▁of ▁music ▁and ▁difficult ▁to ▁parallel ▁in ▁the ▁whole ▁history ▁of ▁art ": ▁ ▁The ▁poet ▁He ine ▁compared ▁Ross ini ' s ▁ret irement ▁with ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁withdraw al ▁from ▁writing : ▁two ▁genius es ▁recogn ising ▁when ▁they ▁had ▁accomplished ▁the ▁un sur pass able ▁and ▁not ▁seeking ▁to ▁follow ▁it . ▁O thers , ▁then ▁and ▁later , ▁suggested ▁that ▁Ross ini ▁had ▁retired ▁because ▁of ▁p ique ▁at ▁the ▁success es ▁of ▁Gia como ▁Meyer be er ▁and ▁From ental ▁Hal év y ▁in ▁the ▁genre ▁of ▁grand ▁op éra . ▁Modern ▁Ross ini ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁generally ▁disc ount ed ▁such ▁theories , ▁maintain ing ▁that ▁Ross ini ▁had ▁no ▁intention ▁of ▁ren oun cing ▁oper atic ▁composition , ▁and ▁that ▁circumstances ▁rather ▁than ▁personal ▁choice ▁made ▁Guillaume ▁Tell ▁his ▁last ▁opera . ▁G os sett ▁and ▁Richard ▁Os bor ne ▁suggest ▁that ▁ill ness ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁major ▁factor ▁in ▁Ross ini ' s ▁ret irement . ▁From ▁about ▁this ▁time , ▁Ross ini ▁had ▁inter mitt ent ▁bad ▁health , ▁both ▁physical ▁and ▁mental . ▁He ▁had ▁contract ed ▁g on or rho ea ▁in ▁earlier ▁years , ▁which ▁later ▁led ▁to ▁pain ful ▁side - effect s , ▁from ▁u re th rit is ▁to ▁ar th rit is ; ▁he ▁suffered ▁from ▁b outs ▁of ▁deb il it ating ▁de pression , ▁which ▁comment ators ▁have ▁linked ▁to ▁several ▁possible ▁causes : ▁cycl oth ym ia , ▁or ▁b ip olar ▁dis