Spanish Playwrights
This major social value shaped much of Spanish Golden Age drama and often drove characters’ decisions and conflicts.
What is honor?
This stage feature allowed for surprise entrances, exits, or dramatic effects in Spanish Golden Age theatres.
What is a trapdoor?
This French playwright often played foolish authority figures in his own comedies and acted as an early version of a director by managing staging and performance.
Who is Molière?
In 17th-century French theatre, these paid audience members were hired to applaud or boo performances.
What are claques?
Spanish Golden Age performances in corrales typically lasted this long.
What is 2–3 hours?
This famous play by Lope de Vega tells the story of a village that unites to resist a corrupt commander, highlighting themes of collective honor and social justice.
What is Fuenteovejuna?
These open-air theatres were the primary performance spaces during the Spanish Golden Age.
What are Corrales de Comedias?
This controversial comedy by Molière attacked religious hypocrisy and was temporarily banned after its debut.
What is Tartuffe?
In 1665, Louis XIV officially named Molière and the Béjart sisters to this royal acting company, strengthening theatre’s connection to the monarchy.
What is the Troupe du Roi?
This roughly 100-year period, spanning from about 1580 to 1680, is known as Spain’s great flourishing of drama and literature.
What is the Spanish Golden Age?
This Spanish playwright reportedly wrote around 1,500 plays and revolutionized Spanish drama by developing the comedia nueva.
Who is Lope de Vega?
Instead of relying heavily on large physical set pieces, Spanish Golden Age theatre often used this technique to establish setting.
What is spoken décor (or description through dialogue)?
Although this 1677 tragedy by Jean Racine is now considered a masterpiece, rival groups hired claques to boo its original performance.
What is Phèdre?
This Paris theatre, opened in 1548, marked the shift from temporary religious performances to the first permanent professional theatre troupe in France.
What is the Hôtel de Bourgogne?
This 17th-century theatrical movement in France emphasized strict rules like unity of time, place, and action and included playwrights such as Molière, Racine, and Corneille.
What is French Neoclassicism?
This Spanish playwright created the famous literary character Don Juan.
Who is Tirso de Molina?
In Spanish Golden Age theatre, these leaders often headed acting companies and helped performers achieve celebrity status.
Who are actor-managers?
This 1637 tragedy by Pierre Corneille sparked controversy for allegedly breaking neoclassical rules, especially concerning honor and the unity of time
What is Le Cid?
Founded in 1636, this institution standardized the French language and enforced strict neoclassical rules like unity of time, place, and action.
What is the Académie Française?
This powerful French cardinal served as chief minister and helped legitimize actors by supporting the Edict of 1641.
Who is Cardinal Richelieu?
This Spanish Golden Age playwright explored philosophical themes such as free will, fate, and illusion in works like Life Is a Dream.
Who is Pedro Calderón de la Barca?
Spanish Golden Age acting style emphasized this technique, focusing on strong vocal delivery and dramatic gesture.
What is declamation?
This 1662 Molière play sparked debate about marriage and gender roles in French society.
What is The School for Wives?
This 1641 law, supported by Cardinal Richelieu, granted actors legal protections and helped legitimize theatre as a respectable profession.
What is the Edict of 1641?
This famous Spanish Golden Age actress, known as “La Calderona,” later became the mistress of King Philip IV.
Who is María Calderón?