productivity of Hartzenbusch, as well as his versatility, would be
remarkable in any country but Spain. The _Bibliografia de Hartzenbusch_,
prepared by his son and published in 1900,[3] stands as proof of the
great extent and diversity of his productions; four hundred pages are
needed for the bibliographical data connected with his many publications
and for a few extracts from his unpublished writings. Hundreds of titles
of dramas, poems, addresses, essays, literary criticism, scholarly
commentaries, indicate the versatility of his talent and his tireless
industry.

[Footnote 3: _Bibliografia de Hartzenbusch_. Eugenio Hartzenbusch.
Madrid, 1900.]

#V. Hartzenbusch's Treatment of the Legend.# Apparently Hartzenbusch
had given much study and thought to the famous legend of the _Lovers of
Teruel_. At first it was his intention to use it in an historical novel,
but only the first few pages of this have been preserved (_Bibliografia
de Hartzenbusch_). Believing that the legend could be better treated in
dramatic form, he applied himself enthusiastically to the construction
of the play in accordance with the new theories that were becoming
popular, and had it ready for production when a copy of Jose de Larra's
_Macias_ came into his hands. What was his astonishment to find that the
plot of his play was so similar to that of _Macias_ that no one would be
likely to accept the similarity as a mere coincidence. Patiently he
reconstructed it and had it published in 1836, if the date on the title
page of the oldest edition is to be accepted as accurate.[4] If
published in 1836, the author remained in obscurity until the first
performance of the play, January 19 of the following year, made him
famous.

[Footnote 4: _Los Amantes de Teruel_, drama en cinco actos en prosa y
verso por Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch. Madrid. Imprenta de D. Jose Maria
Repulles. 1836.]

Many difficulties beset the dramatist in the construction of the play.
The legend that served as plot was already known to all, so that the
element of suspense could not be used to any great extent. Moreover, the
climax was not in itself dramatic; the death of two lovers through grief
at separation, pathetic though it be, lacked the tragic element of other
similar stories in which death resulted from violence. The _denouement_,
the probability of which would not be generally accepted, had to be
retained in the treatment of a legend so widely known, a legend in which
the ess