This comedy by Cervantes, in which he presents his view of the Moorish world on foot of his captivity in Algiers, was never premiered.
As in other works by him, such as El gallardo español (1615) and La gran sultana (1615), in this piece Cervantes provides us with is view of the Muslim world with which he came into contact as a result of his captivity in Algiers. He spent five years as a prisoner there, along with his brother, as a result of having been captured on their return by sea from Naples to Spain by Turkish pirates.
The plot, which deals with the romance between Zahara and Don Lope, is based on a love story of the time. Contrary to what one would expect, the psychology of the characters is barely outlined, given that the author focuses all his efforts on the action, brought to us in a swift succession of scenes. With this and other comedies, Cervantes intended to compete with the New Comedy from the quill of Lope de Vega.
