Niccolo Machiavelli, La Mandragola [The Mandrake]

Chris Picicci (Colorado State University)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1518

Places

Italy (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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Niccolò Machiavelli’s comedy

La Mandragola

(

The Mandrake

) was most likely first performed in Florence during the carnival season of 1518, and composed sometime between 1512 and its debut. It was originally entitled

Comedia di Callimaco & di Lucretia

, although the author occasionally referred to the work as

Comedia di Messer Nicia

. While there is no definitive way to date the work precisely, the only extant manuscript of the play is from 1519. Pasquale Stoppelli convincingly argues that

La Mandragola

was certainly written after Machiavelli completed his vernacularization of Terence’s

Andria

. The comedy quickly gained popularity in other milieus, including the city of Venice during the Lenten carnival seasons of 1522 and 1526, and the papal court of Pope Leo X (Giovanni di Lorenzo…

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1218 words

Citation: Picicci, Chris. "La Mandragola". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 August 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4144, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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