Studentes
{{Short description|Theatrical comic interlude}}
{{Infobox play
| name = Studentes, comœdia de vita studiosorum
| image =
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| caption =
| writer = Christoph Stummel
| chorus =
| characters =
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| premiere = c.1545
| place =
| orig_lang = Neo-Latin
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| subject =
| genre = Student comedy
| web =
}}
Studentes is a theatrical comic interlude in five acts, written 1545 by Christoph Stummel (1525-1588), a 19-year-old student at Alma Mater Viadrina. The full title of the comedy was Studentes, comœdia de vita studiosorum (The Students, a comedy about student life). The play was printed in 1549 by Johann Eichorn, a printer and publisher in Frankfurt (Oder). With his humanistic comedy, Christoph Stummel created the first student comedy and, along the way, founded a genre that today is mainly served in cinemas.Dr. Fritz Richard Lachmann, Die „Studentes“ des Christophorus Stymmelius und ihre Bühne, University Leipzig, 1926, p. 60. (in German)Ralf-Rüdiger Targiel, Christoph Stummel und die erste Studentenkomödie, [https://www.europa-uni.de/de/struktur/unileitung/pressestelle/mitschrift/uni_on/Internet-Uni_on_30.pdf UNIon, Nr. 30], Mai 2001, p. 23. (in German)
Morality play
File:Christophorus Stimmelius - Frantz Friderich.jpg
The play is about the temptations of student life. Three fathers send their sons to the nearby university. While Philomates eagerly attends lectures and learns, the two others go to the pub and gamble away their money. Then Acrates is injured in a brawl, while Acolastus impregnates the innkeeper's daughter and has to marry her.
Dramatis personae
All names originate from Ancient Greek and indicate the character of the person.
- Philargyrus (the moneylover), father.
- Eubulus (the good adviser), father.
- Philostorgus (the fond-of-children), father.
- Philomathes (the nerd), son of Philargirus.
- Acolastus (the dissolute), son of Eubulus.
- Acrates (the excessive), son of Philostorgus.
- Colax (the flatterer), student.
- Myspolus (Walks-like-a-mouse), student.
- Philostasius (the quarrelsome), student.
- Musopolus (the servant of the mus), student.
- Euprositus (the accessible), father.
- Eleutheria (the unprejudiced), mother.
- Deleastisa (the alluring), both daughter.
- Paedeutes (the teacher), university professor.
- Phrontistes (the attendant), his servant.
- Danista (the moneylender), innkeeper.
- nameless journeymen craftsmen.
Editions
- STVDENTES, COMOEDIA DE VITA STVDIOSORVM, nunc primum in lucem edita autore M. Christophoro Stummelio, F. Eiusdem carmen de iudicio Paridis. Addita est Praefatio Jodoci Willichii et Epilogus a M. Christophoro Cornero. Francoforti ad Viadrum in officina Joannis Eichorn anno MDXLIX. (First edition 1549: [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/details/bsb11092504 Digitalisat] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=aE1OAAAAcAAJ Google Books].)
- STVDENTES, COMOEDIA DE VITA STVDIOSORVM. Excvdebat Iohannes Eichorn Francofordii ad Viadrum, Anno MDL. (1550.) ([http://mateo.uni-mannheim.de/camena/stummel1/te01.html Digitalisat 1]) ([https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0002/bsb00028260/images/index.html Digitalisat 2])
- STVDENTES, COMOEDIA DE VITA STVDIOSORVM. Excudebat Ioannes Verwithaghen, Antwerpen 1551. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=oCdPhax851sC Google Books])
- STVDENTES, COMOEDIA DE VITA STVDIOSORVM. Coloniæ. In ædibus Petri Horst. Anno 1552. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=yonuiH2RrzkC Google Books])
- STVDENTES, comoedia de vita studiosorum, excudebat Io. Eichorn, Frankfurt/Oder 1554.[http://library.ucd.ie/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1453919 Available at James Joyce, Special Collections (17.J.2)], Library use only.
- STVDENTES, COMOEDIA DE VITA STVDIOSORVM. Excudebat Petrus Horst, Coloniae 1561. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=ImRbebOvk1EC Google Books])
- STVDENTES. Comoedia de vita studiosorum. Nunc primum in lucem ædita, authore M. Christophoro Stummelio, F. Eiusdem carmen de iudicio Paridis. Addita est Præfatio Iodoci VVilichÿ et epilogus à M. Christophoro Cornero. Coloniae, Apud Petrum Horst, 1579. ([https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/details:bsb10862390 Digitalisat])
- Comoedia duae: I. ISAAC. De immolatione Isaac. II. STVDENTES. De vita & moribus Studiosorum. Stetini in Officina Andreae Kellneri, Anno 1579. ([https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/details:bsb10191333 Digitalisat])
Reception
An unknown Dutch author published his own interpretation under the pseudonym "Ignoto Peerdeklontius" (Dutch Lat. Unknown horse dumpling or Anonymous horse apple). Lachmann called it a plagiarism,Fritz Richard Lachmann: Die "Studentes" des Christophorus Stymmelius und ihre Bühne. Dissertation, Leipzig 1926, p. 56. since it largely corresponds to the original and also bears the almost identical title: Studentes sive Comoedia de vita Studiosorum autore Ignoto Peerdeklontio. Alentopholi. (1647, 1662, 1775; probably in Amsterdam). The fictitious place of printing Alentopholis probably goes back to a printing error and would then stand for Alethopolis (truth city).Dr. Fritz Richard Lachmann: Die "Studentes" des Christophorus Stymmelius und ihre Bühne. Dissertation, Leipzig 1926, p. 56. Acrates is here called Isgeestus and the final scene has also been considerably changed.
- Studentes sive Comoedia de vita Studiosorum Autore Ignoto Peerdeklontio. Alentopholi. In Aedibus Iberiorici Nobilimi 1647.
- Studentes sive Comoedia de vita Studiosorum Autore Ignoto Peerdeklontio. Alentopholi. In Aedibus Iberiorici Nobilimi 1662. ([https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10576612?page=,1 Digitalisat])
Further reading
- Hugo Holstein: Das Drama vom verlornen Sohn. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Dramas, 1880. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=lok7AQAAMAAJ Digitalisat])
- Genevieve Kelly: The Drama of Student Life in the German Renaissance. In: Educational Theatre Journal, vol. 26, no. 3 (1974), pp. 302–305. ([https://doi.org/10.2307/3206075 JSTOR])
- Erich Schmidt: Komödien vom Studentenleben aus dem sechzehnten und siebzehnten Jahrhundert. Vortrag gehalten auf der Trier Philologenversammlung. Leipzig 1880. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=3twQAAAAYAAJ Digitalisat])
- Georg Voss: Christoph Stummel (Stymmelius). Sein Leben und seine Werke. Aachen 1902. ([http://digital.ub.uni-duesseldorf.de/ulbdsp/periodical/titleinfo/3881472 Digitalisat])
See also
External links
- Drew Thomas: [https://web.archive.org/web/20211202040410/https://pwrb.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/early-modern-student-debauchery/ Early Modern Student Debauchery]
- Christoph Stummel: [https://www.epubli.com/shop/studentes-die-studenten-9783754923306 Studentes – Die Studenten], Berlin 2021. ISBN 9783754923306