Držićev Gulisav Hrvat
DRŽIĆ’S GULISAV HRVAT

Summary/Abstract: Gulisav Hrvat is in terms of text quantity one of the least represented characters in the comedy Dundo Maroje by Marin Držić. At fi rst glance it may appear that this character only has a dramaturgical function in unraveling the plot focused around the “Roman courtesan” Laura and therefore is not given much a ention in the interpretations of Držić’s opus. This article problematises the broader context of the signifi cance of a seemingly minor dramatic character entrusted with enhancing the comediographic mechanism qui pro quo, indicating the fact that Gulisav Hrvat (Hrvat meaning Croat) is the only character in Vidra’s (the O er’s) dramatic opus given the atribute/name/last name of Croat by the Dubrovnik playwright, and the only character that has a direct connection with northern Croatia. Shedding light on Augusta, Augsburg, the German-Croatian but also Italian ties in a broader even theological context, the authoress fi nds as well the link to Držić’s biography, raising in addition the question of dramaturgical, theatrological, historical and culturological ties in each one of the thirty characters in Dundo Maroje, which makes this play not only the best Croatian comedy of all time but also a multi-layered drama of an epoch.

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