196- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Tirso de Molina
He’s remembered as the author ofEl Burlador de Sevilla y
convidado de piedra(c.1630), in which the Don Juan
character first appeared.The sly Lothario was expertly
sketched by Molina, a monk known to his brethren as Fray
GabrielTéllez.The play fell within Molina’s repertoire of
autos sacramentalesbut he also wrote historical pieces
and, with most élan,comedias de intriga.El Vergonzoso en
palacio(1611), about a shepherd disguised as ahidalgo
who falls for a noblewoman, was his most famous intrigue
play. Above all, Molina stood out among the throng of Vega
wannabes as a playwright with an accomplished grasp of
dialogue and action. And, like his friend and mentor Vega,
he kept himself busy, penning more than 400 plays.Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Calderón brought new depth to theatre. He explored
similar themes to Vega (most often honour) but altered
dramatic structure and language, starting a second cycle
of Golden Age drama. He began with secular plays but
achieved his fame later by personifying (and simplifying)
Roman Catholic theology with a series of single actautos
sacramentales.El gran teatro del mundo(1649) was
typical, a play within a play in which actors represent man,
the stage is the world and the producer symbolises God.
However, a secular play,La vida es sueño(1635), became
his most popular work.The play blurs dream and reality,
exploring themes of free will and predestination. Don’t
be deterred – the philosophising comes wrapped in an
excellent story about a Polish prince. He wrote far less,
but some have said his talent outshone Vega’s.The Council of Castile put
Tirso de Molina on the
naughty stair in 1625 for
depicting vice a bit too
realistically on stage.
He was told to stick to
religious subject matter
or face excommunication.
Meeting of minds
Lope de Vega lived on the
same Madrid street as
Miguel de Cervantes.
Apparently they met
regularly and enjoyed a
mutual respect for each
other’s work, no doubt
getting together to talk
wordsmithery in the
equivalent of their local
Starbucks. Cervantes won
the posthumous battle to
have the street renamed
in his honour, but Calle de
Lope de Vega is only just
around the corner.
“MORE THAN A
HUNDRED OF MY
COMEDIES HAVE
TAKEN ONLY 24
HOURS TO PASS
FROM THE MUSES
TO THE BOARDS OF
THE THEATRE.”
Lope de Vega boasted
about writing a play a day