Henry IV

Henry IV (Enrico IV)

    Alternative Title: The Emperor

    Author: Luigi Pirandello

    First Performance: 1922, Milan

    Published: 1922

    First English Translation: 1922

    Genre: Trag. in 3 acts; Italian prose

    Setting: Villa in Umbria, 1920s

    Cast: 11m, 2f

What appears to be the throne room of Henry IV, the 11th-century Holy Roman Emperor, is in fact a private asylum for a nobleman. Many years previously he had taken part in a pageant, riding beside Matilda Spina, whom he loved. He was costumed as Henry IV and she as the historical Matilda, friend to Henry's arch-enemy Pope Gregory VII. The nobleman was thrown from his horse, hit his head, and, on recovering consciousness, believed he really was Henry IV. Matilda now visits him, accompanied by her lover Baron Belcredi, her...

[The entire page is 424 words long]

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