Spanish Golden Age Drama: Lope de Vega to Calderón

Spanish Baroque Theater: Masters and Works

The Setting: Corral de Comedias

In the late sixteenth century, theater began to be represented in specific venues called corrales de comedias. The corrales de comedias were neighborhood courtyards adapted to accommodate regular performances. Audience members were segregated by social class:

• Nobles: Seated in aposentos (apartments/boxes).
• Clergymen: Seated in the tertulia (gallery).
• Women: Seated in the cazuela (stew pot/gallery).

La Comedia Nueva: Lope de Vega's Formula

Spanish Baroque dramas usually adhered to a formula established by Lope de Vega, known as the Comedia Nueva (New Comedy).

Core Features of the Comedia Nueva

• They consist of three acts, which correspond respectively with the exposition, climax, and resolution.
• They are written in verse and combine tragic and comic elements.
• They draw upon a wide variety of sources, including history and the Bible.
• Two key thematic issues are honor and love.

Key Characters in Baroque Drama

The Comedia Nueva utilized specific stock characters:

• Protagonists: Galán (Leading Man), Dama (Lady).
• Antagonists: Contragalán (Rival Man), Contradama (Rival Woman).
• Stock Characters: Gracioso (Funny Servant), Maid of the Lady.
• Authority Figures: Parents, siblings of the protagonists, or the King.

Lope de Vega: Founder of the New Comedy

Lope de Vega is recognized as the founder of the Comedia Nueva. The main feature of his theater is the speed of the action.

Lope de Vega's Dramatic Themes

• Dramas of Unjust Power: Focus on abuses committed by nobles. In these plays, the king is typically the one who restores justice.
• Comedias de Capa y Espada (Cape and Sword Plays): Feature love affairs and romantic entanglements set in an urban environment.
• Tragedies: Often end with the violent death of the protagonists.

Tirso de Molina and The Trickster of Seville

Tirso de Molina was a follower of Lope de Vega who respected the features of the Comedia Nueva. He notably featured strong female characters: determined, intelligent women who take an active role in the plot.

Tirso de Molina is the author of El Burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest), where the character Don Juan Tenorio first appears.

Calderón de la Barca: Philosophy and Drama

Calderón de la Barca, the last great author of the Spanish Baroque, is characterized by his philosophical depth, which manifests itself in dense and elaborate monologues.

Major Works and Genres

• Honor Dramas: Focus on the strict code of honor, where wives are often murdered by suspicious husbands to preserve reputation.
• Swashbuckling Comedies: Romantic entanglements based on ambiguities or misunderstandings, always concluding with a happy ending.
• Philosophical Dramas: Center on a person whose destiny has been announced as adverse at birth (exploring themes of freedom versus fate).