Walang Sugat

Walang Sugat (literally, "no wound" or "unwounded") is an 1898 Tagalog-language zarzuela (a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that includes music, singing, and poetry) written by Filipino playwright Severino Reyes. The music for the original version of the play was written by Filipino composer Fulgencio Tolentino.Walang Sugat was written when the zarzuela became a "potent means" of expressing Filipino nationalism during the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines that followed three centuries of Spanish rule.

Set in the Philippine Revolution of 1896, Walang Sugat was first published in 1898, and first performed in 1902 at the Teatro Libertad. The play is about the injustices Filipinos suffered under Spanish colonial rule, including the oppression of Filipino prisoners by Spanish friars for expressing their patriotism.

Although Walang Sugat is one of the major and more popular zarzuelas in the Philippines, it was one of the plays considered "too subversive" by the American colonial authorities, and its author Reyes was imprisoned. A typical and traditional Filipino sarsuwela or sarswela, it portrays the dilemmas of domestic life through dialogue, song, and dance. In addition, the sarsuwela is laden with romance, humour, and conflict. Reyes, also known as the "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela" and under the nom de plume "Lola Basyang", wrote Walang Sugat as his "statement against imperialism."

Apart from the political themes, Walang Sugat is also a love story. Towards the end of the Philippine Revolution, Tenyong leaves Julia to become a member of the Katipunan. In his absence, Julia is continuously pressured by her mother to marry the rich Miguel who is portrayed as an American; she succumbs when she stopped receiving news from Tenyong. As Julia and Miguel are being wed, Tenyong arrives to interrupt the service, and is dying of injuries sustained in combat. Tenyong mentions his dying wish to Julia, but the play features an "unexpected twist" that shows how Tenyong is able to outwit the persons separating him from Julia, the love of his life .

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