Abstract

The judeoconverso community in Portugal increased its influence and wealth during the sixteenth century to such an extent that the Count Duke of Olivares conceded them access to the kingdom. Olivares, favourite of Philip IV, made this controversial decision as one of the efforts to end a continuous state of economic decline by taking advantage of their low interest loans. Thus they became the Portuguese bankers in the Peninsula settling down in the metropolis and integrating in the local life. Olivares resorted to this solution trying to reduce government dependence on Genoese bankers and to boost trade and commerce using the networks already established by the rich Portuguese merchants. However, these measures were affected by the religious question and its enormous social weight. The Jewish origin of the bankers caused a serious conflict between the political government and the religious authority.

Abstract

Our article aims at determining a scheme in order to group the main information about the merchant in the Spanish Golden Age theater, having a look at both the positive and negative images, in perfect agreement with the doctrines of that time. In order to achieve our purpose, we will be using a wide corpus of plays belonging to Alarcón, Calderón, Guillén de Castro, Juan de Matos, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, focusing on the commercial vocabulary (to have, to give, to buy, to sell), the relation between the merchant and power, the allegorical image of the merchant´s ship or the relation between the merchant and women.

Abstract

This paper offers an approach to the main features and conventions of the burlesque comedy of the Spanish Golden Age, a corpus formed by about fifty parodic plays that were performed during Carnival and on St. John’s Day as part of the court festivals celebrated in the Royal Palace or in the Buen Retiro palace complex. These two features (theatre of Carnival and courtier theatre) are the main key when analyzing these plays. The primary function of these pieces is to provoke laughter within the aulic audience —the king and his noblemen. To achieve this goal, authors of burlesque comedies use all of the resources at hand, including both scenic and verbal humor. The plays are marked by an absurd wit, and they bring on stage a carnivalesque world turned upside-down in which everything (including characters, plots, literary motifs, and dramatic conventions) is grotesquely parodied, brutally degraded, and made comical.

Abstract

The complex relationship between Mérimée and Golden Age theather poses three questions that are closely related. In first place, what was the specific knowledge of Carmen's author from one of the three most outstanding theathers invented by Modern Europe? Then, what was his opinion about it? And finally, what is the impact of this theather on his own works? We expect to answer these three questions in the present article.

Abstract

This article offers a comparison between two plays: Mudarse por mejorarse by Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mudarse por mejorarse by Fernando Zárate Castronovo (ca. 1663) in order to examine the authors’ Jewish origins, personalities and biographies. Both of them suffered harassment from other authors (Alarcón) and from Spanish Inquisition (Zárate). Alarcón, who was an isolated but peaceful man, died in Madrid the 4th of August 1639. On the contrary, Zárate, who was rebellious and defeated, died at Sevilla’s Inquisition Palace, the 18th of March 1663. As a conclusion, we can confirm that Zárate Castronovo just copied the title of Alarcón’s comedy to be able to relate it to the unconscious desire of «change» the physical appearence (Alarcón) or the fate (Zárate).

Abstract

The article reviews the rivalries among the major poets of the Golden Age, particularly in the sphere of the theater. The papel examines the relations of friendship or enmity between Lope, Góngora, Tirso, Cervantes, Calderón… within the framework of the battle for popular applause and the social and economic thrive.

Abstract

This paper analyzes a specific motif, the eagle, as one of the sacramental items best known of the calderonian bestiary. Their study is done through several layers: the compositional, the morphological, the biblical, the political-symbolic and the scenic, showing the complexity of the subject and its peculiar insertion in the sacramental plays of the golden age spanish playwright.

Abstract

This comedia by Lope de Vega has received few criticism until now. Most of the studies about this play deal with its date: 1613 is commonly accepted as the year of composition. This article tackles this problem and defends the year 1608 by establishing the connection between the comedia and its sources. This article also explains the segmentation and structure of this comedia

Abstract

The success of Spiritual Literature in Golden Age, especifically St Augustine prays and his autobiography Confessions, are used by Lope de Vega to reflect the official position of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The Sacramental play shows these rethoric aspirations and Lope, in order to teach and make the audience feel like he did with Sacred Rimes, uses images and Augustinian themes to get it.