The course will study the most representative trends, authors and plays of Italian theatre of 17th and 18th century. Commedia dell’arte scripts as well as works by Guarini, Della Valle, De’ Dottori, Gravina, Martello, Maffei, Marcello, Metastasio, Gozzi, Goldoni, Galiani, Bettinelli, and Alfieri will be studied.