Undine e Berthalda. Due nomi emblematici in un’opera della romantik, undine di E.T.A. Hoffmann

Abstract

In the Zauberoper of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Undine (Berlin,1816), the protagonist is a nymph who wants an earthly existence and the love of a man who is forever faithful. The antagonist of Undine, Berthalda, has a name that is contrasted with obvious similarities to another popular legendes, conversely, the name of the nymph refers to a magical and aristocratic dimension, playing a certain role in the drama of the work. With this contribution, we want to prove how even onomastics affects the structure and dynamics of a specimen opera, representative of the German culture of the Romantik.