Reflection of murders and suicides in the XVII-XIX centuries operas
Cases of murders and suicides in musical-dramatic works received little attention. The purpose of the study: to analyze the libretto of operas with cases of murder and suicide. Materials and methods: 282 librettos of operas written in the 17th- 19th centuries and taken from M.L. Muginshtein Chronicle of the World Opera. In each case, suicide and/or murder took into account the manner/method of death of the hero, the likely causes/motives of the incident, including the presence of mental disorders. Results: In 70 (24.8%) of 282 operas there were acts of violence, of which 48.5% were only murders, 25.7% were only suicides, 25.7% were murders and suicides. The most commonly used bladed weapons (65.8%), poisoning (12.6%), drowning (9.9%) and other methods (11.7%). The reasons for suicides were the death of a loved one (spouse/s), a family member (about 50%), murders - conflicts, quarrels (22.7%), revenge - 15.2% and various other motives (22.7%); mental disorders were rare (8.2%). No differences were found between men and women in terms of weapons/methods of murder and reasons for violent acts. Conclusion: Acts of murder and suicide are a fairly common phenomenon in the musical and dramatic works of the 17th- 19th centuries. Their influence on viewers of different sex and age requires special study.