A Portuguese King on London stage: reception and appropriation of news about Sebastian of Portugal and Ksar El-Kebir in English early modern theatre (1588-1631).

• Grant number: 24/17417-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Modern and Contemporary History
• Principal Investigator: Luis Filipe Silverio Lima
• Grantee: Aline Davies Moreira
• Supervisor: Tiffany Stern
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: The Shakespeare Institute, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/09071-0 - A Portuguese King on London stage: reception and appropriation of news about Sebastian of Portugal and Ksar El-Kebir in English early modern theater (1588-1631)., BP.MS

Abstract

The project aims to study the reception and appropriation of the news on King Sebastian of Portugal in English early modern theatre between 1588 and 1631. It will analyse three plays, written, printed or staged during this period, in which the Battle of Alcazar or the episode of the "false Sebastian" of Venice were performed. It intends to observe how this news was received in England and its repercussions in the political debates during turbulent times regarding Anglo-Iberian relations and the conflicts with Spain. At the same time, England was undergoing a series of dynastic disputes, and the theatrical market was experiencing dramatic changes. Therefore, this research seeks to understand how each of these plays would have mobilised said news in this shifting tableaux and how, by analysing them, it is possible to better comprehend this period's political and cultural transformations.