Teatro breve - carcajada grande: Un estudio del

Abstract

This dissertation presents a critical edition of the Entremes de Melisendra. This entremes has been attributed to two talented writers of the Golden Age theater: Lope de Vega Carpio and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The first part of this work is an introduction to the important role that the entremes , as a sub-genre, played during the period. The work then provides a structural analysis of the Entremes in detail, including versification and vocabulary. Bakhtin's fundamental work on carnaval, complemented by that of other critics, provides the framework for the analysis of the bawdy, at times grotesque, humor of the play. Chapter III explores the influence of the Romance de don Gaiferos , whose plot derives from the Emperor Charlemagne's era. Through a detailed comparison, it becomes clear that the Romance de don Gaiferos strongly influenced the creation of the Entremes de Melisendra. Moreover, examples of parody abound. Instead of calling the play Entremes de don Gaiferos, the author parodies the title and changes it to Entremes de Melisendra, indicative of the carnavalesque inversion found throughout the text. Chapter IV then analyses the complex intertextuality between the Entremes de Melisendra and Cervantes's "Retablo de maese Pedro." The theoretical background employed for the consideration of this extensive parody draws from Linda Hutcheon's work A Theory of Parody as well as that of others theorists. The edition that comprises the fifth chapter has been modernized using the rules suggested for editing comedias by Frank P. Casa and Michael D. McGaha in Editing the Comedia. It has been annotated to help readers understand some of the more complex passages. The brief conclusion then underscores the significance of this piece for understanding the artistic evolution of a Medieval romance. The transformations in plot and presentation from romance, to entremes and then to a prose recreation of a theatrical "retablo" reflect the ever-changing relationships between art and society. A series of appendices offers additional information that supports the analysis presented.