Spanish Golden Age Literature: Theater, Poetry, and Prose
The Dawn of National Comedy in Spain
Medieval dramatic production preserved in Castile is scarce. During the 16th century, major events took place that led to the creation of a rich and varied national theater in the following century. Our medieval drama has two milestones: the oldest dramatic text in Castilian and the work of Manrique in the second half of the 15th century.
Renaissance Theater
In Renaissance theater, different trends are distinguished: religious theater, classical, nationalist (Juan de la Cueva), and popular. Other dramatic subgenres cultivated are *eGlobe*, *autos*, and *entremeses*. Cervantes also cultivated the dramatic genre, and his major works are the comedies *Numancia* and *Eight Comedies and Eight New Interludes Never Before Acted*, but this type of theater did not succeed.
Baroque Theater
Baroque theater did succeed thanks to the creation of the new comedy, called Baroque comedy, represented in *corrales*, courtier theater at the palace, outdoors, and morality plays, first inside churches and later in *carros*.
Domestic Comedy
Domestic comedy, established by Lope de Vega, is characterized by:
- The mixture of tragic and comic
- The absence of unity of time and place, but it respected the general principle of action
- The division into three acts, which are the exposition, development, and denouement
- Dramatic decorum
- Two main themes: honor and virtuous actions
- Characters such as the lady, the gallant, the powerful king, the *gracioso* (funny character), and the parent or brother of the lady
In Baroque theater, one can distinguish serious works and comic works, which were represented alternately with shorter pieces.
Lope de Vega and his Successors
Lope de Vega cultivated the *comedia nueva* extensively. Among his works are *Fuenteovejuna*, *El Caballero de Olmedo* (based on a real historical event), *Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña*, and *La Dama Boba*. The Lopean model was continued by Tirso de Molina, incorporating intellectual elements into his works. Calderón de la Barca also wrote in the style of the new comedy, but after his ordination, he wrote works for the palace and *autos sacramentales*. Some of his notable works include *La Vida es Sueño*, *El Médico de su Honra*, and *La Dama Duende*.
Baroque Poetry and Prose
In the late 16th century, Spain entered a period of economic, political, and military decline, which affected all areas except art. Hence, the Baroque is considered one of the Golden Ages of our literature. Despite the importance of theater, the Baroque also has outstanding lyrical and narrative works.
Baroque Poetry
Baroque poetry maintains Renaissance features but also includes new ones. Thematically, it continues with love, linked to myths, but it is also burlesque and parodic. It uses complex language and introduces themes that deal with disappointment and the sense of crisis. Metrically, it dominates the *silva* (an Italianate meter), but there is an appreciation for lesser art, especially the octosyllable. Baroque poetry conserves resources such as metaphor and hyperbaton, and adds others like paradoxes, hyperbole, and oxymorons. The main proponents of this genre are Góngora, Quevedo, and Lope de Vega.
Góngora
Góngora’s poetry of lesser art was significant. He wrote sonnets and longer poems like *Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea* and *Solitudes*. His style is characterized by Gongoristic difficulty due to mythological allusions, the use of a learned lexicon, and the accumulation of rhetorical resources. We also find curious correlations apart from the typical Baroque figures.
Quevedo
Quevedo’s poetry is metrically and thematically varied. He dominates the sonnet, cultivating metaphysical, moral, satirical, burlesque, religious, circumstantial, and amorous compositions.
Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega created both lesser art compositions and Italianate poetry.
Baroque Prose
In Baroque prose, narrative and intellectual fiction are cultivated, both with moralizing and didactic purposes and often a satirical tone. In the 17th century, Renaissance narrative models were followed: pastoral, Byzantine, the courtly novella, and especially, the picaresque. The latter was founded with *Lazarillo de Tormes*, and in the Baroque, one of the major novels is *The Life of Guzmán de Alfarache*, apart from *The Life Story of the Sharper called Don Pablos*.
Quevedo and Gracián
The most important writers of didactic prose are Quevedo and Gracián. Quevedo wrote political, philosophical, and moral-satirical plays. One of his most distinguished works is *Dreams*. Gracián created works directed at a minority, and his purpose is to teach standards based on reason and prudence to achieve excellence. Among his major titles is *El Discreto*.