The Gracioso in Golden Age Theatre and the Commedia Dell'arte Tradition

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Be11 8 Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 The Gracioso in Golden Age Theatre and the Commedia dell Ane Tradition Monica Leoni A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Spanish and Portuguese University of Toronto Copyright by Monica Leoni 1998 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Weilingtm Street 395. nie Wellington OttawaOF1 KlAON4 ûtfawa ON K1A ON4 Canada canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence ailowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seil reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfoxm, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicrofiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts f?om it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract The Gracioso in Golden Age Theatre and the Commedia dell Ane Tradition Monica Leoni Doctor of Philosophy 1998 ~raduateDepartment of Spanish and Portuguese University of Toronto This dissertation is a critical study of the Spanish comic type, the gracioso. Recent treatment of the gracioso has disregarded his multifaceted personality as well as his complex theatrical effects. From a perspective informed by theatre history and comic theory, the purpose of this thesis is to reconsider the Spanish comic type and to shed new Iight on a character usually confined to the shadows of the stage. An investigation of the Spanish clown type leads us to search for a point of departure in terms of this character's literary lineage and his subsequent introduction to Spanish audiences. The influence of the 1ta1 ian Commedia dell Ane tradition in Spain and Lope's later "creation" of the gracioso type are discussed, and it is suggested that although the Italian mni and the Spanish gracioso may indeed be distant cousins, the latter was, fiom his first appearances, a more complex figure than may initially have seemed to be the case. Comic theory, both ancient and recent, helps to elucidate the practical aspect of the comic type. An ancient prejudice against comedy and laughter has continued to infiuence modem treatment of the effect and power of comedy, diminishing the importance of laughter. The significance of carnival laughter is also introduced, suggesting that the gracioso character was often charged with the ciifficuit task of providing carnivalesque images and eliciting a suppressed form of laughter. By considering two of Tirso de Molina's works, the thesis proposes that the playwright recognized the complexity of the carnival phenornenon and yet made a typically "simple" character responsible for its injection into the theatrical experience. In addition to studying laughter fiom a theoretical point of view, the thesis considers the historical existence of the European court jester . It is suggested that his evennial central position in the courts is represented also on the stage, principally in the cornedius defigurdn. Much like his historical counterpart the gracioso in these works is pivotal in the development and final resolution of the comic plot, moving fiom the peripheries to centre stage. Acknowledgements This dissertation is dedicated to my parents and sister (my best fiiends) whose love has given me the strength and courage to pursue my dreams. To my supervisor, Professor Stephen Rupp, 1 would like to extend my appreciation not /' only of his friendship, understanding and constmctive criticism, but of his unflagging support and enthusiasm. And, fmally, 1 would like to thank Roberto, my constant source of inspiration. Table of Contents Introduction Chapter One: The Graciuso and his Precursors: Lope and the Commedia dell Arte Tradition The Mechanics of Comedy The Theatre of Antiquity The Commedia dell 'Arte Tradition El favor agradecido El lacuyo jhgirio Chapter Two: Tirso's El vergonwso en pdacio and Don Gil de las calzas verdes: More than Graniitous Grotesquerie 2.1 Corrrmedia dell Arte and Comic Theory 2.2 Mikhail Bakhtin's Rabelais and his World 2.3 The Issue of Gender Identity 2.4 The Gruciosos through the Eyes of Henri Bergson Chapter Three: Rojas Zorrilla's Entre bobos anda el juego and Moreto's El lindo don Diego: The Gmcioso and the Comic Conspiracy 135 3.1 Laughter and Power in Court Culture 136 3.2 The Case of the Court Jester 144 3.3 Courtiy Conduct and Courtesy Books 156 3.4 Enme bobos Mda el juego 171 3.5 El lindo don Diego 190 Conclusion Bibliography This study wili examine the role of the theairical clown, particularly that of the Spanish comic servant or the gracioso, from a perspective informed by theatre history and comic theory. Much has been written about this comic type and this analysis does not attempt to deny the validity of the conclusions already reached. While it is true that the comic servant has ken recognized as a character in and of hhself, his existence is usually seen to be of secondary importance in that his role is very much dictated by the roles of those around him. José Fernhdez Montesinos, for example, has referred to the gracioso as îhe " sombra" of the galh (26). From this common view have stemrned numerous other studies, each one treating the significance of the clown figure from the same perspective, as one half of an "other". Despite this "dependent" existence, it is interesting to note that the clown fulfils what Maurice Charney has called a "vital function": The fml and the ritual clown are far from any heroic notion of the comic hero, yet they fdfil a necessary and vital function. They are the most humble of creatures, the lowest on the social scale, completely anonymous and insigni ficant . Yet as truth-speakers îhey are endowed with a terrifying power. They are not, of course, aware that they are anything so exalted as truth-speakers. They merely act their role according to the prescribed forms and 3 in an unsophisticated and unseIfconscious way . ( 173) Charney's definition certainly seems to grant the clown type much more importance; as the feared speakers of tnith these characters are capable of creating havoc and doing significant damage to others. In the following pages we will see that in several cases the gracioso does indeed speak the truth while inciting the laughter of his audience, but to Say that he does so in an unsophisticated and unselfconscious marner continues to belittle the complexity that his persona often presents. In Esnrdios sobre Lope Montesinos has made many interesting observations concerning the relationship between the gracioso and the hero, as well as the multi-faceted nature of his persona. In his study he lists the gracioso's common attributes such as his Unfailing loyalty to his master, the cowardice he displays, the hunger he saers and the lack of nobility he will always face. These characteristics are to be found time and again in any given work of Spanish Golden Age theatre. Despite this almost formuiaic description of the clown type, and although he has commenteci that many of the gracioso ' s actions tend to mirror those of his master, Montesinos does go on to acknowledge the different layers that exist in this figure, noting tbat his fimction often extends beyond providing the comedy of the work: La figura del donaire resume una psicologia que s610 algunas 4 veces, al prolongar caricaturescamente los rasgos, puede hacer reir. El sentido de este persoaaje en la comedia responde a su funcion constructiva; 10 cobra en la contraposicion de dos posiciones ante la vida que un psic6logo modern0 consideraria como complementarias, mientras que Lope, como antes que él Rojas, les daba como exclusivas la una de la otra. Pero ademas, por 10 que a la economfa de las piezas dramfiticas se refiere, el criado oficioso es una 'voz' necesaria, un complemento armonico de la voz del gd&, y por ellos ha de estar en la comedia y decir 10 que dice, sea el10 c6mico O no. (63) 1 am not suggesting here that the playwrights of Spain took the prototype of the comic servant and altered or evolved his character.

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