Los Amantes de Teruel Drama en cuatro actos en verso y prosa   By: Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch (1806-1880)

"Los Amantes de Teruel" by Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch is a gripping drama that tells the tragic love story of Isabel and Diego, two young lovers from the Spanish city of Teruel. Set in four acts and written in both verse and prose, the play masterfully captures the passion and heartbreak of the ill-fated couple.

Hartzenbusch's storytelling is both poetic and poignant, drawing readers into the emotional turmoil of the characters as they struggle against societal expectations and fate itself. The dialogue is beautifully crafted, adding depth and complexity to the characters and their relationships.

While the play's themes of love, loyalty, and death are timeless, its setting in medieval Spain adds a rich historical backdrop that enhances the drama. Hartzenbusch's attention to detail in portraying the traditions and customs of the time period immerses readers in the world of Isabel and Diego.

Overall, "Los Amantes de Teruel" is a powerful and moving tale of love and sacrifice that lingers in the mind long after the final act. Hartzenbusch's skillful blending of verse and prose, combined with his vivid storytelling, makes this play a must-read for fans of tragic love stories and classic literature.

First Page:

The importance of Hartzenbusch in the history of the Spanish drama and the enduring popularity in Spain of Los Amantes de Teruel , his masterpiece, have assured this play a definite place in the work of advanced students of Spanish literature in our universities. For such students the many editions published in Spain and elsewhere have been perhaps sufficient, but for the much larger number who never reach the advanced literary classes an annotated edition is needed. That this play offers excellent material for the work of more elementary courses in the schools and colleges has long been the opinion of the present editor; and that it has not already found a place among the Spanish texts published in this country is difficult to understand. The old legend of Teruel, the embodiment of pure and constant love, is one that might well be expected to make a strong appeal to the youth of any country; the simple and direct presentation given to the legend by Hartzenbusch and the comparative freedom from textual difficulties, as the result of the careful revisions of the play by its scholarly author, bring it within the range of the understanding and appreciation of students who have studied Spanish one year in college or two years in high school, if it is put before them in a properly prepared edition... Continue reading book >>