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Translated by Robert Cohen
A rollicking, farcical comedy,
Niccolò Machiavelli’s Clizia (1524) is an important step in
theatre history. Based on Casina, by the Roman dramatist Plautus,
Clizia is an example of the theatrical genre known as commedia
erudita, a precursor to its famous successor, commedia dell’arte. As in classical theatre, the play is divided into
five acts, with all action taking place within a single day. The setting
is a city street. Characters come and go from home to church to
marketplace, telegraphing their intentions with direct asides to the
audience and underscoring them with bawdy jokes and puns. Machiavelli
has added a prologue, an epilogue, and songs to the classical format,
but he has borrowed the traditional deus ex machina ending. Just
when you think the lovers Cleandro and Clizia will be thwarted, as her
unknown parentage precludes marriage, a gentleman from Naples appears on
the scene and changes everything. In this new translation, Robert Cohen has preserved the original’s
idiomatic conversational style and energetic sound. By adding stage
directions, he has produced a delightful, stage-ready script for this
too-often overlooked play.
The story centers on old Nicomaco (a play on the
author’s name), who has raised an adopted daughter from childhood and
now in his dotage has fallen in love—or lust—with her. His son Cleandro
also loves Clizia, who loves him in return. Father and son scheme to
marry the girl off to favorite servants, who, it’s understood, will
share her with their masters. Meanwhile, Sofronia mater familias
and the play’s moral center—sets in motion her own game of deception and
trickery.
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