Spanish Baroque Drama: Venues, Spectacle, and Lope de Vega's New Comedy

Theater of the Baroque: Styles and Venues

Religious Theater: Autos Sacramentales

Religious theater is manifested through the Autos Sacramentales (mystery plays), short pieces in one act, which presented abstract figures in religious allegory. These plays primarily treated the theme of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, and featured a conflict between good and evil, usually personified by the Devil. The conflict was resolved with the triumph of the former.

The plays were represented around the feast of Corpus Christi, outdoors in front of the church. The stages, often built on decorated carts (carros), featured elaborate decoration and special effects. This type of theater was closely related to the Counter-Reformation, as it was the most suitable medium to explain the dogma of Catholicism to the people.

Courtly Theater (Cortesano)

Courtly performances were represented in the halls or gardens of palaces. Throughout the century, scenic innovations enabled spectacular special effects, for example, allowing actors to disappear or fly. These performances were usually mythological or fantastic comedies that the courtly audience greatly enjoyed.

Public Theater: Corrales de Comedias

The Corrales were venues for the commoners and the bourgeoisie, though they were also attended by Spanish nobles. Performances of plays were given in the courtyard of houses or inns. A makeshift stage was ready in the back yard. The three remaining sides were used as galleries for the more affluent public.

The other viewers watched the show standing in the open courtyard. The stage was installed at one end of the courtyard, against the wall of the house at the back. The open courtyard, where the men of the village, also called musketeers, stood attending the show, was the main viewing area. The balconies and windows of the adjoining houses, known as apartments, were reserved for noble people, whether male or female. The lower-class women had to sit in the Cazuela (literally, 'stew pot'), a box opposite the stage.

Lope de Vega's Innovations: The New Comedy

The New Comedy (Comedia Nueva), created by dramatists such as Lope de Vega, introduced many innovations that broke with classical Aristotelian structure:

• Rejection of the Three Unities: The classical unities of time, place, and action were set aside.
• Structure: The work is presented in three acts instead of five.
• Mixture of Tragic and Comic: It abandons the classical division by mixing tragic and comic tones and atmospheres.
• Use of Different Types of Verse (Polymetry): Various verse forms were used, most notably the octosyllable.
• Decorum: This principle dictates the connection between a character's social standing and their way of speaking.
• The Figure of the Gracioso: The introduction of the 'graceful' or witty servant figure.
• Lyrical Elements: The inclusion of songs and dances.

Key Thematic Elements

The primary themes explored in Baroque drama included:

• Love
• Honor (a crucial topic of the time)
• The Concept of Nobility
• Power
• Religious Faith