The Apothecary of Mantua: A Musical Drama in Two Acts

Set in Mantua in 1537, this musical drama follows Tommaso Vesperi, an apothecary who lost his guild license for practicing Paracelsian medicine. He operates a legitimate shop publicly while running a secret clinic for the poor behind a concealed door. When Romeo Montague arrives from Verona with forty ducats seeking to purchase poison, Tommaso initially refuses but then agrees. The second act depicts the consequences that follow—no trial, no punishment. Tommaso spends the forty ducats across seven transactions in seven locations and resumes his work with the same hands that prepared the poison. This two-act chamber musical expands the minor apothecary character from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (Act Five, Scene One) into a full dramatic work. The volume includes the complete libretto, production notes, a composer's reference with pronunciation and meter guidance, staging directions, and four scholarly essays examining Renaissance Mantua, the apothecary profession, the Mantuan Jewish community, and Shakespeare's sources. Designed as a reading edition for composers, directors, performers, and students of dramatic literature.