| The Cretan tragedy Zeno is based on the Latin drama of the same name by the English Jesuit Joseph Simons. Systematic comparison of the two texts shows that the anonymous Cretan poet followed his original faithfully as to the general layout of the plot, the details of scenic structure, the development of the heroes’ ideas and the presentation of their emotional states. In order, however, to meet the intellectual demands and receptive powers of his audience, he was forced to sacrifice certain classical elements of the scholarly tradition, omit mythological references obscure to his contemporaries, and enrich his composition with the succinct and proverbial tone of popular language and thought, introducing expressions found in popular songs and other works of Cretan literature. |