Volume XV - 1960

Author Category Volume Page Year Language Vitti Mario PAPERS AND STUDIES 14 435 - 451 1960 Greek Title Preliminary remarks on Eviena, ‘a tragedy’ ‘written by Mr. Theodoros Montzelese Summary PDF A reference by Leon Allatios led to the discovery of an unknown play entitled “Tragedy named Eviena…written by Mr. Theodoros Montzelese”, printed in Venice in 1646, which was found in the library of the Greek college of Aghios Athanasios in Rome. This paper describes the only surviving copy of the play and summarises the plot, highlighting its narrative economy and the technical naivety of its plot articulation, while also tracing the dissemination in Greece and Europe of a number of folklore motifs it contains. Features shared with the Italian folk play Stella (Rappresentazione di Stella) and the Cretan Sacrifice of Abraham are examined. Finally, questions are raised concerning the play’s manner of composition, authorship and location in time and space