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Catholic Conversion And Incest In Dryden's "Don Sebastian", Geremy Carnes

Faculty Scholarship

John Dryden's decision to end his 1689 tragedy, Don Sebastian , with the discovery of an act of incest has persistently puzzled the plays readers. The historical Sebastian almost certainly died in the battle which immediately precedes the events of the play; a slightly delayed death would therefore have been a logical conclusion to the play. Or, Dryden could have followed the traditions of romance and legend, which took hope from the fact that Sebastian's body had never been found. These stories, which grew up among the Portuguese after they had been conquered by Spain in 1 580, held that …