Although the topic of the representation of madness is a rich and much studied one in literary criticism, so far there has been no systematic attempt to analyse the language of madness in dramatic texts, either within the same language and culture or across them. This paper compares the strategies used to characterize the growing insanity oh the king and his interaction with Willis, the doctor, in Alan Bennett’s play The madness of George III with those in its published translation into Italian. The article shows how an analysis of the strategies used in the source text is a necessary initial step to reveal the systematic patterns of linguistic deviance and to highlight the battle for power between the two characters shown in their linguistic choices. These are key themes of the play which must be successfully transferred across in the target text.