The Defence of Moratín’s «Hamlet» in the «Continuación del Semanario de Salamanca»

• Main Author: Philip DEACON
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Salamanca 2015-05-01
• Series: Cuadernos Dieciochistas
• Subjects: leandro fernández de moratín; william shakespeare; hamlet; cristóbal cladera; p. ozerín-jáuregui; semanario de salamanca
• Online Access: http://revistas.usal.es/index.php/1576-7914/article/view/12969

<p>In volume 12 of <em>Cuadernos Dieciochistas </em>Professor Pedro Álvarez de Miranda revealed the existence of an issue of the <em>Continuación del Semanario de Salamanca</em>, dated 19 April 1800, which included a Letter in defence of the translation by Leandro Fernández de Moratín of Shakespeare’s tragedy <em>Hamlet</em>.</p><p>The Letter, signed by a mysterious P. Ozerín-Jáuregui y Z., attacks the <em>Examen </em>of Moratín’s volume published by the Mallorcan man of letters Cristóbal Cladera and sets out a series of objections which in effect defend the quality of the translation and the historical information accompanying it. The present article attempts to place the newly-discovered critical text in its literary and historical contexts, analyzing its arguments and approach, and evaluating its contribution to the on-going debate over the quality of Moratín’s <em>Hamlet</em>. The article includes, by way of appendix, an annotated transcription of the complete Letter as published in the <em>Continuación </em><em>del</em><em> </em><em>Semanario </em><em>de </em><em>Salamanca</em>.</p>