Hermenegildo and the Jesuits

the long version

Exploring the cultural conditions that led to the emergence and proliferation of Saint Hermenegildo as a stage character in the 16th and 17th centuries, this volume considers how this saint became a theatrical trope enabling the Society of Jesus to address religious and secular concerns of the post-Tridentine Church, and to discuss political issues such as the supremacy of the pope over the monarch and the legitimacy of regicide. Given its interdisciplinary approach, this book is geared toward scholars and students of theatre history, religion and drama, early modern theology, cultural studies, romance languages and literature, and the history of the Society of Jesus.