The Mandrake (Italian: La Mandragola; written in 1518 and first printed in 1524) is a satirical play by Italian Renaissance writer Niccolò Machiavelli. Its tale of the corruption of Italian society was written while Machiavelli was in exile, allegedly having plotted against the Medici. The play was written between 1504 and 1518 and first performed in 1518.
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The play takes place in a 24-hour period. The protagonist, Callimaco, desires to sleep with Lucrezia, the young and beautiful wife of an elderly fool, Nicia. Nicia above all else desires a son and heir, but still has none. Callimaco, conspiring with a rascally marriage broker and a priest, masquerades as a doctor. He convinces Nicia to drug Lucrezia with mandrake, claiming it will increase her fertility. He adds, however, the dire warning that the mandrake will undoubtedly kill the first man to have intercourse with her. Callimaco helpfully suggests to Nicia that an unwitting fool be found for this purpose. A reluctant Lucrezia is eventually convinced by her mother and the priest to comply with her husband's wishes. She allows a disguised Callimaco into her bed and, believing that the events which caused her to break her marriage vows were due to divine providence, thereafter accepts him as her lover on a more permanent basis.
The plot and importance of the play is mentioned in the 16th Letter of Amabed in Voltaire's Les Lettres d'Amabed (1769) stating that "the piece mocks the religion which Europe preaches, of which Rome is the centre, and the throne of which is Papal See".[1]
Machiavelli's play has enjoyed many contemporary revivals. The Riverside Shakespeare Company performed The Mandrake at the Casa Italiana in New York City in 1979, starring Tom Hanks as Callimaco in his only New York stage performance. This run was directed by Dan Southern, with an original jazz score by pianist Michael Wolff, and Italian Renaissance sets by Gerard Bourcier.[2]
In 1984 The Mandrake was produced at London's National Theatre in a translation by Wallace Shawn.,[3] after having premiered in 1977 at the Public Theatre, New York.[4]
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company mounted a production of The Mandragola in the Spring of 2011, directed by Helen Borgers.[5] [6]
Musical adaptations include La Mandragola, an opera by the composer Ignatz Waghalter. The opera, richly melodic and deeply sympathetic in its treatment of human foibles, features a libretto by Paul Eger and was premiered at the Deutsches Opernhaus in Berlin in January 1914. It was warmly received by the critics, and was booked for a European tour that was aborted due to the outbreak of the First World War.[7]
"Mandragola", an opera in Serbian by composer Ivan Jevtic was given its world premiere in Belgrade at the Madlenianum Theatre on 16 December 2009.
Michael Alfreds and Anthony Bowles wrote a 1968 musical adaptation, Mandrake, which has been performed in Edinburgh, London, New York, and elsewhere.[8]
Another musical adaptation, Mandragola, composed by Doug Riley with libretto by Alan Gordon, made its debut in Canada over CBC Radio in October 1977, and was later issued as an LP record on the CBC label.
In 1965 an Italian film version was made by writer/director A. Lattuada. [9]A 2008 film version was made, The Mandrake Root. Adapted and directed by Malachi Bogdanov, it was shot in HD in Sassari, Sardinia. Produced by European Drama Network,[10] it was made in English with limited Italian sections, and it remains close to the original story. It was nominated for Best Drama of 2008 by the Royal Television Society Awards Midlands.[11]
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