Spanish Theater Icons: Valle-Inclán's Esperpento and Lorca's Poetic Drama

Ramón del Valle-Inclán: Theatrical Evolution and Esperpento

Stages and Thematic Development

• Modernist Theater (Early Period: up to 1907)

  Characterized by decadent themes, brilliant style, and an aesthetic attitude. Notable works include Cenizas (1899) and El Marqués de Bradomín (1906).

• Transition: Mythic Cycles and Farce (1907-1920)

  Features characters of every kind and condition, exploring basic instincts and passions. This period includes the violent Comedias Bárbaras (1907-1922) and Divinas Palabras (1920). His farces present grotesque and cartoonish characters as ridiculous puppets and marionettes, exemplified by La Marquesa Rosalinda (1912) and Farsa y licencia de la Reina Castiza (1920).

• Esperpentismo (From 1920 onwards)

  The culmination of his dramatic vision, seen in works like Luces de Bohemia (1920, 1924) and Martes de Carnaval (1930).

Understanding Esperpento: Key Principles

Esperpento represents a profound opposition to the tragic manner and attitude, characterized by:

• Alienation and systematic deformation of reality.
• Parody and theatricality.
• Degradation of human dignity, objects, and animals.
• Emphasis on the grotesque and absurd.
• Formal freedom used to offer a total critique of Spanish reality.

Valle-Inclán's Distinctive Style

His style is marked by:

• Dialogue of great vividness, with brief propositions and responses.
• Concentration and expressive, emphatic tone.
• Dimensioning models transformed into prose.
• Use of popular language, particularly that of Madrid, alongside an emphatic and literary register.

The Esperpento itself embodies mockery and satirical intent, representing theater liberated from the conventions of realism.

Federico García Lorca: Poetic Drama and Social Critique

Federico García Lorca stood in opposition to purely commercial theater, believing that drama must unite aesthetic beauty with a profound human dimension. His work aimed to be educational, personally resonant, and socially impactful, always driven by a taste for experimentation.

Lorca's Theatrical Philosophy and Influences

His poetic drama is the result of two antagonistic forces: the principle of authority and the yearning for freedom. The tragedy of his characters stems from a vision of reality imposed by others, perceived as an amputation of the individual's vital essence, leading to profound frustration.

Lorca's influences were diverse, including:

• Farce and avant-garde puppet theater.
• Symbolist drama.
• Urban and rural tragedy.
• Greek tragedy and Shakespearean drama.

He masterfully employed both verse and prose, though his later works saw a reduction in verse. His language blends popular taste with profound poetic breath.

Stages of Lorca's Dramatic Work

• Early Works and Beginnings (Pre-1930)

  This period includes El maleficio de la mariposa (1920), which explores impossible love and frustration through a modernist aesthetic. He also focused on puppet farces, such as Tragicomedia de Don Cristóbal y la Señá Rosita, and plays about common people like La zapatera prodigiosa. These early works show a blend of symbolist, modernist, farce, and puppet theater elements.

• Avant-Garde Experimentation (Early 1930s)

  Surrealism profoundly influenced him, leading to the creation of complex "comedies" or "criptodramas" like El público (1930), which remained unperformed for decades.

• Period of Fullness and Major Tragedies (Mid-1930s)

  In 1932, Lorca founded La Barraca, a university theater troupe. His most significant works from this period include:

  • Bodas de sangre (1933): A rural tragedy exploring impossible love constrained by social structures.
  • Yerma (1934): A powerful clash between individual desire and societal convention.
  • Doña Rosita la soltera o el lenguaje de las flores (1935): A poignant portrayal of a spinster protagonist.
  • La casa de Bernarda Alba (1936): A stark confrontation between the principle of authority and the yearning for freedom, representing a culmination of his dramatic system and showcasing him more as a playwright than a poet.