Donato Sacerdote (, 1820–1883) was an Italian and

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish poet.

Life

Sacerdote was born at

Fossano Fossano ( pms, Fossan) is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the fourth largest town of the Province of Cuneo, after Cuneo, Alba and Bra. It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch li ...

in 1820. He died there on 27 November 1883. Passionately devoted to the classics, Sacerdote from his early youth applied himself to the comparative study of the works of

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...

, and

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

and those of

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early life Alfieri was b ...

and Del Monti.

Work

Among Sacerdote's better-known dramas are "Bianca Cappello," which was represented with great success at the Alfieri Theater, Turin, in 1874; "Cola di Rienzo"; "Catilina," a tragedy in five acts; and "Eglon," a dramatic poem in five acts, relying heavily on

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

inspiration. Sacerdote was also an accomplished writer of sonnets, odes, and songs. ''That entry was written by Isidore Singer and Flaminio Servi.'' 1820 births 1883 deaths Italian poets Italian male poets Italian dramatists and playwrights Jewish poets Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century poets 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers {{Italy-writer-stub