Lope de Vega’s Theater, Spanish Golden Age, and More
Characteristics of Lope’s New Theater
- Characters: You can mix tragic and comic characters.
- Metric: It adjusts to situations; according to tradition, each stanza is ascribed to an issue.
- Purpose: The purpose of comedy is to delight, and the language employed must reach the public.
- Number of Acts: Works consist of 3 acts.
- Unity of Action: Must be maintained, although Lope himself did not always do so.
- Unities of Time and Place: There is no need to respect them, though it is recommended that the action takes
Troubadour Poetry: Feudal Society, Courtly Love, and Political Influence
Troubadour Poetry
Feudal Society
Feudal society was structured around two primary classes: those who commanded and did not work (the nobility), and those who worked and obeyed (the peasantry). The nobility resided in palaces and castles, managing their lands. The peasantry lived in simple dwellings made of mud and reeds, engaged in farming and animal husbandry.
To maximize the benefits derived from their lands, lords formed armies of loyal vassals, linked hierarchically through oaths of loyalty and
Read MoreRoman Historiography: Authors and Works
1. Introduction
History, as a genre, is the study and narration of past events. It is considered both a literary and scientific work; therefore, it is called historiography. Often, a certain degree of credibility and truth is subordinated to a political and national purpose. There is typically no analysis of social and economic problems, and sources are partially consulted.
2. Origins
- Legal Texts: Leges Regiae, Senatus Consulta, Law of the Twelve Tables (450 BC).
- Religious Texts: Annales Pontificum.
Characters and Themes in The House of Bernarda Alba
Characters in *The House of Bernarda Alba*
Lorca presents characters in *The House of Bernarda Alba* mainly through their interactions. These include main, secondary, and even unseen or alluded-to characters. The names of the characters are symbolic; for example, Bernarda means “hard,” signifying anxiety and sadness; Angustias means “anguish”; and Alba means “dawn-white” (purity). The characters are also taken from reality and the terms of commonality, which Lorca uses in the play.
Main Characters
- Bernarda:
Roman Leisure, Festivities, and Sciences
Leisure, Holidays, and Traditions
Holidays
Every nine days, the Romans had a day of rest. Roman festivals were closely related to religion. In fact, it was the pontiff who mostly elaborated and controlled the calendar, and also indicated the holidays and working days. Each year, the Pope indicated the most suitable tokens for public activity and on fasti (courts). Because citizens were not informed, calendars were hung on the walls of buildings.
Major Holidays
The holidays are a portrait of the idiosyncratic
Read MoreSpanish Literature: Movements, Authors, and Key Works
Generation of ’27
Production Quality and Exceptional Poets: (Garcia Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Vicente Aleixandre).
Traits: Personal relations, a tribute to Góngora, formation of common cultural interests.
Evolution:
- Formation stage (Juan Ramón Jiménez’s influence).
- Personal stage.
- Social and political concerns stage (influenced by Surrealism) (after the Spanish Civil War, they were dispersed).
Neopopularism: Short compositions and high lyrical intensity (Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca).
Influence