Abstract

Mandragola is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance theatre. New editions have been published in recent years, but the characteristic features of Machiavelli’s language use have been given scant attention. To date a comprehensive study of the language used in the play has not been undertaken. The paper reviews recent publications on Machiavelli’s play and the advances made in its study, and examines the key features of its language, namely phonology, morphological flection and derivation, syntax and textuality, lexis and phraseology. It shows that the linguistic features of Machiavelli’s Mandragola can be seen as innovative and could serve as a point of reference for the study of his later plays