Spanish Golden Age Theater: 17th Century Drama

Lope de Vega and the New Comedy

In the 17th century, Lope de Vega combined literary quality with the ability to attract the public. In 1609, Lope wrote his New Art of Making Comedy, a short, ironic work in which he attempts to explain and defend his theatrical conception against those who criticize the apparatus of classical acts. He proposed the following:

• Divide the comedy into 3 acts, calling them "jornadas".
• Mix the tragic and the comic.
• Mix social strata in the comedy, even appearing in the most serious works.
• The work should have a single action and develop in the same place and during one "jornada".
• Plays are written in verse.
• The writer uses different types of stanzas according to the situations.

Lope admits that the rules of Classical Theater are good, but each time is different and the public's taste in comedy varies. The goal is to cause the public to enjoy.

Genres and Themes of Baroque Theater

Many of the works written in the Baroque period are tragicomedies or dramas.

• Comedies: Mix high and low characters and have a happy ending.
• Tragicomedies or Dramas: Mix high and low characters, tragic and comic situations, and can end well or badly.

Key Themes

• Honor and Honors: If you lose your honor, it is necessary to recover it. Blood revenge is just, and honor is often linked to women. The men are the ones who will clean the stains of honor. If a maiden lost her honor, the code of comedy only offered two options: marriage or the death of the seducer. Fortunately, real life was another matter.

• Love: The conquest of a lady by the lover (or vice versa). Example: The Dog in the Manger by Lope.

Many comedies of "swashbuckling" or entanglement were also written.

• Historical and Legendary Comedy: Fuenteovejuna.
• Plays of Device: They have a complicated staging and need to be represented in a court theater. They are usually accompanied by song and dance. Example: Love is no Escape from Love by Calderon.
• Philosophical and Religious Dramas: They cover topics such as fate, freedom of the individual, and divine power. Example: Life is a Dream.
• Dramas of Honor: In which there is a problem of honor. Example: The Physician of His Honor by Calderon.
• Autos Sacramental: Spectacular performances whose theme is a matter of faith.

Common Characters

• The King: If young, he is a superb leading man and sometimes unfair; if old, he is prudent and necessary to restore justice.
• The Lover: He has all the virtues. The feelings that move him are love, jealousy, and honor.
• The Antagonist: He is usually a noble who abuses his power, an evil tyrant.
• The Lady: It is very common for women to masquerade as men to perform actions like a man, defending their honor.
• The Father of the Lady: He is an exemplary man who defends honor.
• The "Gracioso" (Funny Man): He is the quintessential character of Spanish comedy. He is clever, cowardly, loves money and the pleasures of food. He is usually paired with the lady's maid. His interventions break the tension and drama.
• The Maid.

Major Authors

• Lope de Vega: The Dog in the Manger, Fuenteovejuna
• Tirso de Molina: The Trickster of Seville, Don Gil of the Green Pants
• Calderon de la Barca: Life is a Dream, The Mayor of Zalamea