The Death and Apotheosis of Hercules at the Comédie-Italienne: from Senecan Tragedy to Commedia dell'Arte

The article discusses Luigi Riccoboni’s Ercole/Hercule, first staged in Paris in 1717. A peculiar tragicomical rewriting of the events surrounding the death and apotheosis of Hercules, the play stands at the crossroads between different theatrical genres and traditions. The article examines the redevelopment and combining of Classical models (the Senecan tragedies Hercules furens and Hercules Oetaeus, and Ovid) and the blending of themes, characters and dramaturgical solutions inspired by the tradition of commedia dell’arte.