Romanticism's Impact on 19th Century Catalan Theater

Nineteenth-Century Theater

The influence of Romanticism during the Renaixença (Catalan Revival) broke with the conventions of Neoclassical theater, which had established stringent regulations, rejecting any deviation from accepted models. Authors sought freedom, expressed in the following features:

• Disappearance of boundaries between dramatic genres.
• Mixing of prose and verse.
• Rejection of the classical three unities (place, time, action).
• Wider range of situations and characters.

Romantic Drama Characteristics

• Love: This is the most important theme. It's presented as an absolute passion that obeys no laws and stops at nothing. It's a love aspiring to an impossible perfect realization, leading inevitably to a tragic end.
• The Hero: The main character is often a mysterious individual confronting an unjust society or power. They fight an unequal battle, often achieving little. Their life is a series of misfortunes, and their fate is typically tragic death, suicide, or alienation.
• Emotional Intensity: Dramatization uses various resources to move the audience, evoke surprise, and intrigue. This includes shocking scenes, dynamic action, exalted character passions, and stunning, showy scenery.

Catalan Romantic Drama

In Catalonia, Romantic drama appeared in the 1830s (19th century), initially written in Spanish. Historical dramas initially focused on Spanish or European history. In the second half of the century, the Catalan language was introduced into historical drama, cultivated by some authors with patriotic intent. A representative example of this subgenre is Víctor Balaguer's Don Joan de Serrallonga (1869).

Additionally, a unique form emerged: rural manners drama. Linked to Revivalist ideology, it presented an idealized view of the Catalan rural family as repositories of traditional values and morals. The plot is typically sentimental and can combine humorous and dramatic elements, such as in Frederic Soler's La dida (The Wet Nurse, 1872).

Angel Guimerà: Catalan Playwright

Angel Guimerà represents the peak of Renaixença theater, producing an extensive body of work of unquestionable literary quality. He began writing drama after gaining recognition as a poet. His playwriting career began in 1879 with the premiere of Gala Placidia, reaching its climax in the 1890s. Guimerà's theater renewed romantic tragedy by creating romantic and realist drama, a genre that characterized his personal and original theatrical career. His work can be divided into his Romantic period and a later stage introducing realistic elements.

Guimerà's Romantic Tragedy

• Historical-Patriotic Plots: The action is set in a past, real or imagined by the author. There isn't always an overt patriotic intention in the treatment of history. For Guimerà, the purpose was primarily literary and artistic, giving the themes and characters of his tragedies a more universal scope.
• Idealization of Characters: Characters are typically idealized, and the dramatic action revolves around their intense passions and exalted feelings, often reflected in their speeches.
• Innovative Use of Verse: Guimerà wrote tragedies in verse but adopted the unrhymed decasyllable (blank verse), a meter allowing for greater rhythmic richness and expressiveness compared to the preceding heptasyllable common in Catalan theater. The result is increased poetic quality and lyricism in the treatment of themes.

Guimerà's Realistic Drama

This stage incorporates realistic features into the Romantic drama structure. Terra Baixa (Lowlands) is a key example showcasing these characteristics:

• Presence of social problems.
• Characters drawn from reality, often of modest social standing.
• Use of prose and more colloquial language.

However, Romantic elements persist within this realistic framework:

• An idealized vision of the world and humanity often remains.
• Characters still frequently represent intense ideas and feelings.
• The intention often remains to showcase passionate conflicts.