Alle origini del mito letterario di Maria Stuarda in Italia

This thesis analyses the pre-literary origins and the artistic development in Italy of the character of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, during the XVIth century and shows how her story soon developed into a myth. I have examined in particular the late Sixteenth-century Italian ambassadorial dispatches, early chronicles and historical materials of various kind that had never been considered together in any critical study. These early written testimonies of Mary Stuart’s story constitute the fertile ground from which the subsequent literary image of the Scottish Queen rose and prospered. Those texts, generally neglected by the critics, and in some cases existing only in manuscripted versions or rare prints, have been systematically analaysed and compared, with the aim to identify the most relevant and recurring themes and motifs, and discover the various phases of the artistic process which led to the creation of the literary myth. The research reveals how and to which extent Italy was involved in the political and religious debate in which Mary Stuart acted as a protagonist and how her image was received, understood and shaped in the Italian culture of the Sixteenth century.