The theatrum mundi metaphor was well-known in the Golden Age, and was often employed, notably by Calderon in his religious theatre. However, little account has been given of the everyday exploitation of the idea of the world as stage in the mainstream drama of the Golden Age. This study examines how and why playwrights of the period time and again created characters who dramatise themselves, who re-invent themselves by performing new roles and inventing new plots within the larger frame of the play. The prevalence of metatheatrical techniques among Golden Age dramatists, including Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderon de la Barca and Guillen de Castro, reveals a fascination with role-playing and its implications. Thacker argues that in comedy, these playwrights saw role-playing as a means by which they could comment on and criticise the society in which they lived, and he reveals a drama far less supportive of the social status quo in Golden Age Spain than has been traditionally thought to be the case.
- ISBN10 1417568127
- ISBN13 9781417568123
- Publish Date December 2002 (first published 1 April 2002)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Liverpool University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 219
- Language English