Listening to The Elixir of Love (1832!) sung in English for the umpteenth time, I hear the trembly voice of the tenor Nemerino sing the praises of the town belle, Adina. He informs us with passion that she is "So delightful". You know the poor guy is struck. He can't help it. We have learned from our own experience that if we met Adina, we might have a different opinion of her. He is in a special state.
One of my favorite and helpful books is "Incognito" by David Eagleman. He says that once it seemed to scientists that humans had no instincts. They were free, it was thought, to be rational and thoughtful, not driven to fly south in the winter or make a nest of chewed paper. Then, somebody started thinking about situations like Nemerino's. It is clear that the dog, the cat, even the bees, don't seem enchanted by Adina. They don't find each step she takes to be musical, bewitching. In fact, if we look into the matter, we may find that Nemerino's mother or his grandmother have very different feelings about Adina.
The book, The Female Brain, by Dr. Louann Brizendine, founder of the University of California - San Francisco's Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic explains many human actions and passions with an emphasis on hormones. Still, Nemerino is so passionate, so in the grip of delightful Adina, that every thought of her, each sight of her is electrical, powerful. As older, wiser, more experienced people, we feel that Nemmy will someday be able to look at Addy and talk with her and be near her without quite such a drugged mind.
