Il castrato
Il castrato
This essay presents the break brought about within the western episteme in the middle of the 17th century that led to the genesis of the subject of modernity. Analysing and symbolically unveiling the phenomenon of the castrated body, it shows how the interpretation of body itself went through a significant change in this era. The castrated singer as a “gender” on its own took a particular place in contemporary society, representing—ironically—the ideal of man of the enlightenment. Male sopranos have become the objects of their own experimentations, being henceforward responsible for their existence and making the myth of human machine come alive, since the body and voice of the castrated person—acting simultaneously as signifier, signified and meaning—is entirely subordinated to singing.