Spanish Theater: Middle Ages to Baroque

Posted on Sep 29, 2024 in Music

The Rise of Peninsular Theater

Middle Ages

Religious drama, tied to festivals and religious ceremonies, was prominent during the Middle Ages.

Renaissance

New trends emerged during the Renaissance:

  • Italianate Theater: Juan del Encina created various theatrical eclogues.
  • Classical Theater: This style followed Greco-Roman models.
  • National Theater: Juan de la Cueva wrote dramas based on national history.
  • Popular Theater: Lope de Rueda wrote pasos (short, humorous pieces based on comic situations), such as The Horned Man, but Happy.

Stage Areas

The stage areas during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance included:

  • Churches
  • Public places
  • Universities
  • Palace halls

Commercial theater in the Baroque period began with open-air theaters.

Dramatic Subgenres

In addition to comedies and tragedies, other dramatic subgenres existed:

  • Eclogues: Short, pastoral-themed works in verse, set in idyllic surroundings.
  • Autos Sacramentales: Linked to religious drama, particularly Christmas and Easter.
  • Entremés: Short, grotesque, burlesque, and sometimes coarse works.
  • Prologues or Introitus: Short pieces performed before the main play to attract the audience.
  • Pasos and Entremeses: Short prose pieces featuring characters of humble social class.

Evolution of the Stage: The Corral de Comedias

From the 17th century, theater was presented in a fixed, organized, and purpose-built stage area called the Corral de Comedias because they resembled courtyards or pens.

Areas of the Corral de Comedias

  1. Stage or platform
  2. Backstage area behind the stage
  3. Benches in front of the stage
  4. Small wooden stands on either side of the stage
  5. Standing area for spectators at the back
  6. Rooms and windows with bars above the stairs
  7. Apartments above the rooms
  8. “The cazuela” (reserved for women) in front of the stage and behind the benches
  9. “The alojería” (reserved for writers and clergy) above the cazuela

Distribution of the Audience

All social classes were represented and grouped in different areas:

  • Commoners: Stood on the benches, in the side stands, and the cazuela (women).
  • Swordsmen, Soldiers, and Officers: Stood at the back.
  • Powerful Nobles: Occupied the rooms and windows with bars.
  • Writers and Minor Clergy: Sat in the alojería.

Important Corrales de Comedias

  • The Corral del Príncipe in Madrid
  • The Corral de Alcalá de Henares
  • The Corral de Almagro
  • The Corral de Doña Elvira in Seville

The National Comedy

The Comedia Nueva, also called the National Comedy, was created by Lope de Vega and developed by various authors until the 18th century.

Characteristics of the National Comedy

  • Reflected in Lope de Vega’s work “New Art of Writing Plays”.
  • Mixing of tragic and comic elements.
  • Disregard for the three dramatic unities (time, place, and action).
  • Three-act structure:
    • Act I: Introduction of characters.
    • Acts II and III: Development of the knot or conflict.
    • End of Act III: Resolution.
  • Polymetry: Use of different verse forms according to the intensity of the action.
  • Decorum: Appropriateness of language, clothing, and behavior to the character’s social class.
  • Character archetypes:
    • The Lady: Beautiful, faithful, and of noble lineage.
    • The Gallant: The lady’s male counterpart; generous and heroic.
    • The Old Parent: Wise, brave, and a defender of honor. Usually the lady’s father.
    • The Powerful Antagonist: Proud, violent, and abuses power. Can be young or old.
    • The King or Prince: Imposes justice and resolves problems at the end.
    • The Gracioso (Funny Man): The gallant’s servant; provides comic relief.
    • The Nurse: Often the gracioso’s counterpart.
  • Themes:
    • Spanish history (especially medieval)
    • Honor
    • Love affairs
    • Court life and intrigues
    • Rural life and conflicts

These themes could be mixed within the same work.

Types of Dramas

Diverse dramas catered to a wide audience.

Types of Comedy

  • Capa y Espada (Cloak and Sword): Urban setting, courtly love, and intrigue.
  • Comedia Palaciega (Palace Comedy): Love themes in palatial settings.
  • Comedia Bíblica (Biblical Comedy): Religious themes.
  • Comedia Mitológica (Mythological Comedy): Mythological themes.
  • Tragedies: Historical or classical; themes of honor, revenge, and jealousy.
  • Comedia Rural (Rural Drama): Protagonist is a rich farmer or an entire village.
  • Comedia de Figuras (Character Comedy): Ridiculed stock characters.

Short Pieces

Short pieces were performed between acts, at the beginning, or at the end:

  • Entremés
  • Loas or Prologues
  • Dances
  • Jácaras: Ballads sung by marginalized characters.
  • Mojigangas: Dances with exaggerated or suggestive movements.