About the work
Dundo Maroje is a comedy by the Dubrovnik poet and playwright Marin Držić. It premiered during Carnival 1551 in the council hall of the Republic of Ragusa, performed by the theatre troupe Pomet-družina, and is considered Držić's principal work.
Plot
Wealthy, miserly Dubrovnik merchant Dundo Maroje travels to Rome to bring his son Maro to his senses: instead of trading cloth in Ancona as instructed, the young man squandered his father's money on a life of luxury and the courtesan Laura. Maroje's cunning servant Pomet Trpeza pulls the strings behind the scenes and eventually reveals that Laura is in truth Mandalijena, the daughter of a wealthy Dubrovnik merchant.
Cultural significance
Blending Italian Renaissance comedy with satire of Dubrovnik society, Dundo Maroje is regarded as the outstanding comedy of Croatian Renaissance theatre, and its trickster-servant Pomet Trpeza remains one of the most influential characters in Croatian literature. The play only returned to the stage in a celebrated 1938 production and has since become a staple of Croatian theatre, including the Dubrovnik Summer Festival.