"We have made it for learning": The fifteenth-century Florentine religious play "Lazero ricco e Lazero povero" as a sermon in form of theatre

The chapter analyses how the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16. 19-31) is treated both by the protagonists of late medieval preaching (such as Vicent Ferrer and Bernardino da Siena) and by the Rappresentazione di Lazero ricco e Lazero povero, which was composed in Florence before 1470. Its aim is to evaluate the different methods used to adapt this biblical story to the social context. In particular, it is possible to highlight the ways in which the omissions in the scanty Gospel tale were, from time to time, used to enlarge the narrative in order to be more effective in conveying the message to the audience. The contribution first presents three passages taken from Ferrer and Bernardino as examples of the expansion of the parable in preaching; it then analyses the narrative strategies of the Florentine sacra rappresentazione with a particular focus on the ways a religious message is conveyed to the audience.