The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain

The tragic story of the star-crossed lovers of Verona was first presented to Spanish theatergoers during the early decades of the nineteenth century. During this period Shakespeare was largely unknown to the general public. The article examines the early reception of Shakespeare in Spain...

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Main Author: Jennifer Ruiz-Morgan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de Alicante 2022-07-01
Series:Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses
Online Access:https://raei.ua.es/article/view/21876
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author Jennifer Ruiz-Morgan
author_facet Jennifer Ruiz-Morgan
author_sort Jennifer Ruiz-Morgan
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description The tragic story of the star-crossed lovers of Verona was first presented to Spanish theatergoers during the early decades of the nineteenth century. During this period Shakespeare was largely unknown to the general public. The article examines the early reception of Shakespeare in Spain focusing on one iconic play, Romeo and Juliet, and its earliest adaptations: Dionisio Solís’s Julia y Romeo (1803) and Manuel Bernardino García Suelto’s Romeo y Julieta (1817). At a time when the Spanish public was captivated by the allure displayed by adaptations of Othello, this article argues that the adaptations of Romeo and Juliet composed by Solís and García Suelto also enjoyed popularity, as evidenced by their several revivals and the prestige of some of the actors and actresses who intervened in the productions. The article examines the historical, political and sociocultural factors that contributed to the composition and popularity of Julia y Romeo and Romeo y Julieta. Historical contextualization is combined with an analysis of the sources and main features of each adaptation. The article also offers a detailed account of the reception and performance history of both plays on the Spanish stage from 1803 to 1836. These neoclassical versions remain –up to this day– largely unknown texts, but they deserve close attention since both plays strongly contributed to the gradual dissemination of Shakespeare and his work in Spain.
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spelling doaj.art-08fce94420a04de4a9ffbd208fcb29662022-12-22T02:49:52ZengUniversidad de AlicanteRevista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses0214-48082171-861X2022-07-01371710.14198/raei.2022.37.05The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in SpainJennifer Ruiz-Morgan The tragic story of the star-crossed lovers of Verona was first presented to Spanish theatergoers during the early decades of the nineteenth century. During this period Shakespeare was largely unknown to the general public. The article examines the early reception of Shakespeare in Spain focusing on one iconic play, Romeo and Juliet, and its earliest adaptations: Dionisio Solís’s Julia y Romeo (1803) and Manuel Bernardino García Suelto’s Romeo y Julieta (1817). At a time when the Spanish public was captivated by the allure displayed by adaptations of Othello, this article argues that the adaptations of Romeo and Juliet composed by Solís and García Suelto also enjoyed popularity, as evidenced by their several revivals and the prestige of some of the actors and actresses who intervened in the productions. The article examines the historical, political and sociocultural factors that contributed to the composition and popularity of Julia y Romeo and Romeo y Julieta. Historical contextualization is combined with an analysis of the sources and main features of each adaptation. The article also offers a detailed account of the reception and performance history of both plays on the Spanish stage from 1803 to 1836. These neoclassical versions remain –up to this day– largely unknown texts, but they deserve close attention since both plays strongly contributed to the gradual dissemination of Shakespeare and his work in Spain.https://raei.ua.es/article/view/21876
spellingShingle Jennifer Ruiz-Morgan
The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses
title The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
title_full The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
title_fullStr The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
title_full_unstemmed The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
title_short The Early Reception of Romeo and Juliet in Spain
title_sort early reception of romeo and juliet in spain
url https://raei.ua.es/article/view/21876
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