“The White Lotus” season two strikes the vacation-themed collection to Sicily, and there is one iconic a part of the island that the present makes word of: the intricate statues of heads.
During the primary episode, Cameron (Theo James), Ethan (Will Sharpe), Daphne (Meghann Fahy), and Harper (Aubrey Plaza) ask concerning the statue of their room. Their hotel-worker information explains to them that it is referred to as a Testa di Moro. He explains, “The story is a Moor got here right here a very long time in the past and seduced an area lady. But then she came upon that he had a spouse and youngsters again house. So as a result of he lied to her, she reduce his head off.”
The group wonders why folks would need to show the statues if they’ve such a darkish backstory. Daphne tells Cameron, “It’s a warning to husbands, babe. Screw round and you may find yourself within the backyard.”
Rocco would not inform them the remainder of the legend, or the opposite interpretations of the Testa di Moro’s origins. According to Visit Sicily, after the lady eliminated the person’s head, she used it as a vase to develop basil. The scent attracted her neighbors, who cherished the vase and had copies of it commissioned.
But Visit Sicily additionally provides one other backstory for the statues. In a special model of the legend, the lady and the Moor fell in love. When her mother and father came upon, they beheaded each of them and hung their heads as a warning. That’s why the heads are often proven in pairs, although “White Lotus” principally reveals the person’s head alone, referencing the opposite model of the story.
What Is the Meaning of the Head Statues in “White Lotus”?
Based on Rocco’s clarification, it appears the heads are a reminder of the secrets and techniques that may be saved between {couples} and the way in which they flip into poison — and even violence. It thematically resonates with the present’s second season, which appears to all be about dramas between {couples}. Daphne and Cameron seem to be the picture-perfect wealthy couple, however Harper would not belief them. And on the finish of the night time, whereas Cameron and Daphne have intercourse of their lodge room, Harper and Ethan are disconnected in mattress.
Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge)’s marriage to Greg (Jon Gries) is not going nice both. He’s livid she introduced her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) along with her and reprimands her about her weight and consuming. And Dominic (Michael Imperioli) will get berated by his spouse on the cellphone. She calls him a liar, accuses him of retaining secrets and techniques, and finally ends up crying. His actions have saved his spouse and daughter from becoming a member of the lads of the household on trip, and his apology for his inaction appears significantly disingenuous since he hires Lucia (Simona Tabasco) to sleep with him earlier than he even arrives in Sicily.
But different resonances are tied to the statue within the collection, too. The lodge employee says the statue is of a “Moor,” a phrase that Europeans used within the Middle Ages to imply Muslim folks, and particularly these from North Africa or the Middle East. In Shakespeare’s “Othello,” the title character is described as a Moor, and that is why he would not slot in with the remainder of Venetian society. The characters of “White Lotus” season two are virtually all white. Harper notes to Ethan on the finish of the episode that the 2 of them are the “white-passing, numerous buddies.” The Testa di Moro, then, is a literal objectification of a nonwhite individual, an individual who in any other case would not be welcome on this ultra-elite area. And he grew to become an object by violence; solely by homicide can he be an accepted a part of Sicilian life.
We already know that a minimum of one visitor will not make it by their trip alive. Could or not it’s due to the secrets and techniques and lies that come between a husband and spouse? We’ll have to attend and see.