Kathryn Swanton
Happier without men? Shakespeare and Cervantes’ heroines, religious life, married life, and country life
Connan Morrissey (Hermione) and Laura C. Harris (Perdita) embrace at the end of The Winter’s Tale, directed by Blake Robison, Folger Theatre, 2009. Carol Pratt. Shakespeare’s heroines often end up with husbands who don’t seem good enough for them, while…
Shakespeare and Cervantes: Dying well after living well
The dying hour of the rich man from the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Crispijn van de Passe. Between 1590 and 1610. Folger Shakespeare Library In The Art of Dying Well, the Italian Jesuit Robert Bellarmine, a contemporary…
Cervantes, the Moors of Spain, and the Moor of Venice
Othello, the Moor of Venice. Desdemona loved to hear him tell the story of his adventures / Louis Rhead. Folger Shakespeare Library.Of all Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is the one that is most frequently compared to Spanish literature in the age…
Prospero and Persiles: Comparing the late romances of Shakespeare and Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The travels of Persiles and Sigismunda. 1619. Folger Shakespeare Library. In preparing for the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s and Miguel de Cervantes’ deaths, it is worth considering the writing they produced toward the end of…
The Wonder of Will, the Marvel of Miguel: 400 years of Shakespeare and Cervantes
This year we remember the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. But 1616 also saw the passing of another great writer: Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, who we know best as the author of Don Quijote. As Shakespeare…