Petrarca tra Euripide ed Ermogene: il Discorso di Pietro Pagani sopra il secondo sonetto del Canzoniere

This article provides a detailed analysis of the exegetical work Discorso sopra il secondo sonetto del Petrarca, written by Pietro Pagani, a Greek scholar from Belluno who was active between Vicenza and Venice during the second half of the sixteenth century. Pagani’s text – of which a critical edition is included in the appendix of this article – interprets Petrarch’s sonnet by comparing it with the prologue of Euripides’ Hippolytus and a passage from Hesiod’s Works and Days. Pagani also interprets Petrarch’s poem through the lens of Classical rhetorical works, particularly those by Hermogenes, Aristotle, and Demetrius of Phalerum.