Some adaptations of Držić's comedies »Dundo Maroje« and »Skup«

Abstract

The author’s critical approach deals with the stage adaptations of Držić’s comedies by Marko Fotez, which achieved a considerable success in our and foreign productions. The author agrees that some adjustments of Držić’s comedies Dundo Maroje and Skup are necessary to a certain degree because of the removed time of action as w ell as the local setting. He tries to define the limits of rendering as to preserve the essence of the literary work in question. Analysing Fotez’s adaptations of Dundo Maroje and Skup in comparison with Držić’s original text, the author comes to the conclusion that the adaptor has in some cases of graver omissions exceeded the permitted limit. Although Fotez’s adaptations rediscovered Marin Držić for the modern stage, they are far from ideal. In spite of some successful parts, as a whole they are more in the style of the common Italian type of Renaissance comedy. In many instances, though unconsciously, the adapted comedies have been deprived of Držić’s original and essential rendering of Dubrovnik.