The nineteenth century saw the rise of many popular forms of entertainment, from music halls, vaudeville, burlesque and opera to the rise of the demimonde institution. The demimonde was a class of women who provided favors for wealthy gentleman, in arrangements that often resemble contracts, in exchange for money. Violetta Valery, the heroine of La Traviata, was a member of the demimonde. While not considered prostitutes, this class of women was considered less reputable and held in lower social esteem than truly respectable and virtuous women. La Traviata means “the frail one”, generally considered to refer to Violetta’s illness (Buckley 1).
Violetta’s illness is consumption, an older term used in reference to the disease of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis was a widespread and fatal illness in the nineteenth century in Europe. The illness was so widespread it became romanticized by a variety of artists who felt that acquiring it equated to a specific kind of emotional quality or temperament. Romantics viewed the illness as the symbol of passion and sensitivity. In other words, TB was mythologized and became a part of popular art and folklore of the period. Another important social aspect of tuberculosis during the nineteenth century was its association with a lower class or undesirable class of people. Because the poor, malnutritioned, and overcrowded populations of society typically suffered from the disease most, such conditions were often associated as the curse of the poor or immoral in society. Later when it was discovered the cause of TB was related to bacteria did such notions fade from popularity.
La Traviata is a tale of “love, sacrifice and death” (Buckley 1). In the play a wealthy young man named Alfredo falls for a courtesan who is afflicted with consumption, Violetta. They spend some happy months in the country before Alfredo’s father convinces Violetta to abandon Alfredo to prevent him ...