Spanish Baroque Literature and the Golden Age Theater Structure

Defining the Baroque Movement

The Baroque is a 17th-century art movement that sought to reflect, through complex forms, the pain and complexity of human existence. It stands in opposition to the restraint of the Renaissance.

Key Characteristics and Themes

The Baroque is characterized by:

• Pessimistic view of life.
• Formal complexity.
• Realism, contrasting with Renaissance idealism.

Baroque writers aimed to surprise the reader, abandoning Renaissance restraint and utilizing diverse rhetorical devices and conceptual wordplay.

The usual themes explored by Baroque artists include:

• The vanities of life.
• Transience and inconsistency.
• The struggle for existence.

Baroque Lyric Poetry

Baroque lyric poetry maintained the seven-syllable and hendecasyllabic verses and metric models of the Renaissance, such as triplets, octaves, sonnets, lyres, and *Silva*.

Poets continued Renaissance themes (love, mythology, and nature) but treated them with a new, often darker, perspective. The lyric also addressed other issues, including satire, politics, morality, and philosophy.

Literary Trends in Spanish Baroque

Two distinct trends are prominent in the Spanish Baroque:

Culteranismo

Culteranismo cultivated the form of the poem to the extreme, aiming to create beauty and elicit admiration from the reader through the senses.

Common resources include: hyperbaton, complex metaphors, cultisms, *dilogías* (wordplay), and elaborate adjectives.

• Its most prominent representative is Luis de Góngora y Argote.

Conceptismo

Conceptismo focused on the intensification of meaning through word games and concepts, often employing witty metaphors.

Regular resources are: neologisms, metaphors, hyperbole, *dilogías*, and antithesis.

• Its outstanding representative is Francisco de Quevedo.

The Spanish Golden Age Stage: Corral de Comedias

Stage Theatre and Mass Spectacle

Theatre experienced a boom in the late 16th century and quickly became a mass spectacle. In the *Corral de Comedias* (courtyard theater), the stage was installed in the courtyard against the wall of the house at the back (*casa de la fondo*).

Theater Architecture and Audience Placement

The structure of the *Corral de Comedias* dictated audience placement:

• The open courtyard (*patio*) was reserved for the standing audience, known as the Mosqueteros.
• The balconies and windows of the adjoining houses (*aposentos*) were reserved for noble people, both men and women.
• The Cazuela (a box facing the stage) was designated for middle-class women, who were separated from the men.
• Above the *Cazuela* were boxes (*aposentos*) reserved for local officials or authorities, such as the Madrid City Council and the President of the Council of Castile.
• On the top floor were the *Desvanes* (attics), very small rooms, which included the *Alojero* (a gathering place, often for religious figures or refreshments) and sometimes a second *Cazuela*.

The stage and the side stands were protected by a roof overhang. An awning fabric roof covered the *patio* to protect the public from the sun, manage light and shadows on the stage and in the yard, and likely favored room acoustics, preventing the loss of the actors' voices. This provision is similar to the Elizabethan theater in England.

Essential Character Types in Golden Age Drama

The standard roles in Golden Age Spanish theater included:

• The King: A young leading man who embodies justice and pride.
• The Mighty (*El Poderoso*): A noble who acts strongly and is often punished by the king or the people.
• The Gentleman (*El Galán*): A son, brother, or lover whose actions are driven by love.
• The Funny (*El Gracioso*): A trusted counselor or friend who connects with the audience but is often characterized as somewhat cowardly.
• The Villain (*El Villano*): A rich, powerful figure who displays excessive pride.
• The Queen (*La Dama*): The beautiful partner, dedicated to love.
• The Servant (*La Criada*): A friend of the lady, often serving as the funny female role.