Prima Donna Assoluta

This chapter “Prima Donna Assoluta: Psychological Mysteries,” uses two performances of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena to illustrate how, within the space of one year (1957–1958), Callas went from being the darling of Milan’s La Scala audiences to its utmost villain. This shift in attitude resulted from a series of cancelled appearances, including the infamous Roman fiasco. Callas’s polarization of public opinion reflects her own tendency to view the world in black or white terms. This dichotomy is a hallmark of a narcissistic self that oscillates between grandiosity and vulnerability without allowing for shades of gray in self-evaluation. These two faces of narcissism capture the disjunction between the self-assured and imperial la Callas, the operatic diva, and the vulnerable and insecure Maria, the woman. It is not Callas’s grandiosity and entitlement but her consciously experienced vulnerability, along with the sheer brilliance of her artistry, that distinguishes her personality from her operatic peers.