Lope de Vega's El Hamete de Toledo

Colección: Spanish Renaissance and Golden Age Literature
Autor: J. Dean, Mathew
Editor : Scripta Humanistica

Descripción

Lope de Vega's El Hamete de Toledo tells the story of a noble pirate from Barbary, who, after being enslaved in Spain, becomes a mass murderer, and then a convert to Catholicism. Besides the exceptional dramatic technique and versification displayed by Lope, this play is remarkable for its unusual protagonist, the juxtaposition of Christian and Muslim practices of piracy in the Mediterranean, and the theme of slavery as experienced on the Iberian Peninsula.

This definitive critical edition, featuring a preface by James A. Parr, presents an extensive introduction, details explanatory notes, contrasts all previous editions, and offers an index of notes for easy reference. The introductory study provides the historical context and background that are necessary to fully appreciate the emotional experience of the characters and of Lope' s contemporary audience.

The comprehensive examination of the play's unique blend of tragic and comic elements, the later refundiciones (remakes), and the versification offer an important contribution to scholarly studies of Lope's drama.