Judíos y conversos en el teatro portugués pre-vicentino. La Farsa do Alfaiate en el Cancioneiro Geral de Garcia de Resende

Abstract

This article is an attempt to describe the image of the Jew and the New-Christian in Portuguese literature, from its start in the 12th century, until its consolidation with the appearance of Gil Vicente's theatre at the beginning of the 16th century. Contrary to the accepted opinion in historiography -that the image of the Jew is not negative but just the result of literary struggles, indifferent and inoffensive- Jewish and Christian sources prove that the image is quite negative indeed. This made Jewish and Christian convivencia very difficult within Portuguese society. In my opinion, the negative views that Portuguese court literature manifested was emphasized in Farsa do Alfaiate. This anti Jewish atmosphere made a strong impact on the literati of Lusitania during the 16th century.