LUCREZIA’S VOICE: A FEMINIST INTERPRETATION OF MAGGIE O’FARRELL’S “THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT”

Abstract

This article presents a feminist analysis of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel “The Marriage Portrait,” which tells the story of Lucrezia de’ Medici, a young aristocrat in Renaissance Italy. The study aims to examine the impact of patriarchal relationships and gender stereotypes on the life and self-perception of a woman artist in the society of that time. The analysis is based on key concepts of feminist criticism, particularly the deconstruction of the patriarchal canon, as proposed by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar.
The article explores three main semantic paradigms: Lucrezia's relationships with her family, her marriage to Alfonso d'Este, and her passion for art. It demonstrates how her family, on the one hand, nurtures Lucrezia's artistic talent and provides her with an education equal to that of her brothers. On the other hand, her parents become the cause of her tragedy by imposing a politically advantageous but unhappy marriage. Lucrezia’s relationship with her husband is viewed as an embodiment of patriarchal violence and cruelty, where the woman is a rightless possession (the creation of Lucrezia's idealized marriage portrait becomes a symbol of her objectification).
Special attention is paid to the role of art in Lucrezia’s life. Her creativity is an attempt to preserve her identity under the conditions of constraints and resist the will of her parents. The symbolic transition from painting extraordinary, fantastic images to still lifes during her marriage reflects the loss of freedom and the suppression of creative potential. At the same time, when the heroine is rescued by an artist, this episode symbolically conveys the central concept of the work: true happiness and creative fulfillment are possible only in the context of equality in relationships. 
The article emphasizes the importance of a feminist perspective on history, demonstrating how social and cultural factors shape women’s experiences and influence their struggle for self-determination.