<i>...in ventos vita recessit": la Didone di Giovan Battista Giraldi Cinzio fra invenzione drammaturgica e progetto per la scena</i>

Abstract

On the basis of an innate predisposition to tragic reading, already well established by ancient and modern critics, we tried to identify in Virgil's episode dedicated to Dido that dimension of accomplished pièce, so to speak, extrapolated from the context of narrative epic, through the reconstruction of the mantuan poet's theatrical imaginary. From the evidence of a direct experience and a probable knowledge of contemporary performing arts practice, we have attempted the origins of virgilian "directing skills" that helped develop the myth sub species ragoediae, in terms of drama, vision and representation. Reflection on the generative nucleus of the legend's tragic declination has been used as a path through which summarize the different forms of dramatization of the episode from the late antiquity and medieval experiences, to the exploit in the Renaissance that sees the synchronous and geographically transversal combination of different tragedies entitled to the queen of Carthage. Among the various possible outcomes in the theater of the XVI century we chose the tragic experience of Giovan Battista Giraldi Cinthio for his dramatic and scenic features and his ability to grasp the inherent theatricality of the virgilian narrative episode. Approaching to a deep investigation into Dido tragedy, it was established to propose a new edition, an interpretative one, using the only cinquecentina (posthumous) edited in 1583. Missing the manuscript and having no other prints but a recent diplomatic transcription made by the spanish scholar Irene Romera Pintor (Madrid, Editorial Complutense, 2008) – it has not been possible to proceed to the critical edition. The accurate reconstruction of the text is the essential link between the successive enlargements with which we attempted to outline the trends of giraldian culture, to see its applications in his theories of drama, on his theatrical project , and directly on the play. Starting from a contextual biography of the “uomo di teatro” with the purpose of evading the traditional and conventional literary measure and bring it instead to the socio-cultural complexity, to the conditions that have promoted, influenced and hindered his work, we attempted to probe the extended and expert performing practice of the ferrarese playwright, as well as his theoretical proposals, highlightened precisely through the connection with the dramatic production and with the "directing" practice. Giraldi's Dido is not to be considered a mere deployment of compositional techniques, or even an erudite example set within a period of academic and theoretical debate about the nature of the tragic genre, but the result of many interests of its author. The critical line we chose aims to stress the dialectic between theory and representation practice, between tradition and innovation, between fidelity to the models and watchful eye on the contemporary world, taking into account the personality of Giraldi Cinthio and his material needs addressed to the scene. For this purpose we decided to use the scenic and dramaturgical analysis through which probe the interrelationship between text and theater practice. This method has therefore been carried out on a tripartite path: the reconstruction of detailed references to the virgilian source and to the literary tradition that has allowed us to understand the philological work with which the ancient myth has been written and bowed to the contemporary demands; the recognition of moral,ideological civil instances, that show how giraldian Dido is a snippet of the history of civilization of the Sixteenth century Ferrara; and finally the reconstuction of the game of similarities and transgressions between theoretical works and elements of the spectacular text by which we can let emerge some of the real substance of the textual structure's scenic potential.