“Burlas en tiempo de tantas veras”: Violence and Humor in Lope de Vega’s Los melindres de Belisa

Abstract

This study examines the unsettling combination of violence and humor in Lope de Vega’s Los melindres de Belisa . Critics generally downplay the presence of violence in this work, while a recent production censors those parts considered offensive by modern-day standards. This discussion suggests that these elements are not only integral to Los melindres , but make for a far more compelling dramatic work. Rather than condone violence, the conclusion of Los melindres de Belisa condemns the characters who would perpetrate violence against their Morisco slaves. The essay takes as its point of departure early modern Spain and the historical and cultural context of the Moriscos, whose expulsion from the peninsula in 1609 occurs shortly after the publication of Los melindres de Belisa and looks more closely at the practice of branding slaves both on and off the Spanish stage. (GC)