Theater in the Spanish Golden Age: main characteristics

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If there is a period in the history of Spanish literature that stands out above the rest, this is, without a doubt, the Golden age. It is about a time in which there was a real revolution in letters and in the arts in general. Great names in literature were part of this period such as, for example, Lope de Vega or Miguel de Cervantes and it is that, during this century, Spain experienced a great social and political revolution that kicked off with the discovery of America. The theater was one of the best known and most popular genres of the time and, therefore, in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to discover the characteristics of theater in the Spanish Golden Age as well as some important details about this genre during the 16th century.

Index

1. General characteristics of the Golden Age theater
2. The new art of making comedies by Lope de Vega
3. The typical characters of the Spanish Golden Age theater

It is important to know the most outstanding characteristics of the theater in the Spanish Golden Age. And it is that, during the sixteenth century we witnessed an authentic cultural revolution which was spearheaded by the theater as a literary genre that reached mass audiences. Here we will offer you a list as a summary so that you know the most outstanding characteristics of the theater at that time. Take note!

• Comedies: in the sixteenth century all plays were called "comedies", therefore, we do not speak at no time of theatrical pieces or works but, always, we will refer to the "comedies" of the moment. The comedy pens They were the first theaters to be built in the country and they fulfilled a series of characteristics that allowed the accommodation of the public and the actors.
• Theme: The themes of the comedies of the Golden Age were very varied but, in general, they used to present situations daily with humorous touches to make a satire of society and, at the same time, entertain the public. The sitcoms were the ones he popularized Lope de Vega.
• Structure: Normally, works written during the 16th century are made up of 3 acts, a norm established by Lope de Vega in his "New Art of Making Comedies" and thus establishing unanimity when creating plays. Until then, there was no clear model that determined the number of acts to be performed, only classical theater pointed out that 5 acts were those that should be performed.
• Style: in the Golden Age comedies were written in verse and, in fact, we hardly find literary creations that are made in prose. The metric that was used the most were octosyllables and with stanzas such as sonnets, octaves, rounds or romances.
• Units of action, time and place: If we talk about the characteristics of the theater in the Spanish Golden Age, we have to mention these three units that were stipulated in Aristotle's Poetics and which, during the 16th century, were also cultivated in the comedies.
• Tragicomedy: the style that most predominated during the Spanish Golden Age was that of tragicomedy, that is, the mixture of stories that moved between tragedy and comedy, thus creating a genre closer and closer to life herself.
• The importance of honor: and, finally, another of the characteristics of the theater in the Spanish Golden Age is that the theme of honor featured prominently in the vast majority of comedies. It is one of the great themes that occupy many literary works of the time and that, in the theater, sometimes it can be treated seriously but, other times, satirically and ridiculed.

But to better understand what the theater consisted of in the Spanish Golden Age, it is essential that we talk about a publication prepared by Lope de Vega: "The new art of making comedies." Here the author collects a compendium of norms and rules to be able to make the new theater of the time. It is, something like that, like a formula that broke with medieval theater and was influenced by Italian theater.

In this publication, Lope de Vega indicated the new direction that Spanish theater should follow, indicating a series of guidelines that are those that he himself followed when creating his comedies. In short, the new theater should follow these principles:

• Break with dramatic unity: the unity of action, time and space imposed by Aristotle was broken by Lope de Vega who bet on a much freer and more dynamic theater. The only unit that remains with Lope is that of action to build coherent and organized works.
• Tragicomedy: he was in charge of introducing the tragicomedy in the theater of the Golden Age. I wanted to break with the duality of comedy or tragedy by creating a genre much closer to reality and to life itself. This genre brought with it the appearance of a new theatrical character, the funny one.
• Social topics: Instead of betting on works that spoke of "great universal themes", Lope opted to represent more everyday situations and closer to people on the street. Therefore, in his comedies we find love conflicts, misunderstandings and crazy situations that can take place in our lives
• Division into 3 days (or events): This was another of the contributions that Lope made to the theater. And it is that he proposed that the texts be divided into 3 days instead of the 5 that, until now, classical theater had had

With "The New Art of Making Comedies", published in 1609, Lope de Vega oriented Spanish theater towards a new horizon and totally removed from the path he had taken so far.

To continue with the characteristics of the theater in the Spanish Golden Age, it is important that we stop to find out who the main characters were in the 16th century. Unlike the classical theater, in this new theater very characters are elaborated characterized and individualizedIn other words, the characters are not symbols of human aspects but are people with names and surnames, with vices and virtues.

However, in comedies we do find type-characters who want to be a reflection of the Spanish society of the time. And, for that reason, it is common for us to meet all of them (or their vast majority) in construction sites:

• King: the figure of the king appears in many comedies of the Spanish Golden Age. He is usually depicted as a person who embodies injustice and pride. He can present himself as a divine being or, also, as a tyrant, depending on the author and the message of the work.
• Powerful: in comedies a powerful character and of high society also usually appears. He is usually a despot who represents the corrupt, punished and lonely man.
• Knight: It is also a very common figure in the plays of the Golden Age. He can be represented with different connotations, both as a gallant, as a father, as a husband or as a brother. He is he honor code representative that he was so strict and important at the time.
• Hunk and lady: this couple is also one of the most frequent in comedies. And, in fact, much of the intrigue or suspense has to do with his adventures or his misfortunes. The gallant usually represents the qualities of the hero and the lady those of the ideal woman.
• Raised: It is also common for the gallant and the lady to have a servant and maid, respectively, who acts as a confidant of their feelings, their dreams and their desires. This character usually brings a more humorous and relaxed touch to the situation that arises and is characterized with a more colloquial language.
• Funny: is one of the characters that appeared in the 16th century theater due to the confluence between tragedy and comedy. He is the opposite character to the gallant and is characterized by his good humor, by being an interested person, by his cowardice and by his liveliness. He is usually the one who opposes the love and desperate vision of the gallant giving him a less idealistic and more real perspective.
• Villain: and, of course, in the traditional characters of the 16th century theater, the villain, the evil person who only cares about his own benefits and acts thinking only of his own interests. This character is usually the one who causes the knot in the plot and the one who breaks the peace or stability that has been presented to us during the first part of the play. The characters who fight against the villain will be those who, later, will be considered as true social heroes.

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