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 and support of Nicia; Ligurio convinces Frate Timoteo of the advantageous aspects of his ploy; Frate Timoteo and Sostrata seek to persuade Lucrezia; Callimaco pressures Nicia; and so on. In each of these examples, the characters use elaborate and insincere language in order to persuade one another. Dramatist Machiavelli incorporates the traditional functions of classical rhetoric-reason ("logos"), character ("ethos") and emotion ("pathos")- into the play to collectively build a vivid, as well as subtlety instructive experience for his audience. In "Mandragola", Ligurio is the mastermind behind the manipulation, the root of the play's dramatic deception. Many scholars have interpreted Ligurio,