A vivid literary gure, with many gaps in his biography, and primar- ily a conspiratorial letter found in 1938, are the reasons why Marin Držić is today seen by some as having been a restless adventurer who was constantly chasing money, and as a rebel who fought for a more just world. The greatest representative of Dubrovnik’s Renaissance literature and one of the greatest comedy writers of the Yugoslav region, Držić was an adven- turous spirit who was particularly talent- ed at noticing social phenomena and re- lationships between people. His ancestors were nobles who relocat- ed from Kotor to Dubrovnik in the 12 th cen- tury and spent the next two centuries hold- ing various functions in the city state’s civil service. However, the family was left impov- erished at the beginning of the 16 th century, which is most likely why the young Marin turned to the calling of the priesthood. How- ever, according to the essence of his nature, Držić had nothing in common with the priest- hood, and after the family’s nancial collapse in 1538, with help granted to him, he head- ed to Siena to study. There Držić is presumed to have rst studied law, literature and philosophy, but he preferred enjoying himself to studying. He entertained his colleagues, becoming very popular, and was selected as the adminis- trator of the student dormitory, whilst simul- taneously serving as the vice-chancellor of the entire Siena University. As the rebel that he was, he was pun- ished at that time – admittedly only with a warning – for playing the main character in a banned play in a private home. FINANCIALLY POOR, SPIRITUALLY RICH It was at the beginning of 1545 that Marin returned to his native Dubrovnik, and did so without completing his studies, with- out earning any title or diploma. Witty and always ready for jest, he became a favourite gure in his city. Over the next twenty years – as long as he remained in Dubrovnik Držić struggled with debts and shortages, shifting between di erent poor paying jobs. How- ever, those years also represented the most fruitful period of his literary and theatre cre- ation. Fortunately, it became clear that Držić had genius within him, and that he was born to create masterpieces, with comedy and sarcasm as his weapons. Speci cally, Držić’s world of comedies comprises people from all walks of life, with peasants, servants, courtesans, trad- ers and nobles. He placed ordinary people above the landed gentry on the social lad-
TAJNA VEZA SA LABUDOM SA EJVONA Iako je Vilijam Šekspir imao samo tri godine kada je Držić zavr- šio svoj vek u Veneciji i iako je Dundo Maroje napisan 13 godina pre nego što je Šekspir rođen, legenda kaže da je čuveni Labud sa Ejvona mogao da zna za Držićeva dela. Naime, jedan Ma- rinov rođak se navodno preselio u London i tada je sa sobom poneo Držićeve komedije. Neki kažu da ih je prevodio Šekspiru, kome su postale inspiracija za San letnje noći . Mada je ova pri- ča najverovatnije samo maštarija, zanimljiva je i sama pomisao da je Šekspir možda čitao ono što je napisao Marin Držić. SECRET RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SWAN OF AVON Although William Shakespeare was only three years old when Držić succumbed in Venice, and although “Uncle Maroje” was written 13 years before Shakespeare was even born, legend has it that the famous Swan of Avon could have known about Držić’s works. Namely, one of Marin’s cousin allegedly moved to London and tbrought Držić’s comedies with him. Some say that they were translated by Shakespeare, for whom they became an inspiration for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. And although this story is prob- ably just wishful thinking, the very idea that Shakespeare may have read what Marin Držić wrote is interesting nevertheless.
HE DAREN’T EVEN THINK OF DUBROVNIK
Through his works, he expressed his complex attitude towards his hometown – he both loved and resented Dubrovnik. The city is magical and idyllic, but also a city with a limited administration, a city run by“20 cra- zy freaks”. And Držić wanted to change that. Due to his dissatisfaction with the so- cial situation in Dubrovnik, particularly the work of the Senate, and his desire to resolve his material shortages, he became a con- spirator. When he travelled to Florence in 1566, he sought the assistance of Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in bringing down the aristocratic government in Dubrovnik. Držić desired a coup against the Senate, after which power would be shared equally by the gentry and the citizenry, and in return Medici would have the last word in the city. Marin didn’t receive the response he hoped for and after this he moved to Venice. There he became the chaplain of the Vene- tian Archdiocese, a position he continued to hold until his death in 1567. He was buried in the Basilica of Saints John and Paul. He died in a foreign country, never daring to consider returning to his beloved Dubrovnik. Five centuries on, Marin Držić remains the favourite son of Dubrovnik, the greatest Renaissance writer from this area. His works, which are still studied in schools and colleg- es, as well as the institutions and events es- tablished in his honour, testify to the great- ness of his creative opus, which still lives on today.
der, and presented reality as it truly is, al- ways through sharp criticism and satire. Apart from his comedies eliciting laughs, he also ridiculed tasteless entertainment, in his Novela od Stanca, boastful soldiers, in Arkulin, abandoned young men and powerless fathers, in Uncle Maroje, and skinints, in The Miser. He found his topics in his everyday en- vironment, but also inspiration for his char- acters, who are alive and thus memorable.
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