the Prince uncomfortable as they head back to the palace.
Tancredi’s racy jokes bother the Prince, perhaps because of lower-class overtones and an implication that he and the Prince are on the same level. Tancredi’s joke about the peaches is hard to interpret, but it implies breaking out of carefully restrained social norms—something that the Prince resists.
Themes
Later that evening, Francesco Paolo bursts into the room with the announcement that Don Calogero has arrived—and he’s dressed in tails. The Prince is rattled—it’s not typical for guests to wear evening clothes at Donnafugata. Obviously, Don Calogero is making a statement. The Prince’s discomfort is soothed when he sees that Don Calogero’s suit is ill-fitting and that his boots don’t match the outfit.
Because dressing in formal evening clothes isn’t the custom at Donnafugata, Don Calogero’s tailcoat issues a clear statement and challenge—it’s a declaration that he belongs among the nobility and refuses to be looked down upon. The Prince takes comfort in the mayor’s imperfect attempt, but he’s also bothered by the social upheaval that the outfit represents.
Themes
Five minutes later, Don Calogero’s daughter Angelica makes a breathtaking entrance. Her height, creamy complexion, striking eyes, and self-confident movements make an impression on everyone there, especially compared to the unkempt 13-year-old of a few years ago. The Prince, attracted, uses gracious tones as he greets her. Though Tancredi says little, he is enchanted.
Angelica’s appearance among the Salinas makes an even bigger statement than her father’s. Her father wants to show off his daughter’s beauty and good breeding, befitting his ambition to break into the higher classes. Don Calogero is also calculating—he wants Angelica to snare a member of the noble Salina family as her husband. Characteristically, the Prince can’t resist the charms even of a young girl.
Themes
As everyone tucks into the delicious dinner, a calm, accompanied by a “whiff of sensuality,” fills the house. Only Concetta doesn’t feel this; her heart is breaking, as she senses that Tancredi, despite his best efforts to pay them equal attention, is more attracted to Angelica than to her. She watches for every sign of “ill breeding” in Angelica’s looks and behavior and clings to these hopefully. Tancredi notices these characteristics too, but mostly he sees a beautiful, wealthy girl—and he is intoxicated.
Like her father, Concetta looks for any sign that her rival doesn’t deserve her new elevation in status. But for her, the jealousy is deeply personal, as she watches Tancredi’s affection for her slipping away. Tancredi is poor himself, so he is less mindful of status and more susceptible to the draw of Angelica’s wealth, perhaps even identifying with her ambitions.
Themes
After dinner, Tancredi tells Angelica the story of the battle of Palermo, which he describes as great fun. In particular, he describes a night at the end of May when the soldiers broke into a convent in order to secure a lookout post on its roof. He laughs about the elderly nuns’ fear of the young men and a friend, Tassoni’s, impertinent joke that the men would return when the nuns had some young novices available. When Angelica appears to be titillated by this story, Tancredi makes a coarse joke about her, too, and she laughs. Concetta, however, is offended. With tears in her eyes, she tells Tancredi that such stories should be confessed to a priest, not told to young ladies.
The battle at Palermo was Garibaldi’s victorious invasion of Sicily’s capital city, after which he was acclaimed as dictator. Tancredi assumes a suave, boastful air to impress Angelica—as though the battle was just another adventure for him. Tancredi’s joking story about the vulnerable nuns is intentionally provocative, and the differing reactions of the two young women is telling: Angelica seems accustomed to coarse humor, while Concetta has been raised to disdain such offensive stories. She is hurt both by Tancredi’s flippancy and his obvious attempt to woo Angelica instead of her.
Themes
That night, the Prince gazes toward the stars from his bedroom balcony, longing to be “a pure intellect” engaged in calculations guaranteed to work out. Stars, after all, don’t have to worry about marriage dowries. Between Don Calogero, Concetta, Tancredi, and Angelica, today has been a bad day—and the Prince feels that it’s a warning of worse to come.
The Prince takes refuge is the seemingly unchanging beauty of the stars. Donnafugata is normally a refuge for him, but today it has disappointed him, as he’s been unable to escape the pressures of a rapidly changing world.
Themes
On the second day in Donnafugata, the Salina family customarily visits the Convent of the Holy Spirit to pray at the tomb of the Prince’s ancestor Blessed Corbèra, who founded the convent. The Prince is the only man permitted to enter, a privilege he’s proud of, and he always looks forward to visiting. As the family waits in the parlor for admittance, Tancredi insistently asks the Prince to get him permission for a visit as well, since the rule technically permits the Prince to bring a guest. At this, Concetta icily jokes that she saw a wooden beam outside—perhaps Tancredi could use it to break down the convent’s door, she says, just as he did in Palermo. Tancredi falls silent, blushing, and spends the visit pacing outside.
Tancredi’s urgency about entering the convent is puzzling at this point in the story (though the meaning and consequences of this scene later become clearer). More than anything, he seems determined to identify as a Salina man. Unfortunately, Concetta is still thinking about Tancredi’s dirty story from yesterday and can’t see beyond that offense to anything more significant. Tancredi is wounded by her cold rejection.
Themes
After an otherwise successful visit, the family returns home, and when the Prince paces on the library balcony, he catches sight of Tancredi, wearing what Tancredi calls his “seduction color” of dark blue. A servant follows carrying a box filled with fresh peaches. The pair walks to the Sedàras’ door.
Tancredi is clearly courting Angelica; somehow, the scene at the convent changed things between him and Concetta. The peaches—which he’d associated yesterday with indecorous relationships—suggest that he’s aware that a relationship with Angelica will look suspicious to some.
Themes
