From Lutheran penitence to pastoral court culture: The use of Danish translations of Italian literature in 16th and 17th century Denmark

Translations into Danish of Italian texts began on a large scale in the 18th century, when Italian opera libretti were translated into Danish. Several pages of the Danish National Bibliography are thus devoted to Italian plays translated into Danish (Bruun 1877-1902, vol. 4: 415-427). However, even before the 18th century Italian texts had been translated into Danish, whether in print or manuscript. At the time of Christian IV (1577-1648) Italian language and literature were held in high esteem (Toftgaard 2014 and 2016), and the desire for Italian culture continued during the reign of Frederic III (born 1609, King of Denmark and Norway 1648-1670). The purpose of this article is to inquire into the role of the Italian language in Denmark and its connection with Danish translations of Italian literature in the 16th and 17th centuries. Two very different translations of 16th century Italian authors will be analysed, in order to answer the underlying question of how translations of Italian literature were used in the 16th and 17th centuries.