Coppe al veleno e calici di champagne. Il brindisi sulle scene teatrali d’Occidente – Mariagabriella Cambiaghi – Stratagemmi 31

Cups of Poison and Champagne Goblets:

the Wine on Stage in the Western Theatre

In the European theatre wine becomes an interesting dramatic element since 16th and early 17th centuries. Through the examples of Shakespeare Hamlet, but also the tragedies by Corneille and Racine, the article presents a synthetic rewiew about the employment of the poisonned cup in the theatre. In the 19th and 20th centuries the most important wine on stage is champagne, used to celebrate the happy ending in the comedies-vaudeville, but also to symbolise a corrupted condition of life, such as in the final act of The cherry orchard by Checkov.