The Invincible Armada in British Renaissance drama (1588-1607)

• Grant number: 15/05657-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: October 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Modern and Contemporary History
• Principal Investigator: Iris Kantor
• Grantee: Ricardo Cardoso
• Supervisor: Martin Wiggins
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Birmingham, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/24175-4 - The Invencible Armada in the Pen of Shakespeare: Diplomacy and Drama in the Transition of the Sixteenth Century to Seventeenth., BP.MS

Abstract

From a selection of British dramas composed during the period of the Anglo-Hispanic War (1588-1604), or shortly after, this project intends to scrutinize the dramatic portrayal of political relations between these two crowns. It refers to different collections and libraries in the UK for a detailed survey of the texts composed by different playwrights in Shakespeare's time, published or staged during the period between 1588 and 1607 that made use of fictional accounts of Spain and Portugal. We intend to collect all available data from historical documents, such as records of performances or publications, additions, censorship, impact, etc. From this selection of plays and data, we will identify through a close reading of them how they represent possible allegories engendered in a historical moment that emphasize the war and English social relations. As a result, we expect to establish a possible common code within these dramatic documents that express how they captured the diplomatic moment, the Spanish enemy, and the war, exploring the artistic absorption by theatrical practice of collective tensions in the political dimension. (AU)