ABSTRACT
The singing body in La Commedia is affected by the specific postdramatic condition of the piece that engages several narratives simultaneously, two sets of characters related to different “stories,” and complex and asynchronous events on stage involving different media. All of these elements affect the presence of the singing body of Dante, making the relationship between the body and the voice ambiguous and promoting a reinvention of the voice–gender relation. The body–voice relationships within the singing characters are first reinvented with the help of these procedures, and only later comes the vocal travesty of the principal character. This chapter will initially investigate the postdramatic condition of La Commedia by elaborating on its multiplying narratives, deconstructing characters, and ways of mediating stage events. Towards the end of the chapter, my focus will be on vocal travesty in relation to the character of Dante, and on the way that gender is related to that vocalic body.
