SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR ERNESTO ROSSI IN THE SOUTHERN BALKAN PENINSULA: THE RECEPTION OF HIS CRAFTSMANSHIP IN THE MODERN GREEK STATE
SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR ERNESTO ROSSI IN THE SOUTHERN BALKAN PENINSULA: THE RECEPTION OF HIS CRAFTSMANSHIP IN THE MODERN GREEK STATE

Summary/Abstract: The essay examines the passage of the famous Italian actor through the Balkan Peninsula and particularly in the capital of Athens, Greece, during 1889, and the impact of his performances on the Greek audience and artists. The most significant aspect of his advent to the Greek State was the rediscovery and reevaluation of Shakespeare, as well as the setting of the star phenomenon in Greece at the end of the century. Moreover, Rossi’s interpretations in the Athenian capital set forth a better reception of the acting profession in this southern Balkan area as well as a theoretical discussion on the actor’s art. The Shakespearean model was further connected to ancient Greek masterpieces, serving in this way to the shaping of Modern Greek national identity, which at the time was seeking its formation between Europe and its ancient past.

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