Swan Lake - Themes

Ballets are full of moral themes and social mores that represent the times in which they were written. Like any good fairy tale, classical ballets teach something about good and evil, and right and wrong. Swan Lake is no exception.

To begin, the scenes with the Royal Family express many of these moral themes. Good behavior for all members of the Family is emphasized. Also, discipline and order are shown as important facets. Every choice a member makes is important, not only personally, but politically as well. Order is shown in the manner of choosing a bride. The prince must select a bride from an approved list of prospectives. This process represents solidity and stability. These values were important in the Russia of 1876.

True to fairy tale form, ballets usually have some form of a curse involved in the story. These curses were logical and lawful to an extent. The curse was set by someone who had some wrong done to them by the subject of the curse, or the subject's kin. To break the curse the person had to have some nearly impossible thing occur. The person who had the curse placed upon them was forced to abide by it. Odette's curse consists of this: she will live as a swan by day, and as a human at night. If she finds a good man who will swear his love for her, then she and the Swan Maidens will be released from the curse. If the man does not keep his promise, then Odette will be doomed to spend the rest of her life as a swan. These curses must be fulfilled to the letter. Even though the prince is tricked and realizes his mistake instantly, Odette is doomed from the minute he swears his love for Odile. The themes of caution and fidelity are present here.

There are not only internal themes found here, but external ones also. The setting of this ballet is Germany. Russia had a history of reclusiveness from other countries. But during the time this ballet was written, Russia was exploring relations with Germany. This is only a sampling of the myriad of themes present in this ballet.

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