Translation ad spiritum. Euripides’ Orestes and Nicholas Grimald’s Archipropheta (1548)

Jackson, Lucy C.M.M.

doi:10.1515/9783110719185-012

Translation ad spiritum. Euripides’ Orestes and Nicholas Grimald’s Archipropheta (1548)

Jackson, Lucy C.M.M.

Authors

Dr Lucy Jackson lucy.c.jackson@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Classics (Greek Literature)

Contributors

Giovanna Di Martino
Editor

Cécile Dudouyt
Editor

Dr Lucy Jackson lucy.c.jackson@durham.ac.uk
Editor

Abstract

One of two surviving plays by the English sixteenth-century scholar and poet Nicholas Grimald tells the story of John the Baptist’s last days. In many ways this play, the Archipropheta (published in Cologne in 1548), adheres to the trends of Latin drama of the time, drawing on the plays of Plautus and Terence for structure, metre, and tone and taking a well-known biblical story as its focus. What has escaped the notice of scholars so far, however, is the way Grimald’s drama takes inspiration from, and translates ad spiritum, certain aspects of ancient Greek tragedy and one play in particular - Euripides’ Orestes. In this paper I explore the Hellenic attributes of Grimald’s tragedy and show how the Archipropheta would provide a vehicle for Greek tragedy, in subtle and subterranean ways, to haunt the Latin drama of the sixteenth century.

Citation

Jackson, L. C. (2023). Translation ad spiritum. Euripides’ Orestes and Nicholas Grimald’s Archipropheta (1548). In G. Di Martino, C. Dudouyt, & L. C. Jackson (Eds.), Translating Ancient Greek Drama in Early Modern Europe: Theory and Practice (15th–16th Centuries) (207-226). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110719185-012

Online Publication Date	May 22, 2023
Publication Date	2023
Deposit Date	Nov 4, 2022
Publicly Available Date	May 23, 2024
Publisher	De Gruyter
Pages	207-226
Series Title	Trends in Classics - Pathways of Reception
Series Number	5
Book Title	Translating Ancient Greek Drama in Early Modern Europe: Theory and Practice (15th–16th Centuries)
Chapter Number	11
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110719185-012
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1648896