스페인 ‘꼬메디아 누에바’에 나타난 여주인공의 유형들에 대한 고찰

Abstract

Female protagonists in 17th century Spanish 'comedia nueva', quite surprisingly, take different forms of character. There are not only images of female protagonists that display the feminine ideal of the society at the time, but also female protagonists that have supernatural powers that may only exist in fantasy. This paper will examine female protagonists of Spanish 'comedia nueva' in the three categories focused on the works of Lope de Vega who led the contemporary dramatic flow, and one of his most prominent follower Tirso de Molina. The first category is the ideal female protagonist that symbolizes passivity. The most prominent examples are Lope's Peribáñez y el comendador de Ocaña and El mejor alcalde, el rey. The female protagonists that appear in these two works, Casilda and Elvira, display images of women at the time, who were considered possessions of men and passively followed men who took the lead in solving problems. The second category is the ideal female protagonist that symbolizes strength. Belisa and María, the female protagonists of Lope's Las bizarrías de Belisa and Tirso's La gallega Mari-Hernández respectively, are good examples. These two female protagonists are similar in that they demonstrate their supernatural and warrior-like disposition that surpasses that of men and show brilliant prowess, and take the lead in their love affairs with the male protagonists. The last category is the ideal female protagonist that symbolizes wisdom. Diana and Madelena, the female protagonists of Lope's El perro del hortelanoi and Tirso's El vergonzoso en palacio respectively, are prominent examples. These two female protagonists, instead of strength, demonstrate wisdom unique to female and the ability to handle critical situations to take the lead in settling love affairs. Categorization and observation of ideal female protagonists like the above can suggest another method in understanding Spanish plays of the time period more correctly and as a whole.