The Butterfly’s Evil Spell

The Butterfly's Evil Spell (El maleficio de la mariposa) is an early play by Federico García Lorca, first performed in 1920. It is a symbolist work that centers on a lovesick cockroach. The play was not well-received, closing after only four performances due to ridicule from critics and audiences.1

Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) was a prominent Spanish poet and playwright whose work revitalized Spanish poetry and theatre. He is best known for his collections of poetry, such as Gypsy Ballads and Lament for a Bullfighter, and his tragedies including Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba. Lorca was executed by a Nationalist firing squad at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.21