“I have decreed not to sing in my cage”. Melancholy at Court from Castiglione to Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

Ragni, Cristiano (2021) “I have decreed not to sing in my cage”. Melancholy at Court from Castiglione to Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. SigMa - Rivista di Letterature comparate, Teatro e Arti dello spettacolo (5). pp. 395-411. ISSN 2611-3309

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Abstract

In light of the well-established presence of Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, I will focus on the villain of the play, Don John, and emphasise the hitherto unacknowledged similarities between his character and the melancholic courtiers against whom Castiglione had warned in his work. In so doing, I will underscore how Shakespeare did not limit to a simplistic construct of imitation and adaptation of his Italian model, but proved to be well aware of the contemporary debates surrounding the spreading and the dangerous effects of melancholy.

Tipologia del documento:	Articolo in rivista
Parole chiave:	Shakespeare ; Much Ado About Nothing ; Castiglione ; uncourtliness ; melancholy
Soggetto:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D111 Medieval History P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0441 Literary History
Depositato il:	22 Ago 2026 13:26
Ultima modifica:	22 Ago 2026 13:26
URI:	https://www.rmoa.unina.it/id/eprint/9292

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