Measuring Protagonism in Early Modern European Theatre: A Distant Reading of the Character of Sophonisba

Authors

David J. Amelang

Abstract

This article showcases the theoretical and practical aspects of developing quantitative tools to help identify different modes of protagonism in the dramatic texts of Renaissance and Baroque Europe. The first section presents four indicators that measure aspects of plays’ dramatis personae that in turn may be interpreted as distinct signs of prominence within their stories. The second part provides a case study in which these indicators of protagonism are put to the test by analyzing their applicability to a corpus of early modern plays based on the life story of Sophonisba, a Carthaginian queen who lived during the Second Punic War.

Recommended Citation

Amelang, David J. (2024) "Measuring Protagonism in Early Modern European Theatre: A Distant Reading of the Character of Sophonisba," Comparative Drama: Vol. 58: Iss. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol58/iss3/5