Spanish Golden Age Theatre: Dramatic Genres and the New Comedy

Spanish Golden Age Dramatic Genres

Auto Sacramental

A one-act allegorical drama whose purpose was to praise the Eucharist. Its most significant feature is the use of symbolic characters representing virtues and sins. It was performed on the feast of Corpus Christi and featured rich scenery and luxurious costumes. Lope de Vega and Tirso de Molina were notable authors, but its main representative is Calderón de la Barca.

Entremés

A brief, comedic piece intended to amuse and entertain the public. It features stock characters, such as the fool or the sexton, who have fixed traits. It was performed between the first and second acts of a longer play. Its origin lies in the works of Lope de Rueda, and its top representative is Cervantes.

Loa

An introduction to the performance of the comedy. It was recited by an actor who addressed the public, and its function was to silence the audience and capture their attention by praising the work they were about to see. It was initially very brief but later expanded in content.

Dance

A combination of song, music, and dance that was performed between the second and third acts of the comedy. Shorter than the entremés, the public enjoyed its cheerful nature.

Jácara

A work of poetic origin with very little action, which could be accompanied by music and dance. The jácara began to evolve, eventually incorporating a small plot.

Mojiganga

A brief piece with origins in popular carnivals. At first, it was performed in the street, but later moved to the stage. The costumes were typically grotesque and bizarre.

Features of the New Comedy

• Mixture of comedy and tragedy: This was justified by the idea that in real life, the comic and the serious are not separate.
• Rupture of the three unities: Baroque theater rejected the classical unities of time and place, allowing for temporal breaks and changes of scene.
• Structure and division into three acts: This structure was established at the end of the 16th century and became standard in the 17th. The plot is structured with the first act introducing the action, the second developing it, and the third providing the resolution, which is confined to the final scenes.
• Polymetry and verses adapted to the scenes: The New Comedy is written in verse and uses both traditional Spanish and Italian meters. It seeks to match a particular verse form to a specific type of situation.
• Language appropriate to characters and situations: This involves matching a character's social status with their way of speaking and behaving.
• Incorporation of songs: Many comedies were based on traditional songs, which were added to the central plot and repeated in several scenes.