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    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters"
    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters"
    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters"
    Ebook38 pages29 minutes

    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters"

    By Gale and Cengage

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    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateAug 12, 2016
    ISBN9781535817189
    A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters"

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      A Study Guide for Carlo Goldoni's "A Servant of Two Masters" - Gale

      10

      The Servant of Two Masters

      Carlo Goldoni

      C. 1745

      Introduction

      Carlo Goldoni's play The Servant of Two Masters was first written around 1745 and then revised heavily in 1753. However, no definitive information as to its initial performance exists, and several conflicting years during the 1740s are given for the play's original composition. Despite the lack of concrete information on the origin of the work itself, the play has remained a favorite performance piece across Europe and in the United States. It was performed in 2003 at Dorset House School in Bury, Sussex, England, and a 2009 production was staged in Seattle, Washington, by the Seattle Shakespeare Company. The play has remained in print for more than two and a half centuries, and a 2006 edition was released by Broadway Play Publishers.

      The Servant of Two Masters is rooted firmly in the tradition of the commedia dell'arte, a distinctly Italian form of improvisational comedy popularized in the fifteenth century. It is also a love story that hinges upon coincidences, mistaken identities, disguises, and other such intrigues. The central character, Truffaldino, is integral to the series of misunderstandings and situational comedies that ultimately end happily, though they come very close to resulting in tragedy on more than one occasion. This exciting and highly dramatic series of events takes place over the course of only one day. Notably, the play is often described as Shakespearean in its scope and construction. It thus serves beautifully as an example of classic dramatic principles, both in its resemblance to Roman comedies and to Shakespeare's plays.

      Author Biography

      Goldoni was born to an upper-middle-class family in Venice, Italy, on February 25, 1707. His father was a doctor, and his career required the family to move frequently throughout Italy. Though Goldoni initially studied medicine, he soon switched to law, ultimately graduating with his law degree from the University of Padua in 1731. However, from his teenage years, Goldoni was captivated by the theater; he even ran away from home and spent several days with an acting troupe. He also carried on a series of ill-advised love affairs during his youth, many of which even resulted in his expulsion from the various schools he attended. Despite

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