The Comedies of Machiavelli [antikvár]

AN ESSAY ON MACHIAVELLI AND COMEDYThe name of Niccolo Machiavelli is not generally associateci at least by English-speaking audienceswith the drama. Ac-cording to a tongue-in-cheek prologue written for a recent production of The Mandrake,The man, of course, was known far more For his wicked Prince, and for his Histories, As well as for au Art of War, But he also mastered theaters mysteries.Many readers may be surprised to learn that the author of The Prince is also responsible for a trio of comedies, one of which is considered by Italians to be the earliestand by knowledge-able authorities such as dramatists Carlo Goldoni and Luigi Pirandello to be the greatestof their country s theatrical classics. More than half a century before Shakespeare established the tradition of English-speaking comedy that has prospered and endured to the present, The Mandrake was entertaining audiences with its racy vernacular language. Audiences marveled at its contemporary character, and the play became a model for dramatic construction and comic characterization. The Mandrake provoked delight and thoughtful bemusement because of