Spanish Golden Age Literature and Grammar Concepts

Compound Sentences: Structure and Types

Compound sentences consist of two or more independent clauses (each with its own predicate). They can sometimes be confused with verb combinations, which only have a single predicate. Compound sentences can be formed with or without explicit linkages:

• Juxtaposition: Sentences placed side-by-side, often separated by punctuation like a comma or semicolon.
• Coordination: Clauses are linked by coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or) and are grammatically independent of each other.
• Subordination: One clause performs a grammatical function within another, linked by subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, although, when).

The Baroque Theatre: Innovations and Characteristics

The New Comedy

The New Comedy was a characteristic type of theatrical work during the Baroque period.

Key Features of Baroque Theatre

• Anti-Aristotelian Drama: It often lacked a strict narrative structure, departing from classical dramatic precepts.
• Public Appeal: Plays were primarily based on public taste rather than rigid rules.
• Verse Drama: Performances were typically in verse.
• Diverse Themes: While varied, fundamental themes included honor and love.

Typical Characters in Baroque Comedy

Characters were often archetypal, with consistent psychology:

• Lady and Galán: The young, central lovers of the comedy. The Galán (hero) was often a noble figure.
• Father or Brother of the Lady: Responsible for resolving issues, particularly those related to family honor.
• The King: Appears at the end of the play, serving to dispense justice and restore order.

Lope de Vega: Master of the New Comedy

Lope de Vega was a prolific writer of poetry, fiction, and drama, widely recognized as the creator of the New Comedy. He based his theatrical works on public taste rather than strict classical precepts. His plays often incorporated lyrical elements that were interspersed throughout the action.

Notable Works by Lope de Vega

• Fuente Ovejuna
• Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña
• El Caballero de Olmedo

Calderón de la Barca: Ideology and Drama

Pedro Calderón de la Barca also wrote comedies for public theaters, but he is particularly known for his plays for the royal palace and his allegorical Autos Sacramentales (e.g., El Gran Teatro del Mundo). Calderón's works are generally more complex and driven by ideology than those of Lope de Vega, often exploring profound themes such as free will.

Key Works by Calderón de la Barca

• El Alcalde de Zalamea
• La Vida es Sueño (Life is a Dream)

Baroque Poetry: Themes and Style

Baroque poetry continued to cultivate themes and forms from Renaissance lyric but approached them with a new mindset. It featured a remarkable variety of themes, addressed from both serious and humorous perspectives. Philosophical, religious, and moral issues were particularly prominent, exploring concepts such as the vanity of worldly things, the passage of time, and the omnipresence of death.

Poetic Forms and Style

Both elevated metric forms, such as the sonnet, and popular forms, like the romance (including new ballads written by cultured authors from the sixteenth century), were utilized. Baroque poetry often aimed to surprise the reader through an artificial and sometimes complex style, characterized by elaborate metaphors and wordplay.