Bess

E270201
fictional character opera character

Bess is a central character in George Gershwin's American folk opera "Porgy and Bess," known as a troubled woman torn between love, addiction, and her harsh surroundings in Catfish Row.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Bess canonical 12

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character ⓘ
opera character ⓘ
adaptedIn Porgy and Bess (1959 film) ⓘ
appearsIn Porgy and Bess ⓘ
associatedWith Crown ⓘ
Sportin’ Life ⓘ
surface form: Sportin' Life
basedOn Bess in Porgy and Bess ⓘ
surface form: the character Bess from the novel “Porgy” by DuBose Heyward
characterTrait emotionally conflicted ⓘ
impulsive ⓘ
troubled ⓘ
vulnerable ⓘ
coCreator DuBose Heyward ⓘ
Ira Gershwin ⓘ
creator George Gershwin ⓘ
culturalContext African-American community in the American South ⓘ
firstPerformanceOfWork 1935 ⓘ
genreOfWork American folk opera ⓘ
languageOfWork English ⓘ
librettoBy DuBose Heyward ⓘ
loveInterest Porgy ⓘ
lyricsBy Ira Gershwin ⓘ
medium opera ⓘ
nameInWork Porgy and Bess ⓘ
narrativeRole tragic heroine ⓘ
nationalityInFiction American ⓘ
notableAria Bess, You Is My Woman Now ⓘ
surface form: “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”
notableDuetWith Porgy ⓘ
operaBy George Gershwin ⓘ
portrayedBy Angel Blue ⓘ
Anne Brown ⓘ
Audra McDonald ⓘ
Cynthia Haymon ⓘ
Diahann Carroll ⓘ
Leontyne Price ⓘ
Norma Donaldson ⓘ
relationshipDynamic Sportin’ Life ⓘ
surface form: tempted by Sportin' Life

torn between Porgy and Crown ⓘ
residenceInFiction Catfish Row ⓘ
roleInWork central character ⓘ
setting Catfish Row ⓘ
struggle addiction ⓘ
alcohol abuse ⓘ
drug dependence ⓘ
escaping an abusive past ⓘ
themeEmbodied addiction ⓘ
domestic violence ⓘ
moral struggle ⓘ
poverty ⓘ
redemption ⓘ
timePeriodInFiction early 20th century ⓘ

Referenced by (12)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Porgy and Bess → mainCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Beth → hasRelatedName → Bess ⓘ
Betsy → hasRelatedName → Bess ⓘ
Porgy (novel) → mainCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Catfish Row → associatedWithCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Bess, You Is My Woman Now → performerInFiction → Bess ⓘ
Bess, You Is My Woman Now → associatedWithCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Sportin’ Life → influencesCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Sportin’ Life → temptsCharacter → Bess ⓘ
Serena → supportsCharacter → Bess ⓘ
I Loves You, Porgy → originalCharacters → Bess ⓘ
Dan → hasLoveInterest → Bess ⓘ