''Aminta'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

written by

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

in 1573, represented during a garden party at the court of Ferrara. Both the actors and the public were noble persons living at the Court, who could understand subtle allusions the poet made to that style of life, in contrast with the life of shepherds, represented in an idyllic way.

Text

The text is written in hendecasyllabic and

septenary There are many different numeral systems, that is, writing systems for expressing numbers. By culture / time period By type of notation Numeral systems are classified here as to whether they use positional notation (also known as place-valu ...

verses; it is divided into five acts. The play has a pastoral theme, and is set in the time of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. The characters are shepherds and nymphs. The story is about Aminta's love for the beautiful nymph Silvia, who does not return his attentions and prefers hunting. She risks rape at the hands of a

Satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...

but Aminta saves her; however, again she flees from him. Aminta, finding her blood-stained veil, attempts to kill himself. Now Silvia is remorseful, comes back to cry over Aminta's body who is still alive, and the two can happily marry, following the advice that older and wiser friends had been giving them.

Musical settings

It was the basis for several

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

librettos, such as: * The libretto by

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...

on which Mozart based his opera ''

Il re pastore ' (''The Shepherd King'') is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Metastasio, edited by Giambattista Varesco. It is an opera seria. The opera was first performed on 23 April 1775 in Salzburg in the Ritt ...

'' (Salzburg, 1775) * The libretto by

on which Antonio Mazzoni based his opera ''Aminta, il re pastore'' (Madrid, 1756) * The plot of Delibes' ballet '' Sylvia'', as re-written by

Jules Barbier Paul Jules Barbier (8 March 182516 January 1901) was a French poet, writer and opera librettist who often wrote in collaboration with Michel Carré. He was a noted Parisian bon vivant and man of letters.phonautogram of the play's opening lines is the oldest known audible record of human speech.

Translations into English

''Aminta, the Famous Pastoral, translated into English verse, with divers Ingenious Poems''
Trans. John Dancer. London: John Starkey, 1660.
''Amyntas, A Tale of the Woods''
Trans.

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...

. London: T. and J. Allman, 1820.
''Aminta: A Pastoral Play''
Trans. Charles Jernigan and Irene Marchegani Jones. New York: Italica Press, 2000.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Brand, Peter (2002)
"Aminta"
In Hainsworth, Peter and Robey, David (eds.). ''The Oxford Companion to Italian Literature''. Oxford University Press. * Patterson, Michael (2015)
"Aminta"
In ''The Oxford Dictionary of Plays''. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press.

External links

* * * Hayward, Malcoln (1997)

Retrieved 10 April 2022. {{Authority control 1573 plays Italian plays Torquato Tasso