Castro (play)
| Castro | |
|---|---|
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| Written by | António Ferreira |
| Date premiered | 1598 |
| Place premiered | Portugal |
| Original language | Portuguese |
| Subject | Inês de Castro |
| Genre | Tragedy |
Castro is a Portuguese tragedy play written by Portuguese poet António Ferreira. It is considered the first classical tragedy composed in Portuguese.
Background
[edit]Castro is the first tragedy play written entirely in Portuguese. It was authored by António Ferreira, a poet and dramatist that's widely regarded as one of the founding figures of Portuguese Renaissance literature.[1] Composed around 1556 in Portugal's Coimbra, the play was left unpublished by Ferreira, who later shifted to a legal career in Lisbon. It was later published posthumously after his death.[2]
The play was first presented in Ferreira's hometown of Lisbon, Portugal in 1598. It was printed by Pedro Craesbeeck who was a Portuguese printer and bookseller.[3] The tragedy was first translated into English by Thomas Moore Musgrave in London in 1825, marking a significant step in introducing the Portuguese literature to English-speaking audiences.[4]
The story of Inez de Castro was often adapted by Portuguese poets. Ferreira's theme for the play is reportedly based on a passage of the latin poem The Lusiadas by Luís de Camões.
Characters
[edit]The main characters in the play included Inês de Castro with her nurse (ama), Infante Don Pedro with his secretary, King Alphonso with three merciless counselors, and a messenger.[5]
- Castro (Inês de Castro)
- Ama (Caretaker)
- Choro das mocas de Coimbra (Lament of the Girls of Coimbra)
- Infante D. Pedro (Peter I of Portugal)
- Secretario jeu (Secretrary)
- El Rey D. Afonso IIII (Afonso IV of Portugal)
- Pêro Coelho
- Diogo Lopes Pacheco (son of Lopo Fernandes Pacheco)
- Messageiro (Messenger)
Plot
[edit]The play centers on the tragic story of Inês de Castro, a noblewoman who was famously executed in the 14th century on orders from King Afonso IV of Portugal, despite her romantic relationship with his son, Pedro.[6] Act I opens with Inês's lament and Don Pedro's debate over his conflicting loyalties, supported by a chorus singing a hymn to love. The subsequent acts continue this blend of dialogue and chorus until Act IV, where the chorus announces Inês's death, and in Act V, a messenger delivers the news to Don Pedro.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Adamson, J. (1836). Bibliotheca Lusitana: Or Catalogue of Books and Tracts, Relating to the History, Literature, and Poetry, of Portugal: Forming Part of the Library of John Adamson .... United Kingdom: T. and J. Hodgson.
- ^ Ferreira, A. (1987). The Tragedy of Ines de Castro. Indonesia: Universidade de Coimbra.
- ^ FERREIRA, A. (1598). Castro. Tragedia do doutor Antonio Ferreira. (n.p.): (n.p.).
- ^ Adamson, J. (1842). Lusitania Illustrata: Notices on the History, Antiquities, Literature ... of Portugal: Selection of Sonnets, with biographical sketches of the authors. United Kingdom: T. and J. Hodgson.
- ^ Bouterwek, F. (1823). History of Spanish and Portuguese literature, tr. by T. Ross. United Kingdom: (n.p.).
- ^ Dreams of Waking: An Anthology of Iberian Lyric Poetry, 1400-1700. (2013). United Kingdom: University of Chicago Press.
- ^ Bouterwek, F. (1823). History of Spanish and Portuguese literature, tr. by T. Ross. United Kingdom: (n.p.).