Discover what are the ENTREMESES by Miguel de CERVANTES

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Miguel de Cervantes He is one of the best known authors in Spanish literature both nationally and internationally. Thanks to the publication of Don Quixote de la Mancha, this Golden Age writer he managed to become one of the most interesting writers of Spanish letters. But, in addition to this well-known novel, the author also wrote short plays known as "hors d'oeuvres" and which were compiled into a complete volume. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to offer you a summary so that you know what are Cervantes's Entremeses and you can get closer to this new way of doing theater.

Index

1. Introduction to Cervantes's Entremeses
2. Main themes of Cervantes's Entremeses
3. Influence of Cervantes's Entremeses on literature

In order to know what Cervantes's Entremeses are, it is important to understand this author better. Its success was consolidated thanks to the publication of

But, in addition to this novel, there are many other works by Miguel de Cervantes that we must know. And in the theater field, the author lived with another great name on the scene: Lope de Vega. Hors d'oeuvres are short plays that used to be performed in-between a big play. They were very short pieces but loaded with satirical and burlesque intent that served to launch a critique of Spanish society at the time.

In the compendium of the Entremeses de Cervantes we find 8 of these creations that were represented in the intermissions of comedies and cars of the Golden Age. The topics covered in these works are very varied, such as jealousy, marriage, scams, and so on. The 8 hors d'oeuvres that we find in this publication are:

1. The Divorce Judge
2. The widowed ruffian
3. The election of the mayors of Daganzo
4. Careful guarding
5. The pretended Biscayan
6. The altarpiece of wonders
7. The cave of Salamanca
8. The jealous old man

It is important to note that, in general terms, Miguel de Cervantes's theater went into the background among society since the most successful and popular author of the time was Lope de Vega. Nevertheless, What Cervantes excelled at was in his Entremeses, some works that became essential during comedy performances.

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We have already commented that there are 8 Cervantes Entremeses that are compiled. Each of these works is independent of the rest and he talks satirically on a very specific topic. The objective is to provoke laughter and to entertain the spectators between the changes of acts. However, the author wanted to give a very powerful message in these short pieces and, therefore, he almost always talks about real issues that took place in the society of the time.

• For example, in "The Divorce Judge" we find that the main theme is about the marital problems that they had in privacy. These problems and disagreements are also reflected in other Entremeses by Cervantes such as "El rufián rubio" that we tells the story of Trampagos, a man who has lost his lover and who, to console himself, surrounds himself with friends and prostitutes.
• In "The election of mayors of Daganzo" the author talks about another topic: the prevailing politics in society Spanish of the time. And above all it emphasizes the image of the politician, miserable characters who have the aspiration to be mayors. He ridicules the figure of politicians with the character of Humillos, an aspiring mayor who does not even know how to read or write.
• The love entanglements they are also protagonists in the Entremeses de Cervantes. This is the case, for example, of "The careful guard" where we are presented with a soldier and a sacristan in love with the same woman. Two rogue and morally questionable characters who will embody hilarious situations in relation to love and the crazy things that are committed in their name.
• The criticism of Spanish society it is also very sharp in these hors d'oeuvres. In fact, this is the theme that we find in the other works (El vizcaíno fingido, El altarpiece de las maravillas, La Cueva de Salamanca and El viejo celoso). This criticism is always made from a humorous point of view so that the message gets through in a more positive but equally poignant way.

As we can see, the topics that Cervantes talks about in his Entremeses are very varied and, best of all, is that although they may seem simple and innocent topics, deep down they all hide a great social criticism.

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Now that we know what Cervantes's Entremeses are, it is important that we stop at know the influence that these short theatrical texts had both in society and in the literature. One of the highlights of these pieces is that they are performed by characters that are archetypes of the society of the time; So we have the grumpy old man, the boastful soldier, the Biscayan, the jealous man, and so on. This allows the viewer to quickly detect the character and enter the work, which, despite being shorter than usual, has a very intense and overwhelming message.

The influence of these Entremeses was very intense in literature and is that Cervantes he broke the molds of the theatrical genre to offer very short and concise works in which humor and satire were the main protagonists. The human condition and the society of the time were the two great themes on which the author wrote his plays and always did so using hilarious language and scenes loaded with comedy.

Using the comedy as sharp and reflective medium It is another of the great contributions of Cervantes's Entremeses. And it is that the public burst into laughter while, at the same time, reflected on situations that were very familiar to them. Cervantes takes advantage of humor to show the public the false morality that existed in Spanish society.

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