Do Muito Vertuoso Senhor Infante Dom Fernando a El Príncipe Constante

Resumo

Having as its main goal a list of Calderón de la Barca’s possible sources in El Príncipe Constante, and the interpretation of his choices and refusals, the article reviews several reports on the figure of the Infante D. Fernando, prisoner in Fez, after the Portuguese defeat on the attempt to conquer Tangiers. It examines two dramatic works, which must not have been unknown to the Spanish author.
Although most of the material is already known, there are some additions and at the same time the article tries a reinterpretation of previous analysed texts with emphasis on Camões’perspective, and takes advantage of studies or monographs subsequent to the work used as a starting point (1950).
As complementary information we offer an approach to the European success of
Calderón’s plays since German Romanticism. Further testimonies of Portuguese adaptations in the 18th century are collected, with some comments on current performances in Portugal.