Francesco Nevizzano's Iliad: Eloquence and Literariness

Abstract

Francesco Nevizzano’s Iliad represents a significant example of the vernacularization of classical texts in Sixteenth-century Italy. This partial version of the Homeric poem, authored by a relatively obscure writer, is characterized by a constant dialogue with the Latin and Italian traditions and, above all, by an interpretation that is less strictly bound to the original. This article examines the strategies employed by Nevizzano in translating the first five books of the Iliad using endecasillabi sciolti, highlighting the process of rewriting the episodes of the Trojan War and the narrative sequences to adapt the text for a Sixteenth-century audience. First, the analysis focuses on the structural modifications introduced by the translator, including the different division of the books, the reworking of divine interventions in human affairs, and the redefinition of Hector’s role. Then, references to vernacular literature – particularly Dante, Petrarch, and Ariosto – emerge, contributing to the integration of the work into the broader cultural landscape of the Renaissance.