• Overview
• Staging information
• Translations
• Sample translations
• Production history

Scene

This is a three-act comedia.

Staging

The play is set in Hungary. The wilderness settings for Aurora and Anteo should be clearly distinct from the civilised court scenes. Aurora should be dressed appropriately to depict how she has been shielded from all human contact for her entire life (except for the company of Estrella and a couple of other attendants, of course). The Duke’s son, Anteo, is described as a giant who also lives in the wilderness and dresses in animal skins; however, he converts to being a sort of gentleman through the power of love as the play progresses, so his appearance shifts. The play has frequent costume changes: for instance in act 2 Anteo puts on the costume of a soldier, and Estrella and Aurora impersonate each other. Henrico, the son of the English Ambassador and intended husband to Aurora, dresses as Lotario. In terms of staging, the scenes shift rapidly from one location to the next, including the wilderness scenes, palace scenes and a mountain cliff at the end of the play. For example, Aurora falls asleep near a small river; she is wearing a veil to prevent anyone from seeing her face, and Anteo lifts the veil to see her. There is also fighting and violence in this play; back at the court Lotario slaps the Duke. Later Anteo ties Estrella up when he learns she is really his sister, and the women swap places, so Aurora is wounded by Anteo when he attacks her thinking she is Estrella. Anteo then thinks Henrico is Lotario because he is dressed as him, and intending to kill Lotario, he kills Henrico. Octavio is also wounded. The end scene requires the use of levels as Anteo threatens to throw Estrella off a cliff, and Lotario chokes Estrella with his sock-garter. But they end up making amends and the only fatality is Henrico, as the play ends in a triple marriage (Anteo-Aurora, Lotario-Estrella, Octavio-Claudia).

Cast number

Minimum	Maximum
7 males	19 males
3 females	3 females
10 (total)	22 (total)

Cast information

The soldiers and servants can be doubled, or added.

Characters

• KING
• LOTARIO, Prince of Hungary
• DUKE
• TELEO, The Duke’s son
• SESLAO, The Duke’s son
• BRITISH AMBASSADOR
• ANTEO, The Duke’s oldest son
• AURORA, Princess of Hungary
• ESTRELLA, The Duke’s daughter
• CLAUDIA, Maidservant
• GRANDEE
• SERVANTS (2)
• SOLDIERS (4)
• COUNT OCTAVIO
• HENRICO, Prince of England
• PAGE, To Count Octavio
• SOLDIERS

Entry written by Kathleen Jeffs. Last updated on 4 October 2010.

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