Between 1514 and 1517, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) composed The Golden Ass (L’asino d’oro), an eight-chapter satirical poem in terza rima that mimics (or, perhaps, mocks) the structure of Dante’s Divine Comedy and is inspired by—if not a direct parody of—The Metamorphosis (La metamorfosi), also commonly referred to as The Golden Ass, by the classical Latin prose writer Apuleius (125-170). Apuleius’s protagonist, characterized by curiositas and a fascination for magic, is turned into a donkey in a failed attempt at performing a spell, and after a long journey finds salvation and recovers his human form with the help of the goddess Isis. In Machiavelli’s refashioning, the anonymous protagonist narrates his vicissitudes in Circe’s realm after his escape from Florence with its corrupt, power-hungry elite. The Homeric goddess attempts to transmogrify him into a donkey, but the...
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Citation: Palanti, Alessia. "L'asino d'oro". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 September 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34870, accessed 09 June 2026.]
