The French Influence on Early Shakespeare Reception in Spain: Three Cases of Unacknowledged Sources

Abstract

Shakespeare criticism in Spain began in 1764 and has been on the increase ever since. The main source of information on the subject has long been the tremendous work done by Alfonso Par from the beginning of the 20th century until his death in 1936: without his Shakespeare en la literatura española (1935) none of the later studies could have been written, or at least they would have taken a good deal longer to write. On the other hand, Par’s book includes gaps and errors which need to be corrected. Among these are three cases of supposedly original texts which have turned out to be appropriations of foreign originals whose sources were not acknowledged. This article sets out to analyze these cases, examine their critical implications and thus contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of the Spanish reception of Shakespeare.