Sophonisba
 Tragedie tresexcellente, tant pour l'argument, que pour le poly langage et graves sentences dont elle est ornée

by Giovanni Giorgio Trissino

"Sophonisba" by Giovanni Giorgio Trissino is a tragedy written between 1514 and 1515 and published in 1524. As the first regular tragedy in Italian literature to recreate the conventions of classical Greek drama, it tells the story of Sophonisba, a Carthaginian princess caught between political alliances and passionate love. When her husband is defeated in battle, she faces capture by the Romans until Massinissa, her former promised lover, offers marriage as salvation. But Roman law threatens their union, forcing a tragic choice between honor and freedom.