Most interpreters, ancient and modern, hold that Plato does not describe the Forms as being in any mind.
In particular, John's audience was attuned to images and emblems in a way modern interpreters find hard to grasp.
But 350 years after the fact, modern interpreters of Monteverdi have no such common ground.
Asserting the presence of the mirror has been crucial for many modern interpreters.
However, the medieval distinction between the "image" and "likeness" of God has largely been abandoned by modern interpreters.
Listeners may note a warmth of approach more akin to old world conductors rather than the current "jet-set" style modern interpreters.
The modern interpreter should read the language in accord with the meaning it would have had in the late 1780s.
The drama poses some challenging questions to modern interpreters precisely because of its difference.
It is a smile which, to some modern interpreters, suggests a feeling of happiness via ignorance.
Some modern interpreters have returned to a more traditional understanding of the term.