Baroque Theatre: The New Comedy in Spain’s Golden Age

Posted on Sep 7, 2024 in Latin

The Legacy of the Renaissance

After the medieval religious drama, which preserves the Auto de los Reyes Magos, and early in the second half of the fifteenth century with Lucas Fernandez and Juan del Enzina Eclogues, the Renaissance brought a limited dramatic production. In the first half of the sixteenth century, noteworthy figures included Torres Naharro, Gil Vicente, and Lope de Rueda, known for their contributions to popular theater. Other prominent figures were Juan de la Cueva, known for his national epic dramas, and Cervantes.

The “New Comedy”

The renewal and consolidation of the Baroque theatre formula, which adopted the name “New Comedy” to distinguish it from the classic play, was carried out by Lope de Vega. He realized that Spanish theatre was separate from classical imitation and began its own path through a “new art.” Lope de Vega’s ability was exemplary:

  1. He prioritized profitable theatre, with freer forms that deviated from the classical rules.
  2. He offered the public, and this was one of the keys to its success, a relatable and familial theatre in its affairs and content.
  3. He embodied monarchical sentiment, the concept of honor, national pride, and religious orthodoxy.
  4. He provided flexibility to move, creating stories featuring scenic variety.
  5. He conceived the play as a total spectacle, with staging in which the vicissitudes of the argument prevailed, dances, etc. Plays were performed not only in comedy theatres, but also in neighborhood courtyards.

Technical Renovations of the “New Comedy”

The technical changes were as follows:

  1. Reduction to three acts from the five acts of the classic comedy.
  2. Conception of the play, in imitation of life, as an intrigue in incessant motion, with various scenes, etc.
  3. Trespassing and failure, in consequence, of the Aristotelian rule of three units (time, place, and action) that were forced to maintain a single location or stage space, etc.
  4. Mixture of tragedy and comedy, in contradiction with one of the Aristotelian precepts, which brought a new form, the tragicomedy or drama.
  5. Reaction against the unity of work required by the classics, and utilization of polymetry, according to the development of the action: heroic verse.
  6. Variety of verses according to the development of the action: romance to the story, the sonnet for statements, etc.
  7. Decorum in expressive speech presentation according to the age and condition of each character.
  8. Setting the comedy around a fixed structure of characters: the lady, the gifted beauty and lineage leading man of remarkable qualities, the servant or funny man, etc.
  9. Convergence of the dramatic action in the amorous sense, and, indeed, that of honor.

The Theme of Honor

Lope de Vega made the theme of honor one of the main drivers of theatre:

  1. Honor was the privilege of the nobles, inherited and based on the value and lineage of ancestors. The “new comedy” equated honor and defense for both gentlemen and commoners and villains, provided they were of pure blood.
  2. Honor was a personal virtue that was not inherited and that was based on the opinions others have of oneself, so it usually pertained to women. Honor, and thus honor, was in the Spanish Baroque comedy an absolute value comparable to life, and its bankruptcy was equivalent to social death.

The Two Cycles of the “New Comedy”

The two most important representatives are Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca.

Lope de Vega

Lope Félix de Vega Carpio, known as the Phoenix of Wits, produced an extensive body of work, with about 500 plays preserved. The themes of his plays, like his poetry and prose, were varied in accordance with the spirit of the author, alternating between divine love and human passion.

Among the followers of Lope, noted dramatists include: Guillén de Castro, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Luis Vélez de Guevara, and Antonio Mira de Ames.

Tirso de Molina

A true follower of the “new comedy,” Tirso de Molina contributed to the renewal of the stage with the following developments:

  1. He was the great creator of characters in Spanish theatre. One of his most famous characters is Don Juan.
  2. He always delved into the psychological treatment of his characters.
  3. He gave a prominent role, with few exceptions, to women, creating heroines of intense characterization, clever and rich in nuances, and capable.
  4. He was preoccupied with theological, ethical, and transcendent themes such as predestination or free will.
  5. He avoided matters of national tradition and was inspired by the social and religious reality of the time.

Calderón de la Barca

Calderón, representing the culmination of the Golden Age drama, used the theme of honor and synthesized the Baroque idea of disappointment and free will in the character of Sigismund. Calderón’s contemporaries and followers included Francisco Rojas Zorrilla and Agustín Moreto.