This is the first edition since its original publication of Daniel Heinsius’ Latin tragedy
Auriacus, sive Libertas saucia (Orange, or Liberty Wounded, 1602), with an introduction, a parallel English translation, and a commentary. Centering on the assassination of William of Orange, one of the leaders of the Dutch Revolt against King Philip II of Spain,
Auriacus was Heinsius’ history drama, with which he aimed to raise Dutch drama to the level of classical drama. Highly influential, the tragedy contributed to the construction of a national identity in the Low Countries and launched Heinsius’ long career as an internationally celebrated poet and professor at Leiden University.
Jan Bloemendal (PhD 1997), Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands and Ruhr-University Bochum specializes in Neo-Latin Studies, in particular Erasmus, the dynamics between Latin and the vernaculars, and early modern drama.
“The present edition is not merely a monumental study of one hitherto overlooked crucial play by a major figure in European letters. Its aesthetic vitality and political acuity open the door to a full-scale reconsideration of early modern European drama in Latin and in the vernacular languages, and further reassessment of seventeenth-century neo-Latin verse.”
Nigel Smith, Princeton University
Acknowledgments Abbreviations
Introduction 1
Life and Work of Daniel Heinsius till 1602 2
Genesis and Printing of Auriacus and Its Performance 3
The Political-Historical Context 4
The Literary Context 5
Summary and Structure 6
Characters 7
Style 8
Metres 9
Reception of Auriacus 10
This Edition
Text and Translation Conspectus Siglorum Daniel Heinsius, Auriacus
Commentary
Appendix I: Paratexts to Auriacus and Texts from the Iambi Added to the Play, and From Heinsius’ Seneca Edition (1601) Relevant for Auriacus Appendix II: Texts Regarding the Reception of Auriacus Index
Neo-Latinists, those interested in early modern drama, and (literary) history of the Low Countries and its relation to other European countries. Keywords: drama, neo-Latin, literature, early modern period.