Corografía mística: Babilonia y Sión en los autos sacramentales de Calderón

Abstract

This article explores the symbolic use of the description and evocation of the cities of Babylon and Jerusalem in Calderón's autos sacramentales, where they are systematically contrasted to represent allegorically the kingdom of evil and that of Paradise. The way in which the paradigm is mapped out confirms yet again the high level of structural organization in Calderón's autos sacramentales. As in the case of the schema of the four elements, the technique of etymological interpretation, or the various ways in which wit is expressed, the exploration of the antithetical symbols of Babylon and Sion, involving a wealth of complex meanings from the Bible and its commentators, show the skill of the poet in writing his dramatic works.