Don Quixote In England: A Comedy

by Henry Fielding

Don Quixote in A Comedy is a play written by Henry Fielding in 1734. The play is a comedic adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote, which follows the adventures of a delusional Spanish knight who sets out to revive chivalry and defend the honor of his lady love. In Fielding's version, Don Quixote travels to England and becomes embroiled in a series of humorous misadventures, including mistaken identities, love triangles, and duels. The play is a satirical commentary on English society, poking fun at the aristocracy, the legal system, and the literary culture of the time. Fielding's witty dialogue and clever plot twists make Don Quixote in England an entertaining and thought-provoking work of literature.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Plays

84 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 1734

About the author

Henry Fielding was an English dramatist, journalist and novelist. The son of an army lieutenant and a judge's daughter, he was educated at Eton School and the University of Leiden before returning to England where he wrote a series of farces, operas and light comedies.

Fielding formed his own company and was running the Little Theatre, Haymarket, when one of his satirical plays began to upset the government. The passing of the Theatrical Licensing Act in 1737 effectively ended Fielding's career as a playwright.

In 1739 Fielding turned to journalism and became editor of The Champion. He also began writing novels, including: The Adventures of Joseph Andrews (1742) and Jonathan Wild (1743).

Fielding was made a justice of the peace for Westminster and Middlesex in 1748. He campaigned against legal corruption and helped his half-brother, Sir John Fielding, establish the Bow Street Runners.

In 1749 Fielding's novel, The History of Tom Jones was published to public acclaim. Critics agree that it is one of the greatest comic novels in the English language. Fielding followed this success with another well received novel, Amelia (1751).

Fielding continued as a journalist and his satirical journal, Covent Garden, continued to upset those in power. Throughout his life, Fielding suffered from poor health and by 1752 he could not move without the help of crutches. In an attempt to overcome his health problems, Henry Fielding went to live in Portugal but this was not successful and he died in Lisbon in 1754.

Reviews

[Sole Benc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una obra de teatro cortita que podría encajar perfectamente en El Quijote de Cervantes.

[Inés Platero Gracia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Quixote In England se trata de una obra de teatro (o una ópera, como dice en la portada) cómica en la que el mismo Don Quijote de la Mancha llega a Inglaterra junto con su inseparable Sancho y su caballo Rocinante en busca de nuevas aventuras y monstruos a los que derrotar épicamente. El texto va a acompañado por más de diez fragmentos de canciones junto con sus letras, los cuales debían ser cantados en la obra original.

Personalmente... no está mal. Es muy rápido de leer y muy dinámico. Esperaba más humor (quizá está lleno de humor británico y yo no me he enterado...) y quizá algo más de locura, pero bueno... Henry Fielding no es Cervantes. No se le puede pedir más.