The «Comedias» in «Ancient Language»: From 16th-Century Spanish Heroic Drama to the «Comedia Nueva»

Abstract

This article explores the history of the so-called comedia in ancient language, ranging from the late sixteenth century to the work of Rojas Zorrilla and Moreto. I examine issues of chronology and authorship, specially regarding the oeuvre of Hurtado Velarde, as well as several literary features such as the linguistic differentiation among characters, spatio-temporal setting of the plots, or recurrent characters and scenes. Thus, I argue that during a first period most playwrights based their plays on cycles previously developed in the Romancero; the second period was determined by the central presence of highlanders, namely female warriors; during the final period, playwrights resumed certain literary features of the first period, paying particular attention to events that had been accepted as historical.