The Spanish empire in the pen of Shakespeare: diplomacy and drama in the transition of the sixteenth century to seventeenth

• Grant number: 11/11382-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date until: September 01, 2011
• End date until: June 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Modern and Contemporary History
• Principal Investigator: Iris Kantor
• Grantee: Ricardo Cardoso
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Based on the analysis of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare, this research pretends to explore the political and diplomatic relations between the English monarchy and the Spanish empire in the transition of the sixteenth century to seventeenth. It starts from the presupposition that Shakespeare - through his spectacles - was an attentive observer of international politics. Through some characters, plots and stage settings, he sought to portray the main dilemmas of British diplomacy in the golden age of Hispanic power. A critical analysis of his plays will help us to understand the cultural projections shared by the British in relation to the Spanish empire and, in particular, to the Spaniards. We will seek to identify how Shakespeare translated these images to the theatrical language in a time of rising imperial dispute. (AU)