Abstract

In 1633, Calderón wrote Amar después de la muerte one of six of his plays which deal with conflicts between the Christian and Islamic worlds. Amar después de la muerte concerns the uprising of the Moriscos in 1568-71 and the establishment of an independent Morisco kingdom in the Alpujarras. Rather than condemn one side or the other, Calderón stresses the horror of war. El Tuzaní is a Morisco hero who surpasses several Christian leaders in honor and justice. He is also admired as a faithful lover and avenger of his wife's murder. Spanish literature of the time was, by and large, characterized by its hostile treatment of Moriscos. Calderón, on the other hand, sympathizes with the Morisco predicament. While not a cristiano viejo, El Tuzaní emerges as a just defender of human rights according to natural law, a Catholic concept Calderón knew well. The changing attitude of the Spanish public toward Moriscos, who had been expelled by the edict of 1609, and the presence of the Libros plúmbeos in Madrid may have been influencing factors in the creation of the play. (TEC)

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