Spanish Theater Triumphs: Benavente, Poetic Drama & Costumbrismo

Theater Triumphs

Bourgeois Comedy or Drama — Benavente

• Bourgeois comedy or drama — Benavente.
• Bourgeois comedy often has intentions of social criticism. The two most important works of the author were Los intereses creados ("Vested Interests") and La malquerida. In the first, using the environment and the characters of the Commedia dell'Arte, the author expresses the view that humans are corrupt and hypocritical. The second addresses the issue of incestuous love; although it is a work of great strength, it is not matched with the use of persuasive language. Benavente's works represent manners and gentle criticism of bourgeois society, and the provincial interior often portrays aristocratic palaces...

Poetic Drama in Verse

• Poetic drama in verse.
• Two sources: the romantic tradition — a return to the past and the use of verse — and a verbal commitment to modernist art with sound poetry, innovative language, religious elements and colorful effects... Furthermore, we can characterize a markedly traditionalist ideology: it exalts the ideals of nobility, medieval deeds and the glorious times of the Spanish Empire. Francisco Villaespesa, Eduardo Marquina and the Machado brothers are its most important representatives.

Comic Theater and Costumbrismo

• Comic theater or costumbrismo.
• Mainly represented by the Álvarez Quintero brothers. With over two hundred works in which the same pattern is repeated, they ensured popular success. They portray Andalusian life in a superficial and friendly manner, ignoring any kind of social tension. Andalucía offers a topical, lively and saucy setting where the only problems are sentimental. Carlos Arniches distinguishes himself with Madrid sketches characterized by his skill in comic dialogue and castizo Madrid speech. The settings and characters are often conventional. Some of his works are The Cat Girl and Don Quintín, the Embittered. His other side is what he called grotesque tragedy, in which we emphasize La señorita de Trevélez (Miss Trévelez, 1916) and Los caciques (1920). Pedro Muñoz Seca and Astrakán. These are works where the sole aim is to chase the laughter of the audience. He uses easy jokes and puns. The best-known work is La venganza de Don Mendo ("The Revenge of Don Mendo", 1918).