L’attore al vaglio della scienza. Qualche annotazione su patologia e teatro

Abstract

This essay examines the intersections between medical science and acting practice in late-nineteenth-century Italian theatre, shifting the focus from scientific readings of dramatic texts to the performative dimension. The rise of naturalism fostered a systematic dialogue between clinical observation and character construction, exemplified by the experience of Ermete Zacconi, who employed medical sources to shape his interpretations—particularly that of Osvald in Ghosts. Critical and medical reception alike confirm the theatre as a space for the representation of pathology. At the same time, Eleonora Duse’s acting demonstrates how contemporary psychiatric models influenced both the perception of the actor and her performance style.