The Jew of Seville (Louisiana Heritage)

A popular play written by Victor Sejour (1817-1874) a francophone native of Louisiana of African descent, The Jew of Seville is a five-act verse drama first performed in 1844. It tells the story of Jacob Eliacin, a Jew, during the Spanish Inquisition.

As the play opens, Eliacin (now known as Diegarias) is masquerading as a Christian and has become a prominent member of the court at Seville, where his daughter Ines encounters and is seduced by Don Juan in a sham marriage. Diegarias demands that the nobleman marry his daughter, but a self-serving Moor reveals the truth of Diegarias's identity to Don Juan, who then publicly refuses to marry a Jew's daughter. After this humiliation, Diegarias plots a revenge that entails dire consequences for Ines.

Featuring a stirring translation by Shapiro and a thoroughly engaging introduction by Weiss, this provocative historical drama, written by a Creole of color, highlights the discrimination not only of Sejour's time, but of ours as well . This is a new edition of this translation originally published in 2002 by the University of Illinois.