Shakespeare's Lost Play
The story of Cardenio, from Cervantes' famous novel to Shakespeare's stage, became one of literature's greatest mysteries. The play was performed, recorded, and then vanished. 👀
Cervantes’ words crossed the English Channel and landed on Shakespeare’s desk. Shakespeare turned them into a play. But then something unexpected happened: The play vanished. 👀
Miguel de Cervantes did not have an easy life. He fought in war, was wounded, and spent years in captivity after being kidnapped by pirates. Even after returning home, his troubles continued. Crushed by debt, he eventually landed in prison. Yet it was within those prison walls that Don Quixote, often called the world’s first modern novel, was born.
When the book appeared in the early 1600s, readers fell in love with the story of an aging man who believed himself to be a knight and charged at windmills. It quickly spread across Europe, translated into multiple languages. In 1612, Thomas Shelton published the first English translation. Among its readers in London was a playwright named William Shakespeare.
From the Mountains to the Stage, Cardenio 💔
Within the pages of Don Quixote, there was a secondary character: Cardenio. Betrayed by his closest friend, he had lost his love, lost his mind, and fled to the Sierra Morena mountains. When Don Quixote and Sancho Panza found him, they witnessed the devastation that love and betrayal can leave behind.
This was exactly the kind of drama Shakespeare was looking for. He teamed up with John Fletcher and wrote a play: The History of Cardenio, or simply Cardenio. Court records confirm it was performed at least twice. Its existence was certain, but how it disappeared remains a mystery. Did it burn? Was it never copied? Or did it slip away under a different name, escaping literature lovers for centuries?
A century later, in 1727, Lewis Theobald staged a play called Double Falsehood. He claimed to have copies of Cardenio and to have adapted his play from them. But no one ever saw those copies.
Yet in recent decades, many scholars have become more sympathetic to Theobald’s claim. Today, Double Falsehood; or, The Distrest Lovers is often published alongside Shakespeare’s works and is sometimes regarded as the closest surviving trace of the lost play.
Curiously, Cervantes and Shakespeare are both recorded as having died on the same date: April 23, 1616. That coincidence is one of the reasons April 23 is celebrated as World Book Day.
The reality is slightly more complicated. England and Spain were using different calendars at the time, meaning the two men actually died about ten days apart. Still, that technicality has done little to separate them in history. Two masters of words who never met are remembered together to this day.
Your London Guide Is Here 🇬🇧
Cardenio wasn’t the only Shakespeare mystery that remained unsolved for centuries. Historians also couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of his London home. They knew it stood somewhere in the Blackfriars district, but nowhere more specific.
Then, last April, Shakespeare expert Prof Lucy Munro uncovered a forgotten map from 1668 in the archives. Thanks to this discovery, researchers were finally able to identify both the precise location and layout of the house.
Royal intrigues, tales of war, and traces of Shakespeare himself… London is full of stories waiting to be uncovered. And when you’re ready to explore them, Piri app is here to guide you! Don’t forget to check out our five London tours: The Modern World’s Stage, Under the Queen’s Hat, The Tale of the Silver River, The Green Gem on the Crown, and Wisteria Walk.
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