L'attesa del re. Note per una lettura del Demetrio di Metastasio

Abstract

The essay offers a close reading of Demetrius, the first play written by Pietro Metastasio for the court of Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg. Starting from the testimonies about the success at the debut, the contribution focuses on the analysis of the structure, the themes and the main characters of the work. The importance of waiting is therefore highlighted, as the object of the play, as a dramaturgical technique, and as a means of guiding the audience’s reception of the text.