Machiavelli's 1525 comedy — adapted from Plautus's Casina — about an aging Florentine (Nicomaco) who competes with his own son for a young ward, demonstrating that passion makes fools of men regardless of age and wisdom.
Shows the counterpoint to Machiavelli's political virtuosity — when passion overwhelms reason, even the prudent man becomes ridiculous — and the autobiographical element (Machiavelli's own passion for Barbera Salutati) makes Clizia a self-aware comedy about the limits of political wisdom.
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