Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Cardenio

Cardenio, also known as The Second Maiden's Tragedy is a lost play, known to have been performed by The King's Men, a troupe of London actors, in 1613. It is believed to have been written by William Shakespeare, probably in collaboration with John Fletcher.

The content of the play is not known, and only one song survives. However, it is thought possible that it is based on incidents in Don Quixote, of which a translation would have been available to the authors. Fletcher is known to have enjoyed Cervantes's work.

In 1990, Charles Hamilton, a handwriting expert, claimed to have uncovered a manuscript of Cardenio.