Masterpieces of 17th-Century Spanish Theater

Lope de Vega and the National Theater

Lope de Vega is enshrined by the Teatro as one of the best playwrights of the theater, serving as the creator and promoter of the national theater of the seventeenth century.

Major Works of Lope de Vega

• Fuenteovejuna
• El caballero de Olmedo (The Knight from Olmedo)
• El castigo sin venganza (Punishment Without Revenge)
• El perro del hortelano (The Dog in the Manger)
• La dama boba

Key Features of Lope's Drama

Themes and Issues

His work focuses on love, honor, religious ideals, and monarchists; there is a defense of the crown and aristocratic society.

Dramatic Action

Lope breaks the rule of the three units and divides the work into three jornadas (acts). His plays stand out for the great dynamism and liveliness of the action.

Language and Versification

He utilizes polymetry. While his popular language is common, at times he can use a more elaborate language.

Popular Appeal

Lope's theater lacks the ideological depth of Calderonian drama or the psychological characterization found in some of the characters of Tirso de Molina; however, he knew his popular comedies and felt closer to the village. A notable fact is the introduction of lyrical compositions of traditional origin in his plays.

Calderón de la Barca and Baroque Production

The dramatic production of Calderón de la Barca exceeds 100 works. To this number, one must add the morality plays and religious works.

The Mystery Plays

He wrote over 60 mystery plays (autos sacramentales) as a poet and playwright. He equipped the auto with its final form, providing superior beauty and quality. Calderón reaches the fullness of his dramatic symbolism, which is what gives the authors the highest level of literary beauty.

Characteristics of His Comedies

Structure and Intellectual Depth

Calderón's works often have a more thoughtful, thorough, and successful construction. In his comedies, the intellectual fund or the dominant idea of the facts sometimes prevails over the dramatic action itself.

Language, Versification, and Characters

His style features a more elaborate Baroque language with rich and expressive versification. The theater of Calderón is distinguished by the strength of its characters; several times, his characters are more than individuals, serving as the embodiment of ideas.

The Value of Calderonian Theater

His works have room for three of the most important and significant feelings of seventeenth-century Spain: religious, royal, and honor. During the 18th century, the author fell into oblivion. However, in the 19th century, Spanish and German Romantics rediscovered Calderón de la Barca, admiring and extolling his many values.