Il medico a teatro: Lucius Junius Brutus di “Mad Nat” Lee

The original style and contents of Nathaniel Lee’s production have often been interpreted as indicative of the author’s alleged mental illness. This contribution proposes a new approach to Lee’s works, suggesting that the tragedy Brutus (1680), which contains a sort of nosology of alterations in thought and behaviour, is a liminal text on the border between literature and medical treatise. Lee appropriates the scientific discourse of his time not only to question recent notions of mental disorder, but also to articulate a reflection on the condition of power in the political world.