Rare edition of William Shakespeare's last play 'The Two Noble Kinsmen' found in Spain

A literature historian has found a 1634 edition of William Shakespeare’s last play The Two Noble Kinsmen, BBC reported. The rare document was discovered by a scholar named John Stone, who spotted the rare book while combing through the library of Royal Scots College (Real Colegio de Escoceses) situated in the Salamanca area in Spain.

“The play was included in a volume made up of several English plays printed from 1630 to 1635. It is likely that these plays arrived as part of some student’s personal library or as at the request of the rector of the Royal Scots College, Hugh Semple, who was friends with Lope de Vega and had more plays in his personal library”, Stone said in a statement published by the University of Barcelona.

According to the BBC, the 386 old book was probably one of the first works by the late author to have been successfully reached Spain. English plays and books were extremely rare in 17th century Spain, however, Royal Scots college had special permission to get them imported.

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Meanwhile, writing in journal Notes and Queries, Stone reckoned that the book might have been transported inside the country by an individual who had travelled to England and Scotland. The book “arrived as part of some student’s personal library or … at the request of the rector of the Royal Scots College, Hugh Semple, who was friends with [Spanish playwright] Lope de Vega and had more plays in his personal library,” stone stated.

About The Two Noble Kinsmen 

The tragicomedy was authored in collaboration with playwright John Fletcher around 1613 or 1614 and was the last work of William Shakespeare before he took retirement to Stratford-upon-Avon. In total, The Two Noble Kinsmen is comprised of five acts. While scholars attribute all or most of the acts to the Bard, the middle three are attributed to Fletcher.

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All image credits: John Stone/ Royal Scots College