3,137 research outputs found
La tragedia del Cinquecento come “specchio de’ Principi”: la virtù, il principe e il tiranno nella 'Canace' di Giovanni Falugi
No full textThis essay deals with a tragedy written in the first half of the sixteenth century, the little-known Canace by Giovanni Falugi (1529 ca.), dedicated to Ippolito de’ Medici on the occasion of his election as cardinal; this tragedy, bound to be totally eclipsed in less than fifteen years by the far more renowned Canace by Sperone Speroni (1542), took up the ancient myth of the incestuous sons of Aeolus, Canace and Macareus, which had already become the subject of the lost Aeolus by Euripides and of the eleventh epistle of Ovid’s Heroides. In his own re-writing of the story, Falugi took into account the Ovidian source and was also fascinated by the Senecan tragedy, whose themes and motifs he abundantly resumed. The author’s classicism is also evident in the recovery of other ancient writers (such as Horace and Virgil), which have been highlighted when relevant to the present discussion. Starting from the definition of Renaissance tragedy as a ‘political’ literary genre and a brief historical contextualization of Giovanni Falugi and his work, this paper will focus on three aspects of Canace which can be related to the sixteenth-century theoretical koinè as regards political matters: 1) the idealised depiction of prince Macareus; 2) the tyrannical portrait of Aeolus; 3) the moral of the tragedy, which reveals the courtly gift made by the author to the dedicatee as the proposal of a model of virtue
Battaglie di Afrodite: sulle perdute 'Lemnie' di Sofocle (frr. 384-389 R.)
No full textThis paper focuses on Sophocles' now lost drama 'Women of Lemnos' (frag. 384-389 R.), relatively neglected by the critics also considering its state of conservation. Yet several aspects of this play make it worthy of a deeper analysis: for example its title, transmitted from the sources in two different forms (Lemniai and Lemniades), but also the issue of the likely existence and circulation of a double version of the play, up to the vexata quaestio of its literary genre, disputed between tragedy and satyr-drama. Such topics are here discussed in detail, together with a proposal of reconstruction of the plot of this play
Le 'Peliadi' di Euripide : introduzione, testo, traduzione e commento
No full textUn tiranno decrepito, una astuta maga, un gruppo di credule fanciulle e un calderone bollente: questi gli ingredienti del mito delle Peliadi, la storia delle figlie del re di Iolco che, nell’illusione di ringiovanire il proprio vecchio padre con un rituale prodigioso, finirono per assassinarlo facendolo a pezzi e mettendolo a bollire. Ad ingannarle fu Medea, la pericolosa maga barbara che prestò all’amato Giasone le sue arti per aiutarlo a vendicarsi del crudele zio Pelia, colpevole di aver usurpato il trono a lui destinato e di averlo spedito in Colchide nella speranza che vi morisse. Questo intrigante mito di vendetta e di magia fu la leggenda scelta da un giovane Euripide per una delle sue opere d’esordio, le 'Peliadi' (455 a.C.), ridotte dalle trafile della tradizione ad una manciata di sedici frammenti. Il presente volume – un’edizione con testo critico, traduzione italiana e commento dei lacerti dell’opera – percorre nell’introduzione tutte le evidenze utili ad un recupero quanto più esteso possibile del deperditum, non trascurando i suoi aspetti mitografici, folklorici e drammaturgici e traendo profitto dall’analisi di fonti di diverso tipo (come la pittura vascolare) nel tentativo di restituire al lettore moderno parte della sua magia originaria
Drammaturgia dell'inganno. Sull'agguato a Lico nell'Antiope di Euripide (e altri agguati euripidei)
No full textThis article reconsiders the available evidence concerning the ambush in Euripides’ Antiope, in which King Lycus almost falls victim to the twin sons of the play’s
eponymous heroine, with the aim of clarifying how this episode may have unfolded. By examining parallel situations in extant Euripidean tragedy (notably Hecuba and
Electra) and drawing on some ancient scholarly sources such as the narrative hypotheseis of Euripides’ dramas, this study seeks to strengthen on dramaturgical grounds the hypothesis that: 1) the twins lured the king from Thebes to Eleutherae with a false promise; 2) to achieve this, they made use of an intermediary character, possibly the Herdsman who had found and raised them
Un Coro tragico di principesse assassine? Il caso delle 'Peliadi' di Euripide
No full textThis article deals with the Chorus of Euripides’ Daughters of Pelias (fragm. 601-616 K.), recorded by the tradition as part of the very first tetralogy staged by the tragedian of Salamis (455 a.C.). The title of the play, as it has been believed, may suggest that the Chorus of this tragedy was composed of the daughters of king Pelias. This solution, although formally plausible, is somehow problematic, for the scenario of a Chorus factually killing a character is difficult to accept without reservation. This contribution analyses the issue in detail by considering above all its dramaturgical implications and offers an alternative solution for the composition of the Chorus of Euripides’ Daughters of Pelias
Μάντις πολύτροπος: i ruoli di Anfiarao nell’Ipsipile di Euripide
No full textIn Euripides’ fragmentary Hypsipyle (frag. 752‐69 K.) the seer Amphiaraus plays many and crucial roles: he first unwittingly causes Hypsipyle’s troubles, then becomes her saviour and prevents her execution; he also acts as a messenger of Opheltes’ death; finally, he is responsible for the recognition between Hypsipyle and her two sons. In Greek tragedy there is not another character who plays so many and so important roles in the same drama: Hypsipyle’s Amphiaraus is absolutely one of a kind, a product of Euripides’ late and experimental period of activity as a dramatist. This paper aims to analyse each of the roles played by the seer in this tragedy to evaluate the uniqueness and complexity of his dramaturgical function
In the Nurse’s Arms:Contact, Separation, and Tragic Motherhood in Euripides’ Hypsipyle
No full textThis paper examines the central role of the onstage interaction between Hypsipyle and Opheltes in Euripides’ Hypsipyle. Their bond of contact and separation is a key thematic and emotional focus of the tragedy. Opheltes is not merely a child, but a symbol of Hypsipyle’s transformation from queen to slave and nurse. Through their relationship, Euripides stages the interplay of motherhood, loss, and identity, highlighting the protagonist’s condition as a mother seemingly deprived of her biological children. Holding the child in her arms and then laying him down at a fateful moment is not only a dramatic gesture, but also a powerful mode of scenic communication, drawing the audience into Hypsipyle’s experience of surrogate motherhood. This essay analyzes the theatrical and symbolic significance of this relationship, while also calling attention to other nurses in Greek tragedy and epic
Euripides' Peliades
No full textIn 455 BCE, Euripides made his theatrical debut with Peliades, a compelling drama of revenge, magic, and deception. In this tragedy, a group of naïve daughters, hoping to restore their elderly father’s youth, unwittingly kill him by dismembering his body and boiling it in a cauldron. Orchestrating this gruesome scheme is the sorceress Medea, who assists Jason in his quest for revenge against Pelias, the usurper of his rightful throne. This volume explores the mythological sources of the legend staged by Euripides and offers a detailed commentary on the sixteen surviving fragments of the drama, preserved solely through indirect tradition. Each fragment is presented with the original Greek text, critically established, alongside an English translation. The volume also investigates key aspects of the dramaturgy and staging of this tragedy, including the intriguing question of the possible identity of the Chorus. To further reconstruct the drama’s narrative, two vase paintings believed to have been inspired by Peliades are also examined
A Hidden Corpse Seen Twice : Staging Death in Euripides' Phaethon
No full textEuripides’ Phaethon centres on the tragic death of Phaethon, the son of the Sun god Helios, who perishes on his wedding day following a fateful attempt to drive his father’s chariot. This partially preserved tragedy has been the subject of numerous philological and thematic studies, but there remains room to explore some of its dramaturgical aspects, particularly those related to staging. Even in its fragmentary form, the play presents several uncommon and striking theatrical features, such as the decision to have Phaethon’s corpse concealed in the backstage space and the possibility that the corpse was shown to the audience twice. These devices allow Euripides to vividly bring to life on stage a myth that was incredibly difficult to represent, rendering it both tangible and emotionally resonant for the audience. Through a masterful use of all available scenic spaces and the profound disparity in knowledge among the characters (and the Chorus) involved in the action, Euripides stages the complete annihilation of the protagonist. Simultaneously, he conveys the mounting grief of those who surround him, depicting a progressive catastrophe that this article aims to analyse from the perspective of compositional and staging technique
Anfiarao e i Satiri-indovini : gli enigmi del perduto «Anfiarao» di Sofocle
No full textSophocles’ now lost Amphiaraos (fragm. 113-21 R.) is one of his most tantalizing and enigmatic satyr plays. It raises many different questions, some of which still remain unresolved or undiscussed in detail, such as the bizarre combination of the noble seer Amphiaraos and Silenus’ playful sons in the same dramatic action, or the likely existence of two versions of this drama, implied by the mention of an ‘other Amphiaraos’ in two of the sources quoting lines from this play. Some of the surviving fragments offer further interesting exegetical possibilities and deserve closer analysis: for example, the fragment 113 R. is key evidence for the particular role of the Satyrs in this drama, and may contain a self-description of the Chorus. This paper offers an up-to-date overview of Sophocles’ Amphiaraos, discussing all the available evidence and suggesting new exegetical proposals
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