Duas versões de Romeu e Julieta em folhetos de cordel: um olhar comparativo sobre as adaptações de Maria Ilza e João Athayde.

Abstract

Cordel literature has gained increasing relevance, particularly through its adaptations of canonical narratives into verse, where poets assume the role of “mediators” of traditions—that is, translators of erudite works. This study offers a comparative reading of Romeo and Juliet, examining Shakespeare’s play alongside cordel pamphlets by João Martins de Athayde and Maria Ilza Bezerra. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Márcia Abreu and Carvalhal, the analysis explores the intertextual dynamics between the classical and the popular, which become intertwined throughout the texts. The main objective is to conduct a comparative analysis of two cordel adaptations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, focusing on the intertextual representation of thwarted love and on the ways in which each poet constructs the narrative with particular social and cultural emphases. The findings suggest that the ability to “retell” canonical works through cordel literature demonstrates a process of cultural democratization, granting new perspectives to classical texts and positioning cordel as a space of cultural resistance.