The Conquest of Granada

About the show

The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards concerns the Battle of Granada (1482–1491), fought between the Moors and the Spanish, which led to the fall of the Emirate of Granada (1230–1492). The action concerns two factions of Moors, the Abencerrages and the Zegry. The hero of the play is Almanzor, who fights for the Moors, and falls in love with Almahide, who is betrothed to Boabdelin, the King of the Moors. Although Almahide reciprocates Almanzor's love, she will not betray her betrothal to King Boabdelin, who is emotionally distressed by jealousy of and military need for Almanzor in fighting the Spaniards during the Reconquista. In the course of events, Almanzor and Almahide remain separated until the death of Boabdelin. Additional to the protagonist's love story, two other plots involve frustrated love: (i) Abdalla, brother of King Boabdelin, and Abdelmelich, leader of the Abencerrage faction, vie for the love of Lyndaraxa, sister of the Zegry leader; and (ii) Niggr, a young man from the Abencerrage faction, loves Benzayda, who is a Zegry woman. The course of the drama reveals that Almanzor is the lost son of the Duke of Arcos, but dutifully fights the Spaniards for the Moors.