Ingratidão: devil and allegory in José de Anchieta

Abstract

There is no understanding a narrative - be it in prose, in verse ou on stage - without looking at its characters. And the frequency with which a certain type appears at the work of an author may say much about the world perspective he  or she seeks to imprint in his or her texts, especially when discussing authors with specific objectives. In the case of priest José de Anchieta’s drama, in which he sought the catechetics of Brazilian natives as well as settlers, how often the Devil takes part in the scene has much meaning. Of all the demons he presents us, all of them carrying sins the playwright-priest sees being committed around him, bu white men and natives alike, one stands out. Ingratidão, in Na vila de Vitória, is the only devil of female gender, but also is the only devil who carries, in herself, the burden of an allegory. That makes her unique in the context of the jesuit’s work, and worthy of a deeper study, which is the aim of this paper, a product of my research.