Ethos in the Theatre de divers cerveaux du monde by Tommaso Garzoni Based on the French Translation by Gabriel Chappuys

Abstract

This article explores the question of ethos in Theatre de diverses cerveaux du monde, text written in 1583 by Tommaso Garzoni and three years later translated from Italian into French by Gabriel Chappuys. The book is a collection of satirical speeches, in which the author praises or condemns different types of “brains”, i.e. character traits. The ethos, or the author’s self-creation in the work, takes a very specific form; it is not only the man of letters who speaks, but also the Theatre that appeals to its spectators. The allegory of the theatre used by Garzoni introduces a satirical dimension, which becomes a tool to criticise certain attitudes. In Chappuys’ translation the book acquires a new dimension; not only satirical, as in the Italian work, but also moral.