Lucrezia Borgia’s name is synonymous with a number of unsavoury practices: incest, murder, corruption, nepotism, orgies and poisoning. As if this wasn’t enough, her brother was the notorious Cesare Borgia, the Renaissance’s equivalent of Begbie. Even less helpful was the fact that their father was none other than Pope Alexander VI, a well-known womaniser.

Tales of extravagantly lascivious parties were rampant and Lucrezia, apparently, played no small part in these. No wonder she almost topped the Most Evil Women Chart compiled by scholars of the time. (In case you were wondering, the top spot was claimed by Eve, of the Garden of Eden fame.)

With this kind of baggage there seems to be little doubt as to Lucrezia’s aggressive personality. She was an evil, evil woman. However, as one of the Bard’s own baddies claimed, “Nothing is but what is not”, and Lucrezia, apparently, is no exception.

At the time, despite the flourishing of the Arts, Italy was in a mess. Local Lords and Barons, some of them under the tutelage of the Vatican, were at war over the ownership of land. Foreign kings tried to take advantage of the havoc and somehow muscle their way through by strategically supporting local wealthy families. Everybody wanted a piece of The Boot and everybody was ready to shed blood for it.

But Pope Alexander VI was nobody’s pawn. Besides his womanising exploits, he was also noted for his political ability. Several monarchs had sought the intervention of young Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (as he was called prior to becoming Pope), because he was an excellent scholar and diplomat, ambitious and intelligent, and always got results. Therefore he was more than capable of holding his own against such adversaries. He knew how to keep his friends close and his enemies closer, and to take full advantage of a situation. Pope Alexander VI was not a man to be taken lightly.

Lucrezia’s father was powerful, successful and feared; no wonder he was hated as well. His rivals resorted to every means at their disposal in order to undermine his credibility and his influence. It is a fact that they hired the services of chroniclers especially to slander his name.

Reports of sexual promiscuity and incest within the Vatican abounded and, even though not necessarily untrue, were highly exaggerated. Furthermore, members of the clergy were not exactly chaste. Many a priest, bishop and cardinal fathered children and everyone knew this. It was an open secret that no one really cared much about.

Even the much-vaunted act of simony, by which Alexander VI supposedly bribed Cardinal Della Rovere (apparently he gave him 200,000 gold ducats), in order to secure his vote in the papal ballot, may well be a fabrication. Records show that Della Rovere had supported Borgia from the very first count.

Taking all this into consideration, one might be justified into thinking that even Lucrezia’s notoriety might not be fully based on facts. She found herself amidst all this mayhem, and being a smart and beautiful woman, was used as pawn for political leverage.

This does not mean that life at the Vatican was all roses. Far from it. But other members of the clergy before and after the Borgias indulged in a similar dubious lifestyle. It is strange how the Borgias’ behaviour attracted so much attention when in fact it was normal administration at the time. Given the above context, this undue attention doesn’t make much sense.

lemonhead’s PRODUCTION

For their tenth theatrical endeavour, Bryan and Louise Muscat, founders of Lemonhead Productions, have decided to stage a fictional account revolving around Lucrezia Borgia. Ever since their first production, Animal Farm (2000), Lemonhead has slowly but steadily built a reputation as a theatre company that tackles and delivers powerful drama. And in Lucrezia Borgia, scripted in Maltese and penned by Bryan himself, there is plenty of this.

Directorial duties have been handed to Noel Tanti, an ex-Lemonhead student who has been involved in numerous productions. He was assistant director on Bar Macbeth (2005) and Frankenstein (2007), and scriptwriter for the latter.

The cast is made up of promising up-and-coming actors who have experience both on stage and on local television. Michelle Bonnici and Gaby Gauci will portray adult and young Lucrezia respectively. Pope Alexander VI is being played by Sandro Vella while Neville Refalo takes on Cesare Borgia. Other members of the cast include Michelle Zerafa, Christine Saliba, Daniel Grech, and Brian Gauci. The play, in Maltese, is going to be staged at the St James Cavalier on 24, 25 and 30 November and 1 and 2 December. Tickets, at LM4.50 each (€10.48) will be available at the door but booking is highly recommended. For more information you can visit Lemonhead’s site on http://www.lemonhead.com.mt.