The fact that Eugenio Montale knew and loved Shakespeare’s work needs no demonstration. Besides several translations of his plays and poems, there are many prose works in which the Genoese poet deals more or less directly with Shakespearean issues, proving both expert and passionate with regards to the English bard’s work. Yet, the deep influence that Shakespeare’s output has exercised over Montale’s poetry remains surprisingly unexplored by critics. This study therefore intends to bridge a gap in the critical literature on the subject. Through a close reading of Montale’s poetic work, analyzed with reference to both his private and literary experience, this essay will shed full light on the influence of Shakespeare’s work on one of the most representative Italian poets of the last century. It will contribute, through the study of changes in Montale’s reception of Shakespeare, to the understanding of the interaction between the Italian poet’s multifaceted use of the bard’s echoes and the aesthetic and stylistic evolution of his poetry. Furthermore, through the study of the specific nature of the poet’s references to Shakespeare and of the intertextual modalities through which they integrate and operate within the text, this work will prove an important contribution towards a thorough understanding of the deep and complex influence exercised by Shakespeare’s immortal pen over the cultural universe of twentieth century Italy.
“The rest which is not silence": Shakespeare and Eugenio Montale
Caporicci C
2017
Abstract
The fact that Eugenio Montale knew and loved Shakespeare’s work needs no demonstration. Besides several translations of his plays and poems, there are many prose works in which the Genoese poet deals more or less directly with Shakespearean issues, proving both expert and passionate with regards to the English bard’s work. Yet, the deep influence that Shakespeare’s output has exercised over Montale’s poetry remains surprisingly unexplored by critics. This study therefore intends to bridge a gap in the critical literature on the subject. Through a close reading of Montale’s poetic work, analyzed with reference to both his private and literary experience, this essay will shed full light on the influence of Shakespeare’s work on one of the most representative Italian poets of the last century. It will contribute, through the study of changes in Montale’s reception of Shakespeare, to the understanding of the interaction between the Italian poet’s multifaceted use of the bard’s echoes and the aesthetic and stylistic evolution of his poetry. Furthermore, through the study of the specific nature of the poet’s references to Shakespeare and of the intertextual modalities through which they integrate and operate within the text, this work will prove an important contribution towards a thorough understanding of the deep and complex influence exercised by Shakespeare’s immortal pen over the cultural universe of twentieth century Italy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.