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Romeo and Juliet: A New English Translation by Michael Curtotti English-Italian Parallel Edition
217 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2023
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About the author
Matteo Bandello
311 books2 followersMatteo Bandello (c. 1480–1562) was an Italian writer, mostly known for his novellas.
Matteo Bandello was born at Castelnuovo Scrivia, near Tortona (current Piedmont), c. 1480. He received a good education, and entered the church, but does not seem to have been very interested in theology. For many years he lived at Mantua and Castel Goffredo, and superintended the education of the celebrated Lucrezia Gonzaga, in whose honour he composed a long poem. The decisive Battle of Pavia, as a result of which Lombardy was taken by the emperor, compelled Bandello to flee; his house at Milan was burnt and his property confiscated. He took refuge with Cesare Fregoso, an Italian general in the French service, whom he accompanied into France.
He was later raised to the bishopric of Agen, a town in which he resided for many years before his death in 1562. Bandello wrote a number of poems, but his fame rests entirely on his extensive collection of Novelle, or tales (1554, 1573), which have been extremely popular. They belong to the same genre as Boccaccio’s Decameron and Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron. The common origin of them all is to be found in the old French fabliaux[citation needed], though some well-known tales are evidently Eastern, and others classical. Bandello’s novellas are thought the best of those written in imitation of the Decameron, though Italian critics find fault with them for negligence and inelegance of style.
The stories on which William Shakespeare based several of his plays (Much Ado about Nothing, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night in particular) were supplied by Bandello, probably through Belleforest and Pierre Boaistuau whose stories were later translated into English by William Paynter and included in his The Palace of Pleasure. Another of his stories includes "The countess of Cellant", a distortion of Challand, a northwest region of Italy.
French language record: Mathieu Bandel
Matteo Bandello was born at Castelnuovo Scrivia, near Tortona (current Piedmont), c. 1480. He received a good education, and entered the church, but does not seem to have been very interested in theology. For many years he lived at Mantua and Castel Goffredo, and superintended the education of the celebrated Lucrezia Gonzaga, in whose honour he composed a long poem. The decisive Battle of Pavia, as a result of which Lombardy was taken by the emperor, compelled Bandello to flee; his house at Milan was burnt and his property confiscated. He took refuge with Cesare Fregoso, an Italian general in the French service, whom he accompanied into France.
He was later raised to the bishopric of Agen, a town in which he resided for many years before his death in 1562. Bandello wrote a number of poems, but his fame rests entirely on his extensive collection of Novelle, or tales (1554, 1573), which have been extremely popular. They belong to the same genre as Boccaccio’s Decameron and Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron. The common origin of them all is to be found in the old French fabliaux[citation needed], though some well-known tales are evidently Eastern, and others classical. Bandello’s novellas are thought the best of those written in imitation of the Decameron, though Italian critics find fault with them for negligence and inelegance of style.
The stories on which William Shakespeare based several of his plays (Much Ado about Nothing, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night in particular) were supplied by Bandello, probably through Belleforest and Pierre Boaistuau whose stories were later translated into English by William Paynter and included in his The Palace of Pleasure. Another of his stories includes "The countess of Cellant", a distortion of Challand, a northwest region of Italy.
French language record: Mathieu Bandel
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 22, 2023
Before Shakespeare, Matteo Bandello penned the original inspiration behind Romeo and Juliet. Now, Bandello’s authentic 16th century story is translated and presented in modern format, unveiling the clear beauty of his writing.
This gorgeous translation of Bandello's novella is a jewel for Shakespeare enthusiasts. It's unfortunate that the afterword questions whether Shakespeare can be said to have authored the play "Romeo and Juliet," since he didn't invent the plot. But literature isn't plot—it's expression. I can plot a novel in 20 minutes, but a hundred different authors would create a hundred unique novels from that plot. Shakespeare's play is beloved because of the text, the beautiful poetry, the expression of the idea, not the idea itself.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This gorgeous translation of Bandello's novella is a jewel for Shakespeare enthusiasts. It's unfortunate that the afterword questions whether Shakespeare can be said to have authored the play "Romeo and Juliet," since he didn't invent the plot. But literature isn't plot—it's expression. I can plot a novel in 20 minutes, but a hundred different authors would create a hundred unique novels from that plot. Shakespeare's play is beloved because of the text, the beautiful poetry, the expression of the idea, not the idea itself.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
March 4, 2024
Romeo and Juliet: New English Translation | Michael Curtotti | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Romeo & Juliet, the tragic tale of two ill-fated young lovers succumbing to cruel and meaningless human rivalry, has captured the imagination of all sorts of creative minds for centuries, resulting in a multitude of adaptation in various medium.
However, due to an abject lack of knowledge and disregard for the original source texts in popular history, I had attributed it to be solely the work of William Shakespeare.
Despite several clues, I was completely oblivious of the fact that this originally Italian tale have traversed oceans and countries and languages to finally land on English shores, which Shakespeare adapted for the London stage with his utmost brilliance.
In modern parlance this is what we would have perhaps referred to as adapted screenplay or dramatization for the stage.
The version of the story by Matteo Bandello, which has been translated by Curtotti here, is the text that Shakespeare seems to have followed for his adaptation.
Translation is a treacherous path to tread: capturing the essence of art created in a particular language by pouring it into the vessel of another, is a painstakingly arduous task that very few exel in.
Just by dint of the finesse, sophistication yet accessibility of the prose, one can easily gauge how wonderfully this task has been accomplished by Curtotti.
However, this indeed is not just a work of translation, but a most fascinating and enriching read which provides meticulously analysed act by act comparisons between Bandello's and Shakespeare's texts, a diligent mapping of character names used, long and detailed commentaries rooted in tedious academic research along with copious amounts of footnotes elaborating on the historical contexts.
This needs to reach more people so that due credit can be bestowed upon the rightful brilliant minds spanning generations and nations whose collective genius have culminated in creating such timeless masterpieces.
I would urge you to read this if only to be filled with wonderment at how altered history and colonial prowess have successfully suppressed facts and blinded our collective consciousness.
Romeo & Juliet, the tragic tale of two ill-fated young lovers succumbing to cruel and meaningless human rivalry, has captured the imagination of all sorts of creative minds for centuries, resulting in a multitude of adaptation in various medium.
However, due to an abject lack of knowledge and disregard for the original source texts in popular history, I had attributed it to be solely the work of William Shakespeare.
Despite several clues, I was completely oblivious of the fact that this originally Italian tale have traversed oceans and countries and languages to finally land on English shores, which Shakespeare adapted for the London stage with his utmost brilliance.
In modern parlance this is what we would have perhaps referred to as adapted screenplay or dramatization for the stage.
The version of the story by Matteo Bandello, which has been translated by Curtotti here, is the text that Shakespeare seems to have followed for his adaptation.
Translation is a treacherous path to tread: capturing the essence of art created in a particular language by pouring it into the vessel of another, is a painstakingly arduous task that very few exel in.
Just by dint of the finesse, sophistication yet accessibility of the prose, one can easily gauge how wonderfully this task has been accomplished by Curtotti.
However, this indeed is not just a work of translation, but a most fascinating and enriching read which provides meticulously analysed act by act comparisons between Bandello's and Shakespeare's texts, a diligent mapping of character names used, long and detailed commentaries rooted in tedious academic research along with copious amounts of footnotes elaborating on the historical contexts.
This needs to reach more people so that due credit can be bestowed upon the rightful brilliant minds spanning generations and nations whose collective genius have culminated in creating such timeless masterpieces.
I would urge you to read this if only to be filled with wonderment at how altered history and colonial prowess have successfully suppressed facts and blinded our collective consciousness.
November 26, 2023
I'm all for this idea of translating some of the sources that sit behind Shakespeare but it's also misleading to have positioned Bandello's novella as 'the' source for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet when it's actually only one of a chain of stories that help form Shakespeare's plot.
The classical myths of Pyramus and Thisbe, and Hero and Leander already combine the elements of the love and death of a pair of young lovers and, earlier than Bandello, we have versions of the Romeo story by Salernitano and da Porta - Bandello is a later re-teller though certainly translations of his work by Boaistuau and then an English translation of Boaistuaua have been generally regarded as direct sources for Shakespeare. It's just more complicated than this book reveals and is indicative of how this is a book aimed at a general popular audience without the necessary scholarly background and academic rigour that we'd expect when discussing Shakespeare's sources.
The story itself is certainly worth reading to see the outlines of the familiar plot and how Shakespeare developed it (Bandello's 'Juliet' is 17, not 13 as Shakespeare makes her so it's worth thinking why and what the effect is) but, again, the translation is simplified and differences smoothed out by the characters being given Shakespeare's names, not those of Bandello's original.
So definitely a project I'd support and interesting for a general audience - but it's just worth being aware that this is offering a fore-shortened, more simple, and not completely accurate picture of the sources behind Shakespeare.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
The classical myths of Pyramus and Thisbe, and Hero and Leander already combine the elements of the love and death of a pair of young lovers and, earlier than Bandello, we have versions of the Romeo story by Salernitano and da Porta - Bandello is a later re-teller though certainly translations of his work by Boaistuau and then an English translation of Boaistuaua have been generally regarded as direct sources for Shakespeare. It's just more complicated than this book reveals and is indicative of how this is a book aimed at a general popular audience without the necessary scholarly background and academic rigour that we'd expect when discussing Shakespeare's sources.
The story itself is certainly worth reading to see the outlines of the familiar plot and how Shakespeare developed it (Bandello's 'Juliet' is 17, not 13 as Shakespeare makes her so it's worth thinking why and what the effect is) but, again, the translation is simplified and differences smoothed out by the characters being given Shakespeare's names, not those of Bandello's original.
So definitely a project I'd support and interesting for a general audience - but it's just worth being aware that this is offering a fore-shortened, more simple, and not completely accurate picture of the sources behind Shakespeare.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews