The Royal Hunt of the Sun

This play contrasts the conflict of the European mind with the simple nature-centred mind of the Inca. Well, in retrospect, the Inca mind doesn't appear to be that simple, but for the purposes of the stage it is a powerful work. Worth the read, as well as worth seeing.

This play, written in the early 60's, deals with the Spanish conquest of the Incas. Pizarro, De Soto and their army of soldiers and priests travel to Peru in search of gold. They find a culture that has no hunger or sin and plenty of gold. The people are ruled by Atahuallpa, the son of the sun. He is held prisoner by the Spaniards until his people bring all the gold they possess to Pizarro, but over the months Pizarro and the king develop a friendship that threatens the Spanish army.
I wanted to read this one after seeing the movie a long time ago. It starred Robert Shaw as Pizarro and Christopher Plummer as Atahuallpa. Yes, Plummer played an Incan, and he was brilliant. Also, the movie has a massacre scene that was filmed in a strangely show more beautiful way. show less

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No comparison with either Amadeus or Equus, Shaffer's drama hits. TRHOTS should have been an adventure tale of King Solomon proportions, or an Aladdin's cave full of gold, or bloody Inca battles in some Peruvian jungle setting. Set your frame of mind, instead, to watch an intense character study. Narratively, it's a detailed snapshot of Pizarro's ill-fated conquest of the Incas, not for the glory of gold, but for the almost sanctimonious obsession with divinity and unparalleled colonialism. In essence, he signed his ticket before he departed Spain, promising the world he could never deliver, pursuing a pathological indulgence to satisfy his superior ego. There's an element of self-pity in the depiction of Pizarro, that of a mercenary show more without a war, unable to adjust to a civilian life. Despite his eloquence in arguing secular sovereignty, he fails to dominate the simple native lexicon of King Atahualpa, communicating in a basically nonsensical series of clicks and chirps. If Atahualpa can prove he is a God, Pizarro will recognise his sovereignty, but if not, both his life and his land of rich antiquities will belong to the kingdom of Spain. The thesis is valid. The demonstration is verbose and sub-dialectical. Christopher Plummer (Atahualpa) wasn't yet the fine player of Remember, or even The sound of music. He was just a promising ham. show less

Versione italiana di Elena Reina: "La grande caccia al sole"