Theatre
Os Estrangeiros
Not translated into English
Francisco de Sá de Miranda · 1528
Synopsis
In Palermo, where almost all the characters have come from elsewhere. Petrónio, an ageing and pedantic doctor, sees his brother Guido arrive, a merchant who has just escaped the fury of the sea; around them bustle a boastful soldier who tells of his exploits, a parasite, Devorante, who eats at every table, valets and maidservants, and a marriage affair that each tries to turn to his own advantage.
Context
Written around 1527, on its author's return from Italy, the comedy was performed at Coimbra in 1528. The letter dedicating it to Cardinal-Infante Henry advises the play not to apologise for imitating Plautus and Terence, and claims a theatre different from the autos of the court. Its first known printing dates from 1559, at Coimbra, by João de Barreira, the year after the author's death; only one copy survives, at Harvard. The five sixteenth-century witnesses, two manuscripts and three printed editions, carry versions different enough that they are edited separately.
Who it is for
A comedy in prose, never translated into French; the types come from Latin theatre: the old pedantic doctor, the boastful soldier, the parasite.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as the first prose comedy in the Portuguese language; its first performance was a success.
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