Lorenzaccio and Chatterton: Two initiatory dramas?

The romantic nineteenth century saw renewed interest in the Middle Ages, producer of epic cycles and romances of initiation. With Chatterton and Lorenzaccio, drama becomes initiatory in turn. A comparative study of the two plays reveals a similar archetypal pattern: it suggests a theatrical transposition of the traditional codes, patterns, and literary models of initiation. But true to the pessimism of the century and of their authors, Lorenzo and Chatterton emerge in all respects only as heroes of failed quests and failed initiations.