Carlo Magri e il suo contributo al teatro barocco maltese

Abstract

The paper, titled “Carlo Magri e il suo contributo al teatro barocco”, presents an in depth study and analysis of the Maltese playwright's theatrical works in the seventeenth century and his contribution to Baroque theatre in the Mediterranean region. The study focuses on his 2 three-act plays written under the pseudonym of ‘Marco Largi, maltese’. The first one entitled La regia è un Sogno ovvero la Costanza, written in 1672, was the first play written by a Maltese ever to be published. The second one, written in 1674, was entitled Chi la dura la vince, ovvero Teodolinda. The author compares and contrasts themes, settings and other aspects of Magri's play with those of Sicilian and Neapolitan dramatists like Tommaso Aversa and Niccolo` Amenta, amongst others. Even though Maltese theatrical works of the period have been influenced by Italian baroque theatre, particularly by the Neapolitan commedia dell'arte style of writing and rep-resentation, the study reveals how Carlo Magri succeeded in introducing in his play a number of innovations. One of the most important is the elimination, as a result of his sensitivity to the public's wishes, of the use of vulgar language and of the prologue. This delineates him as a pioneer in the drive for change.