Who is Pietro Baglioni?

Little is factually known about Hawthone's intent in his naming of the characters in his allegory "Rappaccini's Daughter." We assume he named them with some purpose or deeper meaning in mind, as he had a tendency to do this in other stories-almost like he left clues to his intended meanings. Several conclusions can be drawn about the origin of Rappaccini's nemesis in this story, depending on the interpretation of the allegory. Kent Bales noted Hawthorne's of naming his characters was often tied to scripture, literature, or history, or uses a root meaning to characterize a person in the story (Nelson 557).

Many have made assumptions as to whom or what Baglioni stands for in the story. Burton R. Pollin gives two etymological possibilities: 'sbagliare'-to err; 'bagliare'-a flash of light (Nelson 557). While both make sense when you think about the character's role in the story, the most interesting possibilities for the character of Baglioni are historical in origin. Hawthorne and several of his friends or colleagues were well versed in Italian language and history. Hawthorne himself was tutored in Italian by Benjamin Lynde Oliver (Nelson 558). This knowledge of Italian may have drawn Hawthorne to three books which were available at the Boston Athenaeum, which he visited often in his stint as the editor of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. These books contained articles about two men whose names are exactly the same as the character in the story. The first was a civil architect who published many writings of little importance. Some of his writings may have given Hawthorne the idea for the "review" and "translation" of the "Writings of Aubèpine." He may have also gotten the idea of using a deceptive name from this Baglioni (Nelson 559). The other Pietro from these books who could have inspired Hawthorne seems to be in the running because his name is spelled correctly, and because he was an important doctor (of law) who wrote things of little importance. Regardless of how many theories there are about the meaning of the character Baglioni, nothing of his origin is mentioned in any of Hawthorne's notebooks or other writings (Nelson 561).

Baglioni is described in the story as "an elderly personage, apparently of genial nature and habits that might almost be called jovial" (Hawthorne 40). Uroff's interpretation is that this geniality is saved for Baglioni's social habits, which probably don't extend into his medical practices or teachings. Uroff states that, in mid-nineteenth century America, Baglioni's negative view of scientific experimentation as detrimental or dangerous would not have been uncommon among medical practitioners or professors. Romanticism, or Hawthorne's, suspicion of science, at least with relation to this story, is directed more toward the attitude of the scientific community toward medicine and its treatment of people than toward science as a whole. Hawthorne's issue with this scenario comes from his abhorrence that an advanced, educated mind, such as that of Rappaccini or Baglioni, would be nurtured at the expense of emotional attachments.

Looking at the story this way, Nelson's last observations about the meaning of the story make sense. He says Hawthorne's idea for the story may have been based in another story set in Padua-Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Then Giovanni and Beatrice become Romeo and Juliet, and Rappaccini and Baglioni, Capulet and Montague. And like Shakespeare's famous tragedy, the innocence of youth is spoiled by the feud of two embittered, crotchety old men.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Rappaccini's Daughter." Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories. General Publishing company, Ltd. 1992. pp 35-59.

Nelson, Ronald J. 'Two Potential Sources for Pietro Baglioni in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter."' Studies in Short Fiction. Pp 557-564.

Uroff, M.D. 'The Doctors in "Rappaccini's Daughter."' Nineteenth Century Fiction. University of California Press. Vol. 27, No. 1. June 1972. Pp 61-70.