“The Great Universal Genius”: The Reception of Shakespeare in Portuguese Periodicals of the Second Half of the 19th Century

Abstract

Considered by the writers of the periodicals under study as a universal genius, an essential reference and a timeless model, the poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the most translated and the most frequently-mentioned British author in the Portuguese periodical press between 1865 and 1890. Broadly speaking, it is possible to divide the reception of Shakespeare in the Portuguese press into six seminal categories, which are analysed in this paper under the following headings: bio-bibliographical studies or sketches; translations of excerpts from his plays; reviews of translations, some of which were published in the periodicals under study; considerations regarding the presentation of Shakespeare’s plays on the Portuguese stage; reviews of operas staged at the S. Carlos Opera House, the librettos of which were based on Shakespeare’s plays; and lastly, the analysis of Shakespearean characters or themes, which were not infrequently based on translations or theatrical or operatic productions.

Keywords

• shakespeare
• reception
• image
• periodical press
• portugal
• translations
• reviews
• theatres
• opera