Andria (Machiavelli) Andria (Machiavelli) Andria is the first play written by Niccolò Machiavelli, published in the period 1517-1520. It is a translation of a play written by the Latin comedy writer Terence, who had originally taken it from the Greek dramatist Menander. It is one of the examples of Machiavelli as a comedy writer, along with "The Mandrake" and the "Clizia". The play has been considered by some scholars semi-autobiographical. The story is about an old man, Simone, who wants his son, Panfilo, to marry Filumena, the daughter of his neighbour Cremete. Panfilo has, however, a secret love affair with Glicerio, a
Machiavelli as a dramatist success, instead of punishing them with failure. In "Mandragola", trickery is employed as a tool for fulfilling the desires of the characters. The characters also exploit one another's desires in order to achieve their personal goals. Machiavelli uses stock figures as a way of explaining political themes and satirizing familiar societal elements. Machiavelli establishes persuasion as the center of almost every scene by embedding rhetoric into the character dialogue. Rhetoric is implemented in the interactions of the theatrical characters from the start to the finish of the play: Ligurio fuels Callimaco's anticipation and hope concerning Lucrezia; Ligurio wins the trust