Abstract
In this article, I challenge the critical assumption that the Clizia is only a pedestrian imitation of Plautus’ Casina and set out to demonstrate that, drawing heavily on Leon Battista Alberti's household theorization, Machiavelli structured his last play around key Albertian concepts, such as Fortune, marriage, social reputation, and thriftiness. Taking this intertext into account, I argue that Alberti's treaty On Family provides a theoretical framework within which all Clizia's characters move. The play then is not just an imitation of classical models, but also Machiavelli's answer to a hypothetical question: What happens when Fortune causes the Albertian paterfamilias to go suddenly astray? As Machiavelli shows, the household would succumb under Fortune's attacks if it were not for the character of Sofronia, who, adapting to the extraordinary events, becomes a Machiavellian wife to preserve the Albertian family model. Thanks to her amoral tactics, she saves the household from ruin, restores the hierarchical internal division of roles, and even forges a new alliance for the family. Blurring the boundaries between domestic and public sphere, through the Clizia Machiavelli proves that Machiavellianism belongs in the Albertian household.
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