Da poema a tragedia: ricezione e adattamento dell’episodio ariostesco nel teatro olandese del Seicento

This thesis examines the reception and adaptation of the episode of Isabella and Rodomonte from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso within seventeenth-century Dutch theatre, focusing in particular on Samuel Coster’s tragedy Isabella (1619). The main aim is to examine the transformation process that occurs during the transition from epic poem to tragedy, highlighting the narrative, stylistic, and ideological choices that reflect the distinct cultural context of the seventeenth-century Netherlands. After outlining the Italian and Dutch literary-historical background, the research draws on theories of adaptation and intersemiotics (Hutcheon, Sanders) to interpret Isabella as an example of “intercultural adaptation”: a work that does not merely translate Ariosto’s episode but reinterprets it according to the moral and religious values of Calvinist society that influenced the Netherlands of that time. Coster reshapes the epic model into a moral tragedy, shifting the focus from the...Show moreThis thesis examines the reception and adaptation of the episode of Isabella and Rodomonte from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso within seventeenth-century Dutch theatre, focusing in particular on Samuel Coster’s tragedy Isabella (1619). The main aim is to examine the transformation process that occurs during the transition from epic poem to tragedy, highlighting the narrative, stylistic, and ideological choices that reflect the distinct cultural context of the seventeenth-century Netherlands. After outlining the Italian and Dutch literary-historical background, the research draws on theories of adaptation and intersemiotics (Hutcheon, Sanders) to interpret Isabella as an example of “intercultural adaptation”: a work that does not merely translate Ariosto’s episode but reinterprets it according to the moral and religious values of Calvinist society that influenced the Netherlands of that time. Coster reshapes the epic model into a moral tragedy, shifting the focus from the chivalric hero Rodomonte to the virtuous figure of Isabella, symbol of purity and faithfulness. Textual analysis reveals how Coster’s tragedy, while adhering to Aristotelian unities, alternates solemn and comic tones, merging pathos and satire through a baroque and experimental language. Particularly interesting is the introduction of comical characters (absent in Ariosto’s poem) whose humorous interludes both lighten the tragic tension and reinforce the play’s moral message. The play thus emerges as a cultural bridge between Italy and the Netherlands, attesting to Ariosto’s enduring influence in European culture and to Dutch theatre’s function as a medium of moral education and ethical reflection.Show less

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Da poema a tragedia: ricezione e adattamento dell’episodio ariostesco nel teatro olandese del Seicento