THE PREFECTURE OF RETHYMNO - GEORGIOS CHORTATSIS

Georgios Chortatsis is the first dramatist of modern Greek literature. He was the son of Ioannis Chortatsis, born in the middle of the 16th century (1545) and died in the beginning of 17th century (1640?) (at a time when the island was under the Venetian occupation). The writer was quite educated, belonged to the middle class, was well-off and had friendships in the higher class, educated circles. He lived on the trade of the products of his lands. He did not attend any foreign University – he was taught by Italian and Greek tutors in Crete. It is believed that the grave that is located in the Asomatos Monastery area, inside the church of Agia Paraskevi belongs to the well known writer. This implies the inscription which is ascribed on the grave:

«Δέησις των Δούλων του Θεού
Γεωργίου του Χορτάτζη
και της Συμβίου Αυτού»

G. Chortatsis – along with V. Kornaros and D. Solomos – are the three major artists that contributed to the evolution of Greek literature from the end of the 16th century to the end of the 19th century. Through his prolific and diverse literary work, G. Chortatsis (c. 1550-1610) of Rethymnon played a leading role in bringing the theatrical form from Italy to Crete and radically recast the methods, aims and expectations of literary production on the island, thus opening the way for the birth of the modern Greek theatre. He was followed by many other writers, most of whom remain anonymous. To the traditional types of drama (tragedy and comedy) which at last re-emerged after centuries of silence, were added the “mixed” genre of the pastoral and religious drama, which it may be noted, was not related to the late medieval mystery plays. The pastoral is represented by the elegant and lights - spirited Voskopoula (Shepherdes).

Of Chortatsis plays are saved besides Erophili, the pastoral comedy “Panoria”, the comedy “Katzourbos” and various Intermedia. It is most probable that the comedy “Stathis” that was saved incomplete and unsigned was also written by Chortatsis. All these plays were written during the years 1590-1610. The finest achievement of the Cretan theatre was Erophili by Georgios Chortatsis, a five-act tragedy written along the lines of Italian classicizing drama. The theme of Erophili is inspired from the Italian play Orbecche of Giovani Batista Giraldi (1504-1573: Ferrara - Mondovi - Pavia), the tragedy of Filostrato e Panfila of Antonio Cammelli il Pistoia (1436-1502: Pistoia - Ferrara) and the tragedy Il Re Torrismondo of Torkouato Taso (Sorrento - Napoli - Rome - Urbino - Venice - Padova - Bolognia - Ferrara). In Erophili’s theatrical play, King of Philogonos reigns in Egypt, after having murdered his brother and rightful King of the country and having seized his throne and married his queen. In the Court, his daughter Erophili is being brought up alongside with Panaretos, a young boy who is also of royal descent, but King Philogonos is unaware of this fact. The two young people fall in love and, after a war during which Panaretos saved his country from sheer catastrophe, exchange reigns in secrete marriage.

But Erophili’s father intends to give her hand in marriage to one of his opponents, the Kings of Persia and the East, in order to establish the peace. Furthermore, the assigns of Panaretos with the task to convince his daughter to accept such a marriage. After Erophili’s denial to consent, Philogonos discovers his daughter’s secret marriage and decides to punish Panaretos, despite of his attempts to persuade the King of his royal descent. Finally Philogonos executes Panaretos after horrible tortures and, predating he agrees with his daughter’s marriage to her beloved one, he offers her, as a wedding present, a box containing mutilated parts of Panareto’s body. Erophili mourns over the remnants of her husband’s body and then kills herself. Philogonos is the beaten to death by the Chorus.

Despite of its tragic conclusion, Erophili is a work of deep humanity and dignity, and stresses the right to follow the calling of the heart. This explains its enormous popularity. It went through numerous reprints, and many of its verses became popular saying or entered the oral literary tradition, while the tale itself passed into folk legend. Only a few plays have survived from the dozens that were composed during the golden age of Cretan theatre, due to the abrupt termination of Venetian rule by the Turks.

In the 17th century the cultivation of the literary styles and forms of the preceding period was continued, though momentum gradually waned as writers of the caliber of Chotratsis and Kornaros, competent to undertake the task of renewal, did not materialize. At the same time Cretan literary composition in Italian gained greater currency. Its organic incorporation into the literary environment of Crete required further abilities and skills that the younger writers either did not possess or, possessing them, failed to exploit sufficiently. Although Cretan literature had experienced the pastoral genre and its formal demands with works such as Panoria and Voskopoula, the mediocre anonymous rendering in Greek of the Italian Il pastor fido, together with Amorosa Fede by Pantimos, while including a number of local features, provide clear evidence of the new literary climate that emerged in Crete during the first decades of the century. Lastly, the rejection of Baroque as a means of artistic expression and as a source of inspiration led to a decline in the inflow of cultural models from Italy, which in turn led Cretan writers to look increasingly towards their own literary production for inspiration and to reproduce material that extended to a more limited geographical area, namely, the Aegean and Ionian islands.

The plays written in the 17th century reproduces the structural characteristics of the recent pas (e.g. Markos Antonios Foskolos: he copied Erophili and wrote a comedy, Foyrtounatos (1665)). By studying the life, work and historical background of artists of 16th century we beleive that we will have the opportunity to know better their work and their influence from and to foreign artists. Also it will be very interesting to travel around the areas where they were born, lived and inspired, to enjoy their theatrical plays, to visit the monuments that have been built and have been illustrated with icons or have been used as the last residence etc. Artists of 16th – 17th century could inspire our target. In the eparchies of Milopotamos and Amari can be seen lots of examples of that period of art. There are lots of monuments which mirrors the art of the 16th – 17th century and also a very important theatrical writer who lived in and inspired from the area.

It is obvious that the plays of G. Chortatzis played a very important role in Cretan theatre. The man who probably was born, lived and educated in the areas above wrote such important plays that even today Greek and foreign artists choose them for the theatrical scenes (e.g. during the periods of Renaissance Festival of Rethymnon, Talaia Festival of Municipality of Kouloukonas, Cultural festival of Anogia etc). Furthermore in the area of Milopotamos and Amari tourists can rent rooms in order to enjoy the writer’s country, to know more about their traditions and their habits (such as their handicrafts), to taste their local - hand made products, to watch how to make cheese, wine or even to construct their own pots etc.