L’immagine di Bona Sforza nella letteratura teatrale polacca
The Image of Queen Bona in Polish Drama

Summary/Abstract: The article presents literary image of queen Bona appearing in Polish nineteenth and twentieth century drama and makes an attempt at explaining the reasons for painting such an image. The action of the majority of plays discussed (written in the nineteenthand the beginning of the twentieth century) was inspired by the stormy course of marriage between Sigismund Augustus and Barbara Radziwiłł while Bona, as a character depicted in dark colours, was opposed to excessively idealised Barbara. The queen from the Sforza family was shown as a woman blinded by hatred, power-thirsty, a cunning and unscrupulous plotter, pitiless poisoner, foreigner acting against the interests of Poles and implementing the controversial teaching of her countryman Machiavelli. The negative and historically false image became blurred with the passage of years to change radically as result of a more critical attitude to Barbara in the literary works written after the Second World War. From a bad monarch wishing Poland ill, Bona turned to a wise ruler and far-sighted politician defending the interest of her second homeland. The article discusses separately radically differing images of queen Bona outlined in two dramas set in Bari and not inspired by Sigismund Augustus’ marriage. Additionally the stage history of one of the dramas is presented.

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