The Spanish Golden Age: Lope de Vega and New Comedy

Forms of Spanish Golden Age Theater

Corral Comedy

These performances took place in neighborhood courtyards (corrales). The plays were often long, running from Easter until the following Carnival. They were typically performed in the afternoon.

Palace Theatre (Teatro Cortesano)

This form of theater was represented in the palaces of the nobles or the king. It was often more complicated than one might think, utilizing professional actors, though sometimes the noble or monarch themselves intervened in the performance.

Mystery Plays (Autos Sacramentales)

These were one-act plays featuring religious themes and allegorical characters with a didactic intent. They were performed on the street during the celebration of Corpus Christi and financed by the city assembly. These Baroque festivals attracted a large public.

The New Comedy (17th Century)

• It mixes **comic and tragic elements**.
• It disregards the traditional rules of the three classical units:
  1. Unity of Place,
  2. Unity of Time,
  3. Unity of Action.
• The characters are constantly repeated, allowing viewers to easily recognize them. The most common archetypes include:
  • the lover,
  • the lady,
  • the bearded man (often a father figure or authority),
  • the antagonist,
  • the maid,
  • the servant, and
  • the funny character (*el gracioso*).
• The plays are divided into 3 acts or "days": Presentation, Middle, and End.
• The language is intended to satisfy the condition of the characters, meaning they speak according to their social status.
• All comedies are composed in verse.
• Songs and dances are often interspersed throughout the performance.
• **Key Themes:** While the *love theme* is the most frequent, the *issue of honor* is also critically important.

Lope de Vega and the New Dramatic Formula

Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio was born in Madrid in 1562 and quickly dedicated himself to literature. In 1588, he was banished for writing scurrilous verses. He spent part of his banishment in Valencia, and the influence of Valencian dramatists on his later work was considerable.

He married twice, was widowed, and lived with many other women. Following the death of one of his sons, he was ordained a priest in 1614. In 1616, he fell in love with Marta de Nevares, a young, married woman. Without fear of scandal, he lived with her. However, Marta fell ill, and Lope's final years (he died in 1635) were painful. He suffered severe economic difficulties and disappointments.

Lope de Vega cultivated most of the literary genres of his time. He was an excellent poet and a prominent writer. As a playwright, his importance was extraordinary in the creation and consolidation of the New Comedy.