The Master of Verona

Copyright © 2012, David Blixt

For Jan —

"I shall live in thy heart,

die in thy lap,

and be buried in thy eyes…"

Table of Contents

Dramatis Personae

Maps

Prologue

Act I
The Arena

Act II
The Horse Palio

Act III
The Duel

Act IV
The Exiles

Act V
The Feud

Epilogue

Post Script

Dramatis Personae

* denotes a character recorded by history

† denotes a character from Shakespeare

Francesco '
Cangrande
' della Scala*
–
Ruler of Verona

Giovanna of Svevia *
–
Cangrande's wife, great-grand-daughter of Frederick II

Franceschino
'Cecchino'
della Scala
*
—
nephew to Cangrande

Federigo della Scala * —
Cangrande's cousin

Alberto II della Scala *
—
Cangrande's nephew, brother of Mastino, b. 1306

Mastino II della Scala
†
*
—
Cangrande's nephew, brother of Alberto, b. 1308

Francesco
'Cesco'
della Scala
†
*
–
a bastard, b. 1314

Antonio Nogarola II *
–
Vicentine nobleman, elder brother to Bailardino

Bailardino Nogarola *
–
Lord of Vicenza, husband to Cangrande's sister, Katerina

Katerina della Scala
*–
sister to Cangrande, wife of Bailardino

Bailardetto '
Detto
' Nogarola
—
son of Bailardino and Katerina. b. 1315

Durante 'Dante' Alaghieri *
—
Florentine poet exiled in 1302

Gemma Donati *
—
wife of Dante, living in Florence

Pietro Alaghieri *
—
Dante's heir

Jacopo '
Poco'
Alaghieri *
—
Dante's youngest son

Antonia Alaghieri *
—
Dante's daughter

Giacomo
'Il Grande'
da Carrara
*
–
Paduan Lord, uncle to Marsilio

Marsilio da Carrara *
—
nephew of Il Grande

Gianozza della Bella
† —
great-niece to Il Grande,
cousin to Marsilio

Gargano Montecchio
— Lord of Montecchio, father of Mariotto and Aurelia

Romeo Mariotto Montecchio
† —
son of Gargano

Aurelia Montecchio
—
daughter of Gargano

Ludovico Capecelatro
— head of a merchant family from Capua, father of Luigi and Antonio

Luigi Capecelatro
— eldest son on of Ludovico

Antonio Capecelatro
† — second son of Ludovico

Arnaldo Capecelatro
† —
brother to Ludovico

Albertino Mussato
* —
Paduan historian-poet

Aventino Fracastoro —
Personal physician to Cangrande

Benvenito Lemoti —
Fiancée to Aurelia Montecchio

Bishop Francis
* —
Franciscan Bishop, leader of Veronese spiritual growth

Bishop Guelco —
Bishop of Verona

Ferdinando da Bonaventura
†
—
Cousin to the Bonaventura heir, Petruchio

Fra Lorenzo
† —
Franciscan monk with family in France

Francesco Dandolo
* —
Venetian nobleman, ambassador to Verona

Guglielmo da Castelbarco *
—
Veronese noble, Cangrande's Armourer

Giuseppe Morsicato
—
Knight, Nogarola family doctor

Ignazzio da Palermo —
Personal astrologer to the Scaligeri

Katerina da Bonaventura
† —
Paduan born heiress, daughter of Baptista Minola

Manoello
Giudeo *
—
Cangrande's Master of Revels

Massimiliano da Villafranca —
Constable of Cangrande's palace

Nicolo da Lozzo *
—
Paduan-born knight, changed sides to join Cangrande

Passerino Bonaccolsi *
—
Podestà
of Mantua, ally to Cangrande

Petruchio da Bonaventura
† —
Veronese noble, married to Katerina

Ponzino de' Ponzoni
* —
Cremona-born knight, elected Podestà of Padua in 1314

Theodoro of Cadiz
—
Moorish servant of the astrologer Ignazzio da Palermo

Tullio d'Isola
—
aged steward, Grand Butler to Cangrande

Uguccione della Faggiuola *
—
ruler of Lucca, former patron of Dante, friend of Cangrande

Vanni 'Asdente' Scorigiani
—
Paduan knight

Vinciguerra, Count of San Bonifacio
* —
last of an exiled Veronese family

Ziliberto dell' Angelo —
Cangrande's Master of the Hunt

'
A te convien tenere altro viaggio,'

rispuose, poi che lagrimar mi vide,

'se vuo' campar d'esto loco selvaggio:

che questa bestia, per la qual tu gride,

non lascia altrui passar la sua via,

ma tanto lo 'mpedisce che l'uccide;

e ha natura si malvagia e ria,

che mai non empie la bramosa voglia,

e dopo 'l pasto ha liu fame che pria.

Molti son li animali c cui s'ammoglia,

e piu saranno ancora, infin che 'l veltro

verra, che la fara morir con doglia.'

'It is another path you must follow,'

he answered, when he saw me weeping,

'If you would flee this wild and savage place:

For that beast that moves you to cry out

Lets no man pass her way,

But so besets him that she slays him.

Her nature is so vicious and malign

Her greedy appitite is never sated –

After feeding she is hungrier than ever.

Many are the creatures she mates with,

and there will yet be more, until the Greyhound

shall come who'll make her die in pain.'

Dante

L'Inferno

Canto I, 91-102

Ciolo's nerves jangled in time with his spurs. During the whole ride they hadn't seen a soul. Not on the road, not in the fields. No one at all.

"What does it mean?" asked Girolamo.

"I don't know," said Ciolo.

"Is Padua under siege?"

"I don't know. Let's keep going."

"How will we get in?"

"Keep riding."

"But…"

"Think of golden florins."

"I've never been to Florence!"

"Shut up!" hissed Ciolo.

Empty fields gave way to empty suburbs. Some hovels and shacks were burnt out, but more were intact, even new — Ciolo saw fresh-cut timber struts and new bricks. Marks of an old siege, not a new one. If there were a present siege, by now he would have heard the sounds of hundreds of men muttering, cheering, singing, impatient horses stamping, the crack and whine of siege machines, the smell of fire and filth.