Spanish Theater History: Medieval to Golden Age Drama

History of Spanish Peninsular Theater

Medieval Drama: The Origins

The Auto de los Reyes Magos

The Auto de los Reyes Magos (The Adoration of the Magi) is the oldest known Castilian dramatic text. It is a fragment of 147 verses, predominantly using polymetric structures (endecasyllable, Alexandrine, and seven-syllable lines). It is written in Castilian.

The fragment contains monologues of the Three Kings, their meeting, visits to Herod, and the discussion among the wise men.

In the second half of the fifteenth century, Gómez Manrique stands out as the author of sacred works.

Renaissance Drama Trends

The Renaissance period saw several distinct dramatic trends:

• Religious drama
• Italianate theater (exemplified by Bartolomé de Torres Naharro)
• Classical theater
• National theater
• Popular theater

Spanish Golden Age Theater (17th Century)

The Corrales de Comedia (Theater Structure)

Baroque representations were held in the corrales de comedia, which were initially interior patios. The lateral buildings typically had a ground floor and three upper floors.

• The first floor had barred windows.
• The second and third floors contained apartments (aposentos).
• The third floor also housed the attics (desvanes).

The front of the stage building had four floors:

• The ground floor served as the entrance.
• The first floor housed the gallery.
• The second floor contained the balcony.
• The top floor was the cazuela (the 'stew pot').

Behind the stage (*tabla*) were the costumes. Most of the audience sat on benches, alongside tarimones (raised platforms) or on patio stools, while others stood.

Men occupied the patio (*patio*) and the attics (*desvanes*). Women were segregated in the cazuela. The most powerful spectators and religious gatherings occupied the apartments (*aposentos*).

The National Comedy (Comedia Nueva)

This dramatic form was codified and popularized by Lope de Vega.

Characteristics of Baroque Comedy

Mixing the Tragic and the Comic: Lope justified this mixture because both elements occur in real life, defining the Spanish style. Comic elements are present even in tragedies.

Dramatic Unities

Baroque drama generally disregarded the unities of time and place, allowing playwrights to use scene changes and temporal shifts. The unity of action, however, was generally respected.

In some comedias de capa y espada (swashbuckling comedies), the unities of time and place were maintained to enhance the plot and intrigue.

Division of the Drama

The drama was typically divided into three acts (*jornadas*). Distinct scenes were differentiated within the acts. The scenes (*tablas*) were defined by changes in metrics.

Polymetry, Language, and Decorum

The use of varied meters (polymetry) and appropriate language (decorum) were key elements of the style.

Types of Spanish Golden Age Dramas

Short Dramatic Works (Obras Menores)

The Baroque taste for theater led to a proliferation of short dramatic pieces, which were interspersed within the representation of longer works.

These subgenres of brief plays include:

• Entremeses (Interludes)
• Loas (Praise/Prologues)
• Dances
• Ballads
• Masquerades
• Mojigangas (Farces)