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Korrupsion në pallatin e drejtësisë
Corruzione al Palazzo di giustizia è un dramma in prosa in tre atti del drammaturgo italiano Ugo Betti: è considerata una tra le più celebri opere della produzione dell'autore.
110 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
About the author
Ugo Betti
36 books8 followersUgo Betti was an Italian judge, better known as an author, who is considered by many the greatest Italian playwright next to Pirandello
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 13, 2025
Corruption at the Palace of Justice by Ugo Betti
Very good play set in a familiar territory
Ugo Betti was a judge and he was called the Italian Kafka and the best playwright since Pirandello.
The message of the play hits near home.
I live in a country, much like Italy decades ago, engulfed in corruption, with many of the richest men behind bars because of bribes and kickbacks.
In this play, the corruption has reached the very place where people are supposed to be above suspicion.
The Palace of Justice has problem when a fire is set to destroy documents that would incriminate a rich potentate.
And the trail of evidence reaches the home of the allegedly incorrupt judges and it is clear that one of them has dirty hands.
An inquiry is ordered and questions are asked.
- We can look at the behavior of those among us and the guilty will show signs
- Not necessarily, says another judge
- Take me, I blush and sweat, but that does not mean that I did something wrong
After this dialogue among the judges, evidence is found that one of them has taken money from the rich businessman charged with many crimes
When confronted, the judge played by the fantastic George Constantin says:
- Yes, I received money from him
- Why?
- It turns out he owed my family money
- A large amount?
- Yes, rather
- Had you known about it?
- Well, yes
But the tone is hesitating and we do not feel totally satisfied with the disclaimer.
As the plot develops, this judge refuses to show a petition that is supposed to dissipate suspicions hanging over him and this is when his daughter enters the stage
- I can give you the documents
- But your father says that he does not have them
- He has them, I helped him write for that during a few nights
However, the developments and the lack of care of the judge who is in a way interrogating the young woman make her lose her head so much that she goes over the edge.
Literally she throws herself down the elevator shaft, albeit I thought there might have been foul play involved.
She survives for some time and I will let you find out what happens to the end.
There are some unexpected events in an acclaimed play which is briefly and better presented than I can manage here:
"The Palace of Justice is a metaphor for something larger and more universal. The leprous spot is on all the magistrates. It betrays crimes that are graver than the one that precipitates the inquiry. For what Betti is concerned with are the corruptions in man's mind and spiri...The maturest and deepest play in town." - New York Times
Very good play set in a familiar territory
Ugo Betti was a judge and he was called the Italian Kafka and the best playwright since Pirandello.
The message of the play hits near home.
I live in a country, much like Italy decades ago, engulfed in corruption, with many of the richest men behind bars because of bribes and kickbacks.
In this play, the corruption has reached the very place where people are supposed to be above suspicion.
The Palace of Justice has problem when a fire is set to destroy documents that would incriminate a rich potentate.
And the trail of evidence reaches the home of the allegedly incorrupt judges and it is clear that one of them has dirty hands.
An inquiry is ordered and questions are asked.
- We can look at the behavior of those among us and the guilty will show signs
- Not necessarily, says another judge
- Take me, I blush and sweat, but that does not mean that I did something wrong
After this dialogue among the judges, evidence is found that one of them has taken money from the rich businessman charged with many crimes
When confronted, the judge played by the fantastic George Constantin says:
- Yes, I received money from him
- Why?
- It turns out he owed my family money
- A large amount?
- Yes, rather
- Had you known about it?
- Well, yes
But the tone is hesitating and we do not feel totally satisfied with the disclaimer.
As the plot develops, this judge refuses to show a petition that is supposed to dissipate suspicions hanging over him and this is when his daughter enters the stage
- I can give you the documents
- But your father says that he does not have them
- He has them, I helped him write for that during a few nights
However, the developments and the lack of care of the judge who is in a way interrogating the young woman make her lose her head so much that she goes over the edge.
Literally she throws herself down the elevator shaft, albeit I thought there might have been foul play involved.
She survives for some time and I will let you find out what happens to the end.
There are some unexpected events in an acclaimed play which is briefly and better presented than I can manage here:
"The Palace of Justice is a metaphor for something larger and more universal. The leprous spot is on all the magistrates. It betrays crimes that are graver than the one that precipitates the inquiry. For what Betti is concerned with are the corruptions in man's mind and spiri...The maturest and deepest play in town." - New York Times
October 6, 2024
Dino Buzzati gibi Ugo Betti de "İtalyan Kafka" olarak anılıyormuş; Pirandello'dan sonra en iyi İtalyan tiyatro yazarı olduğu söyleniyor. Orijinal adı "Adalet Sarayında Yolsuzluk" olarak çevrilebilecek bu üç perdelik oyunu bir sahafta bulmuştum. Aynı zamanda bir hukukçu olan Betti, bu oyunda rüşvet alan bir hakimi bulmak için müfettişçe yürütülen bir soruşturmayı ele alıyor; sonra bu soruşturma insan vicdanı üstüne felsefi tartışmalara dönüşüyor. Ana tema güzel ama çeviride artık kullanılmayan eski kelimeler ve baskı hataları olduğu için, incecik kitabı zar zor bitirdim. Umarım yeni bir çevirisi yapılır.
October 24, 2025
(The Italian-language edition I read is not listed on this site. It is copyright 1961 by S. F. Vanni publishers in NYC and has no ISBN.)
Ugo Betti (1892—1953) is sometimes cited as the greatest Italian playwright after Pirandello.
This from Wikipedia: "His works explore the nature of evil, the existential guilt experienced by his protagonists, and the theme of redemption. Sometimes referred to as 'the Italian Kafka,' the criminal investigation is a characteristic motif in his plays."
I question that ranking of Betti second to Pirandello, and would instead rank Betti after Dario Fo (1926—2016). Fo was far more prolific, far more well known, and was the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. (My opinion seems to be confirmed here on this site: Betti's "Corruzione al Palazzo di Giustizia" has received 41 ratings so far, prior to mine, while Fo's "Morte accidentale di un anarchico" currently has 6,058 ratings.)
Saving Fo for another time and returning to the play at hand, I recently reread "Corruzione al Palazzo di Giustizia" (written in 1944-45), which is considered Betti's masterpiece.
This is how Dr. Vincent Luciani, professor of Romance Languages at The City College in New York, summarized the plot (spoilers) back in 1961:
"A crime has been committed within the sacred precincts of a courthouse. Suspicion points to one of the judges themselves, and a probe is instituted by a superior tribunal. The retiring chief justice Vanan, weary and almost senile, is entreated by his loving and trusting daughter Elena to submit a memorial [a memo, a report] attesting to his innocence and naming the real culprit, Judge Cust. The latter worms his way into Elena's confidence, gets hold of the memorial, and so undermines her faith in her father that, utterly crushed in spirit, she takes her life. A false confession by a dying judge, Croz, absolves all his colleagues. Cust is promoted to chief justice, but he cannot escape the verdict of his conscience. The suicide of Elena has so shaken him that he confesses his guilt to the Grand Inquisitor." Professor Luciani goes on to say "In this superb drama the atmosphere of corruption is brilliantly evoked, the suspense is carefully built, and the characters — Elena, Vanan, the perfidious Cust, the sardonic Croz — are all ably portrayed."
To be honest, my opinion of this work is to be taken with the understanding that I rarely read plays. (Mostly novels, sometimes short stories, rarely memoirs or biographies, and almost never poetry.)
I made an exception for this work because it's a fundamental piece of Italian literature, by an important author, and the work definitely gives insight into Italian culture. It also happens to be an entertaining and intriguing investigation of human nature in general. If I had to come up with a list of the 100 essential works one should read to understand Italian culture, I'm pretty sure this would make the cut, but towards the bottom of that list, given that Italian literature is so vast and rich. I'd read it once decades ago, but had little recollection of the plot. Honestly, I was expecting (hoping for) a more biting, sarcastic, ironic tone, but I guess that's more Dario Fo's department).
I'm giving this 5 stars because it's a solid classic of Italian lit, but based on my personal enjoyment of the work, I'd give it 3.5 stars.
Ugo Betti (1892—1953) is sometimes cited as the greatest Italian playwright after Pirandello.
This from Wikipedia: "His works explore the nature of evil, the existential guilt experienced by his protagonists, and the theme of redemption. Sometimes referred to as 'the Italian Kafka,' the criminal investigation is a characteristic motif in his plays."
I question that ranking of Betti second to Pirandello, and would instead rank Betti after Dario Fo (1926—2016). Fo was far more prolific, far more well known, and was the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. (My opinion seems to be confirmed here on this site: Betti's "Corruzione al Palazzo di Giustizia" has received 41 ratings so far, prior to mine, while Fo's "Morte accidentale di un anarchico" currently has 6,058 ratings.)
Saving Fo for another time and returning to the play at hand, I recently reread "Corruzione al Palazzo di Giustizia" (written in 1944-45), which is considered Betti's masterpiece.
This is how Dr. Vincent Luciani, professor of Romance Languages at The City College in New York, summarized the plot (spoilers) back in 1961:
"A crime has been committed within the sacred precincts of a courthouse. Suspicion points to one of the judges themselves, and a probe is instituted by a superior tribunal. The retiring chief justice Vanan, weary and almost senile, is entreated by his loving and trusting daughter Elena to submit a memorial [a memo, a report] attesting to his innocence and naming the real culprit, Judge Cust. The latter worms his way into Elena's confidence, gets hold of the memorial, and so undermines her faith in her father that, utterly crushed in spirit, she takes her life. A false confession by a dying judge, Croz, absolves all his colleagues. Cust is promoted to chief justice, but he cannot escape the verdict of his conscience. The suicide of Elena has so shaken him that he confesses his guilt to the Grand Inquisitor." Professor Luciani goes on to say "In this superb drama the atmosphere of corruption is brilliantly evoked, the suspense is carefully built, and the characters — Elena, Vanan, the perfidious Cust, the sardonic Croz — are all ably portrayed."
To be honest, my opinion of this work is to be taken with the understanding that I rarely read plays. (Mostly novels, sometimes short stories, rarely memoirs or biographies, and almost never poetry.)
I made an exception for this work because it's a fundamental piece of Italian literature, by an important author, and the work definitely gives insight into Italian culture. It also happens to be an entertaining and intriguing investigation of human nature in general. If I had to come up with a list of the 100 essential works one should read to understand Italian culture, I'm pretty sure this would make the cut, but towards the bottom of that list, given that Italian literature is so vast and rich. I'd read it once decades ago, but had little recollection of the plot. Honestly, I was expecting (hoping for) a more biting, sarcastic, ironic tone, but I guess that's more Dario Fo's department).
I'm giving this 5 stars because it's a solid classic of Italian lit, but based on my personal enjoyment of the work, I'd give it 3.5 stars.
July 30, 2017
Non amo il teatro
E non amo particolarmente i copioni di teatro. Per cui, pur non essendo decisamente il mio genere, l'ho trovato interessante.
E non amo particolarmente i copioni di teatro. Per cui, pur non essendo decisamente il mio genere, l'ho trovato interessante.
February 18, 2023
Lo lessi all'epoca di tangentopoli e, nonostante fosse stato scritto quasi cinquant'anni prima, lo trovai estremamente attuale ed avvincente
October 1, 2025
على كل إنسان أن يحك جَرَبَه بنفسه
August 17, 2024
Quella pazza della nostra Professoressa alle medie voleva farcelo portare in scena per fine anno, il progetto è fallito ma non me ne stupisco. Un testo molto bello ma troppo impegnato per una rappresentazione a 14 anni... un ricordo particolare però!
January 15, 2018
Molto amaro e purtroppo sempre d’attualità. E’ un pezzo teatrale e il dialogo mi ha reso un po’ difficile la lettura.
May 28, 2023
'Lasciamo che il corpo almeno sia soltanto dei vermi, pei quali tutti i volti sono uguali'
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews