Shakespeare in Spain

A TEMPEST in the literary world was sparked with the exciting discovery of a rare edition of Shakespeare’s last play, in Spain – a 17th Century copy of ‘ The Two Noble Kinsmen’.

Probably penned by the Bard and John Fletcher, one of the house writers of Shakespeare’s theatre company the King’s Men, was written around 1613 and is believed to be one of Britain’s greatest writers last works before his retirement to StratfordonAvon where he died in 1616 at the age of 52.

The 1634 volume, which contains several plays in English, was found in the collection of the historic Real Colegio de Escoceses – the Royal Scots College ( RSC) – a seminary which in the 17th Century was based in Madrid and considered as an important reference point for Spanish intellectuals.

The book was found at the RSC, which later moved to Salamanca, by Dr John Stone of Barcelona University as part of his research into the work of Adam Smith, economist and Scotsman.

The Two Noble Kinsmen is loosely based on Chaucer’s ‘ The Knight’s Tale’ and is described as a ‘ tragicomedy’; it tells of two knights and best friends who are captured in battle but become rivals after each falls in love with a beautiful woman they can see from their prison window – a love story said to feature absurd adventures and confusions.

Volume

Dr Stone, who has worked in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, believes the volume containing the work arrived with a student or at the request of the RSC rector Hugh Semple, a friend of Spanish playwright Lope de Vega who had more plays in his personal library.

“It is likely these plays were acquired around 1635 by an English or Scottish traveller, who might have wanted to take these plays – all London editions – with him to Madrid. By 1632, English plays were increasingly associated in Spain with elite culture.

“This small community of Scots was briefly the most significant bridge between the Spanish and Englishspeaking worlds.”

In the 16th and 17th Centuries, collections of books in English were rare because of ecclesiastical censorship, but the RSC had special permission to import the literature it wanted.

The seminary received trainee priests from Scotland and aimed to give them a rounded education. Today the RSC no longer trains men for the priesthood in Scotland but offers preparatory courses for those with a vocation and stages regular retreats and conferences for the Catholic community of Scotland.