Sea & Sky

Synopsis

Mar i Cel is a play written by Àngel Guimerà in 1888, first performed at the Romea Theatre in Barcelona on the evening of 7 February of the same year. It is a romantic tragedy written during the first phase of Guimerà's career as a writer, which lasted until 1890. The play is written in verse and belongs to the historical-romantic genre. It already showcases the main characteristics of his theater, such as the internal conflicts of the characters, who navigate romantic settings. The action of Mar i Cel takes place on the high seas of the Mediterranean during the first half of the 17th century. The play narrates the impossible love between a Muslim pirate and a Christian girl. The play is structured in three acts and maintains the unity of place, as all three acts are set in the cabin of the corsairs' ship. Regarding language, the play is written in blank decasyllabic verse (without rhyme), which requires a declamatory style and an emphatic tone, and prominently features the use of hyperbaton. Within the dialogues, and especially in the monologues, there are many images (in the form of metaphors and similes) of high poetic value. However, in the rapid dialogues, the verse is broken (over two or more lines), making the style closer to colloquialism. The use of exclamations (e.g., Bah!, Oh!, My God!) and colloquial expressions further adds to this conversational tone.

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Book

Release date

January 1, 1888

Genres

drama

Created by

Àngel Guimerà

Countries

Spain

Cover: Wikimedia Commons · Àngel Guimerà · Public domain · Source