Ulisse a Venezia. Odissea (V, 219-224) nella Rodiana di Andrea Calmo

The comedy Rodiana (Venice 1542), written by Andrea Calmo, opens with a quote in Greek from a passage of the Odyssey, uttered by a doctor from Rhodes. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the historical, linguistic, and cultural context of Venice in the mid-sixteenth century, during which Greeks and Greek language (ancient and spoken) played quite an important role. The analysis of the text allows to identify, albeit under the literary guise, some elements to understand several aspects of daily life in Venice in the age of Tintoretto.