UCLA Center for 17th And 18th Century Studies The Beast of Hungary

From the forests of Hungary to the courts of kings, the extremes of the human heart are on display here, as murderous jealousy gives way to the first buddings of young love. A virtuous queen is forced into the wilderness by her power-hungry sister. As revenge, she steals her niece and raises her as a feral girl, who then encounters human society for the first time whenshe grows up and falls in love. With its daring exploration of female sexuality and probing questions about what actually makes us civilized, this Beast is a daring proto-feminist comedy.The UCLA team under Barbara Fuchs have delivered a thoughtful translation of Lope de Vega's early seventeenth-century comedia El Animal de Hungría, attractive to contemporary directors, performers, and audiences.