This play is undated but generally accepted as being composed around 1592, the date of its entry in the Stationer's Register. It was reissued twice in 1599 and there also exists a facsimile dated 1810. Tradition ascribes the work to Thomas Kyd on the basis that its subject matter reflects that of the play-within-the-play of
The Spanish Tragedy.
The plot is derived from Henry Wotton's 1578 translation of Jacques Yver's Le Printemps d'Yver which appeared in 1572. The use of Wotton's translation, entitled A Courtlie Controversie of Cupids Cautels, has parallels with some of The Spanish Tragedy and hence has strengthened the argument for Kyd's authorship. In Wotton's original, the lovers Erastus and Perseda exchange tokens: Erastus bestows upon his lover a chain, and she reciprocates with the
532 words
Citation: Owens, Rebekah . "Soliman and Perseda". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=24177, accessed 25 November 2024.]
