Lope de Vega and Spanish Drama by Heinz Gerstinger

Abstract

Reviews 307 latter day of Shakespearean studies, the last word on the plays has not been said. ROBERT ORNSTEIN Case Western Reserve University Heinz Gerstinger. Lope de Vega and Spanish Drama. Translated by Sam­ uel R. Rosenbaum. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1974. Pp. 170. $7.50. Of the numerous introductions to Spanish Golden Age drama that have appeared in recent years, this German scholar’s contribution is per­ haps the most assimilable for those totally unacquainted with the subject. The first half of the work discusses in general terms the traditional ideas on the development and characteristics of the comedia, while the second part presents brief vitae of the most popular authors and summaries of the dramatic works that Gerstinger considers most suitable for the mod­ em stage or which have had a practical impact on contemporary theater. He therefore discusses the modern productions of the plays after the literary analyses. Gerstinger cites three basic attributes of the Spanish comedia: “(1) The conscious illusion, which can be destroyed at any time, as it is founded on pretense, not on reality. The actor who steps out of his role at the end of every play in order to take leave of his audience was at that time unthinkable in the theater of other nations. (2) The primacy of situ­ ation over action. It is of little consequence what the principals do. How they do it, how they react to the given situation, is vital. (3) The unlimited dominance of fantasy, an aspect no classical dramatist would acknowledge. It is the offspring of Catholic belief in miracles and of the Spanish love of adventure” (p. 60). He sees these generic characteristics best exemplified in what he terms “mirror plays,” complicated farces in which the final objective appears to have less importance for the char­ acters than their individual behavior in attaining it. All the virtuosity the dramatist deploys in guiding the course of events is for the specific pur­ pose of delineating the reactions of the characters. The result is a drama where circumstances are imposed from without upon the dramatic person­ ages solely to analyse their comportment; and, clearly, the more confusing and perplexing the situation into which the protagonists are thrust the better will be the comedia. A play of this type can consequently have little propaganda value. It is pure pretense, and it is so structured that the audience consciously sees it as such. The comedias studied by Gerstinger are chosen because of their con­ formity to these precepts. They are Miguel de Cervantes’ one-act farce The Theater of Wonders (El retablo de las maravillas); Not So Stupid After All (La dama boba), Sir Miracle Comes a Cropper (El caballero del milagro), and The Madmen of Valencia (Los locos de Valencia) by Lope de Vega; Tirso de Molina’s Don Gil Green Hose (Don Gil de las calzas verdes); and Agustín Moreto’s Answer Scorn with Scorn (El desdén con el desdén). The bibliography lists the English translations of these plays. 308 Comparative Drama The only objectionable feature of Gerstinger’s book for those in the field of Spanish literature is the appalling inaccuracy with dates and names. Charles Martel defeated the Moors in 732, not 792 (p. 3); Alfonso the Wise’s dates are 1220-84, not 1416-58 (p. 9); it is “honra,” not “honora” (p. 10), and Antonio Coello y Ochoa rather than Ochos (p. 146). Philip IV is confused twice with Philip V (pp. 26 and 147), and it was Philip II who moved the capital from Toledo to Madrid (p. 12). Nevertheless, the monograph is quite adequate for the student of comparative drama who desires a concise introduction to the typical forms of Spanish comedia. DAVID H. DARST Florida State University ...