Pirandello’s “Il Giuoco delle parti” among imaginary and actual plagiarisms (Vosper and Bernstein)

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to compare "Il Giuoco delle parti" by Luigi Pirandello and "People Like Us" by Frank Permain Vosper, analysing the characters and the topics addressed in order to bring out similarities and differences. This analysis will lay the foundations for the idea that the plagiarism seen by Pirandello is a mistake, given by the latter's difficulty in bringing to consciousness the erotic and obscene themes that he himself inserted into his play. The last part of the paper will therefore be dedicated to supporting this idea through a brief analysis of "Le venin" by Henri Bernstein, a play with topics that are surprisingly similar to those included into Pirandello's play, yet harshly evaluated by its author. This work ultimately intends to demonstrate that the plagiarism seen by Pirandello in "People like us" is a Freudian slip given by Pirandello's inability to bring his erotic ghosts to consciousness.