"O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN .. CORELLI!"

Explore the ways in which the character Corelli fulfils the role of a stereotypical Italian.
Italians are usually stereotyped in a way that they have specific characteristics such as musical, charismatic, chivalrous, and romantic. However at this time, the Italian army had gained control of the Greek island Cephallonia therefore there was inevitable hatred to the Italians from the Greeks. The Italians were despised in Cephallonia as they were seen as low lives - 'who hiss when I [Pelagia] walk by, or try to pinch my backside' - however ever though Captain Corelli indeed fulfils the role of a stereotypical Italian, he is not represented as a low life under any circumstance.

Even before Corelli made consecutive appearances in the book he is described by others to be 'charming' as one of his most essential traits is his charismatic flair. Pelagia who is still in the ruins of her "love" for Mandras and the daughter of a doctor who initially dislikes Italians continuously tries to convince herself to dislike Corelli. She mentions that she can poison this Italian any time she wants or shoot her easily as he is living in her house however we then learn that she falls madly in love with Corelli. This is all due to the fact that Corelli wins her over with his stereotypical trait of being charismatic. Corelli learns how to say "good morning" to Pelagia which makes her smile as he leaves the room and he has conversations with her about what she wants to be or music and in his humourous and chivalrous manner, she then falls madly in love with him. Corelli often makes her laugh or teases her such as saying he wanted to kill his mother because she dropped his mandolin or that she has greasy fingers. In chapter 16, Corelli examines the vest that Pelagia made, and then beings to talk about symmetry and the beauty of something not being symmetrical. He then talks about "it is these things [imperfections, unsymmetrical features] that make you [Pelagia] attractive and beautiful". I found that this was a romantic moment in which Corelli uses his charisma. The times where Corelli and Pelagia talk causes Pelagia's feelings for him to grow deeper which are due to his charisma which is a very Italian trait.

Corelli is also portrayed in the book as a very musical character and his choice of instrument is a mandolin. A mandolin goes back very far in time where the Italians developed it making it an Italian choice of instrument. Corelli plays his mandolin which almost serenades Pelagia as she gets lost in the beauty of it. Corelli also uses music in the army section of his life, when meeting Weber on the beach he labels his men with ranks of semi quavers and breves etc. This shows that music branches out throughout his life, Corelli also tells Pelagia that he wants to be a musician later on in life even though he's inevitably be poor, he would still be happy.
Some of De Bernieres' most beautiful descriptions in the book is of Pelagia listening and admiring Corelli's playing of the mandolin which forces the reader to fall in love with Corelli as well! This strong musical trait is also fit into the Italian stereotype and instead of being this violent murdering Italian in the war he is said to have "won battles with nothing but a mandolin"

A stereotypical Italian is thought to be loud however Corelli fulfils this stereotype however not in the negative connotation of being loud. Corelli is loud in the sense that he is confident and talks often, in the sense that his mandolin wakes Pelagia up, in the sense that Carlo talks of him telling stories to lots of people however he is not loud in the sense that it could be negatively put as obnoxiously loud or other negative perspectives. So this is Corelli furthering his fulfilment to the Italian stereotype in a somewhat positive manner.

One of things most known to others is Italy's family values due their religion, and Corelli shows these values through his respect to the doctor for appropriate space from his daughter at times, respecting his concerns. Carlo also when describing Corelli said that "he [Corelli] adored children, and I saw him kiss a little girl on the head and whirl her in his arms". Captain Corell, in chapter 31, sits at a table trying to sort out family problems of his soldiers which show that he has important values and morals. When offered Pelagia's bed, Corelli refuses as he does not want to put her out even when he is suffering from a sickness, this shows his morals where he is shown to be an upright upstanding man. This enforces the idea that he is a "Good Italian" to the Greeks as Weber is a "Good Nazi"

De Bernieres bought Corelli so late in the book but the effect of Corelli's presence in the book signifies alot. Pelagia's father says that it is the Greeks' "duty to hate them" however De Bernieres including him as a character in the book creates a rift for Pelagia. Stereotypes are commonly mentioned in the bad way where "the English are arrogant", "the French are frogs" and many others however Corelli enforces the Italian stereotype by being such a musical, charismatic, chivalrous and romantic character, all of which is not negative. The reader would think that if a character were to possess the characteristics of a stereotypical Italian then the Greeks would unwaveringly detest him. However De Bernieres uses Corelli to show that not all the stereotypes have to insinuate flaws in a person (and people from their country) but it can create a man so charming and impossible to detest in the book. It is the Greeks' "duty to hate them" as they had occupied the Greek island of Cellaphonia yet Corelli wins them over with his mandolin playing, his values and his charisma. De Bernieres includes him in the book to show that even in the time of war, where stereotypes are enforced more to insult one another, someone comes along fitting exactly to the stereotype and is still loved by many. Therefore De Bernieres could be giving the message that stereotypes don't always have to connote a bad thing.